Image courtesy of Odell Brewing Company

Fort Collins, Colorado is located at the base of the famous and beautiful Rocky Mountains, as well as Colorado State University. It’s also home to the Odell Brewing Company, the ‘other’ brewery in Fort Collins. I have been a fan of their craft beers for several years now, but only recently had the chance to head up to Fort Collins and take in the brewery. I was back home in Colorado last month for the Great American Beer Festival in Denver and I wanted to make sure I stopped in either Boulder or Fort Collins to visit a few breweries. As I landed, I got a call from my sister who was already in Fort Collins. Decision made.

A short 45 minute drive to up the highway and I pulling into the parking lot at Odell. My sister and her boyfriend were already on the patio enjoying a beer and some lunch, I quickly headed over and sat down. The mountain cabin decor of Odell set a great tone for my visit. Imagine sitting on the patio looking at the Rockies, 60 degree temperatures and feeling like you are ruffing it. I was in heaven.

Odell has been around since 1989 in Fort Collins, started by Doug, Wynne and Corkie Odell, but is often overshadowed by its more well known fellow brewery: New Belgium. The beer recipes were carefully considered prior to opening, as Doug Odell had spent years in Seattle perfecting his recipes. Eventually, he settled on what would later be known as 90 Shilling and Easy Street Wheat as their initial offerings. What began in a converted grain elevator outside town, expanded to an 8,000 square foot facility in 1994 and then to 45,000 square feet in 2009! First focusing on draft only, in 1996 they added a bottling line and began bottling and distributing.

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Benson Park Sculpture Garden

Most families only visit Loveland, Colorado, because the town is the last stop on Highway 34 before you reach the gorgeous Rocky Mountain National Park, just 30 miles away.

Benson Park Sculpture Garden

But if you’re heading into the National Park, or simply driving through Colorado on Interstate 25, Loveland makes for an interesting stop along the way.

If for no other reason than to see the statues.

Loveland has nearly 300 pieces of public art, mostly sculptures, spread all over, in front of city buildings, dentist’s offices, schools, and private homes.  You can drive around town, playing a game of spot the statues, but I don’t recommend it if you want to keep your insurance premiums down.  Instead, go directly to where the bulk of the artwork is on permanent display, at the Benson Park Sculpture Garden.  And it doesn’t cost a thing to enjoy.

The park is a dazzling site, with over 130 sculptures of all shapes and sizes placed around three large ponds.  When I first took my kids there, their response was the usual, “Oh no, do we have to walk?”  But once they meandered down the trail and spied their first statue, a boy playing marbles with a dinosaur, they were immediately hooked.  Aching feet were completely forgotten as they discovered new surprises around ever corner.

Benson Park is in a quiet, residential area, so it feels peaceful and uncrowded.  On the cold spring day we were there, it was certainly free of people.  The morning snowfall added to the magical air of the place as we took our time walking the trails.

This is the kind of place you’ll want to have your camera ready for memorable poses of your kids with the various sculptures.  They’ll plead with you to take a picture of them with every strange and whimsical creature they see.

There are picnic tables, benches, and bathrooms, so don’t worry about how much time you spend.  We were surprised to find two hours gone by without even noticing.

Granted, we were not in any kind of hurry.  Loveland was an overnight stop for us on our way through the state.  I highly recommend the new Holiday Inn Express just off I-25, which features the usual indoor pool but with a kid-pleasing giant red water slide.

Colorado is an amazing state, with majestic mountains and stunning scenic vistas.  It’s easy to overlook the little things.  But, next time you’re traveling through the area, you’ll find it well worth your time to add Benson Park Sculpture Garden to your list of places to see.

Benson Park Sculpture Garden

Benson Park Sculpture Garden

Benson Park Sculpture Garden

All photos by Phil Corless

Denver is among the twenty-five most populous cities in the United States, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the past twenty years. The city boasts the country’s largest city park system, the fourth largest nature and science museum in the nation, the fourth most popular (according to the Official Visitors Guide) zoo, and the second largest arts center in the country.

The Colorado State Capitol building is surrounded by parks.

All that is nice. No offense to Denver, but after you’ve lived in New York, Denver (and almost any other city for that matter) seems like an unimpressive few blocks long. Sure it’s the Mile High City, but after the Big Apple, it’s just a cute little town. The plus side to this, on the other hand, is that it’s possible to see much of the city in just a few days-and even to walk to many of the city’s major attractions.

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As beach dwelling folk, we are decidedly jaded when it comes to selecting summer travel destinations. Hawaii? The Caribbean? The South Pacific? Meh. I can walk across the street and play in the ocean for free. After our recent trip to the Colorado Rockies, I’m sold: for my money, the mountains are the place to go during the summer months. And no place epitomizes this more than the resort town of Breckenridge.

Breckenridge, Colorado: a different kind of paradise.

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