Melissa Daluz

Let’s be honest: nobody has ever woken up on a Saturday and declared, “You know what today needs? Fewer swings.” Greeley seems to agree. With more than 40 parks around town, this city has more places to run around than most of us have matching Tupperware lids, which is saying something. Whether you’re a longtime local who keeps meaning to try that other playground, or a visitor hoping to burn off some kid energy (or your own) before the drive home, here are five parks worth the trip.

Let's be honest — Fort Collins didn't need another reason to be one of the most livable towns in Colorado, but its parks system decided to show off anyway. With around 50 parks and nearly a thousand acres of green space scattered across town, this city takes recess seriously. Silos you can slide between. A wooly mammoth you can climb. A twelve-foot wooden sugar beet. Yes, really.

Let's get one thing straight: in Fort Collins, you cannot walk more than a block without tripping over some form of creativity. This town has entire city programs and nonprofits dedicated to making sure a stroll to get coffee turns into an accidental gallery tour. Alleyways moonlight as galleries. Utility boxes wear costumes. Pianos just... live outside, unsupervised, daring strangers to play them. Sidewalks have secret messages etched into the concrete, courtesy of kids barely old enough to tie