Lovers of the outdoors will find many things to do in Longmont, Colorado.
Located an hour or so north of Denver, Longmont sits at the foothills of the Rockies. Its location makes it a perfect base camp for exploration and adventure. And, as we all know, the Rocky Mountains offer endless opportunities for adventure.
It’s true that nearby Boulder might be larger and better known. However, Longmont offers a chance to get more intimately acquainted with the beauty of Northern Colorado, and Rocky Mountain National Park. If you find yourself in Denver take a short road trip to Longmont for a weekend.
So, let’s get started with your exploration. Below are some of the very best things to do in Longmont!
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Things to Do in Longmont, Colorado
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Explore the Rockies
The entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park sits a mere 38 miles outside of Longmont. If you want to explore this region of the Rockies there is arguably no better “base camp” to do it from than Longmont.
The park itself is 400 miles of protected mountain beauty. It’s a stunning “little” slice of the Rockies, and you can spend literal weeks exploring it, if you wanted to.
Rocky Mountain National Park Highlights
- Trail Ridge Road – the highest altitude paved road in the USA takes you through stunning landscapes and scenery.
- Bear Lake – Siting at almost 10,000 feet of elevation this alpine lake is pristine and breathtaking. This is especially when the autumn foliage turns the vicinity of the lake into a riot of colors.
- Long’s Peak and Wild Basin Trails – Longs Peak is where the city of Longmont gets its name. This incredible trail will take you past wildlife and offer you majestic mountain views.
Walk Around Downtown Longmont
Two words that describe downtown Longmont – quaint and cute. The tree lined stretch of downtown Longmont offers a wide variety of outdoor eating, drinking, browsing, shopping, and cultural events.
A lot of money went into renovating this section of Longmont in the past couple of decades, making it a family-friendly experience for visitors and locals both.
Sample Brews with the Brewhop Trolley
Explore the breweries of Longmont with this hop-on, hop-off bus service. Running on Saturdays and Sundays the “trolley” is a unique and fun way of taking a boozy craft brews tour through the delicious Longmont brewing scene.
The Brewhop Trolley allows you to safely visit 10 breweries, a couple of distilleries, and a cidery. Can you visit all of them in one day? That’s not a challenge we’d personally take on, but we won’t stop you from trying.
Longmont Farmers Market
If you are a regular reader of our articles you know we LOVE farmers markets. There are few better ways to get a feel for local culture and food than browsing through a good farmer’s market. You almost always see or learn something new about any destination when visiting, and the Longmont Farmers Market is no exception.
Pay it a visit on Saturday mornings, and support local farmers, artisans, and businesses!
Visit the Agricultural Heritage Center
Take a stroll through history at the Agricultural Heritage Center. This fascinating destination near Longmont showcases the agricultural history of the Boulder County and Rocky Mountain regions. It focuses on pioneer and rural life between the mid-19th century and the start of the 20th century. A great bit of interactive history for the whole family, and a great thing to add to your list of things to do in Longmont.
The center is open to the public in the warmer months on weekends, and once a month in the winter.
Hiking the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain
The scraggly terrain of the Rocky Mountain foothills found in the Ron Stewart Preserve offers great hiking and some sweet views.
This preserve is rich with beautiful geological features, and a plethora of plants and wildlife. You will find three easy to moderate trails to navigate on foot here while watching the beauty of nature unfold all around you. You can catch glimpses of no less than 30 mountain peaks off in the distance as you hike around this gorgeous bit of preserved land.
If you want a relaxed hike, or just to wander and observe nature at work, add this to your list of activities while in Longmont.
Get in the Water at Union Reservoir Park
Visit the Union Reservoir year-round for water activities that include paddleboarding, kayaking, and windsurfing. You will also find the Union Sailing Club here, one of Colorado’s largest racing sailing clubs. The reservoir is home to a seasonal swimming beach, which is great if you want to cool off after a summer hike.
Families will find tables and grills for picnics as well, making the reservoir a great place to kick back and relax after exploring the Rockies.
Birdwatching at St. Vrain State Park
Filled with lakes and ponds this beautiful park near Longmont is a great destination for bird watchers. You can spot blue herons, red hawks, bald eagles, and all manner of birds here. That’s pretty darn cool if you are into birds!
Other things you can do in the 600-acre St. Vrain include angling, camping, and serene nature walking.
Skydiving in Longmont
If you have always wanted to jump out of a perfectly good airplane you’re in luck! The Mile-Hi-Skydiving Center offers jumps for beginners and intermediate skydivers.
With 20 years of experience operating out of Longmont you’ll be in good hands strapped in with one of their experts. Skydiving is an experience that we will never forget, personally, and you won’t either. Take the plunge and add this to your list of things to do in Longmont!
Visit the Longmont Museum
Featuring exhibits in history, science, and the arts the Longmont Museum is definitely worth a visit while you are in town. The Museum has hands-on education programs for kids and hosts both indoor and outdoor performances.
Find out more about the Longmont Museum here.
The Dougherty Museum
If antique cars are your thing you are going to LOVE the Dougherty Museum. Have you ever seen a steam-powered car? What about a coal-powered one? Well you can find all of that, and more, here. To make it all the better, most of the cars on display in the Dougherty Museum are in running order, despite being over 100 years old.
This impressive collection is bound to awe anyone interested in ancient cars, so if that’s you or one of your family members…you know what to add to your list of Longmont activities!
Admission is $7 for adults, $3 dollars for kids, and free for kids under the age of 6.
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