The FoCo Cafe is a unique non-profit restaurant run by volunteers using local, organic, and sustainably grown ingredients to create their meals. The food is paid for through donations and they encourage folks to pay what they are financially able to– if you are able to spend a bit more on your meal, your donation will go towards delivering food to the most vulnerable community members.
After grabbing some healthy food from the Foco Cafe, you can do some sustainable shopping! Eco Thrift is a thrift store, conveniently located, right across the street from the FoCo Cafe! Eco Thrift is a fully local thrift store where all items donated are sold right back to Fort Collins residents. Any items that the store cannot sell, they aim to repurpose or donate to other Fort Collins organizations. Eco Thrift also has a ‘Tool Library!’ So if you ever needed tools while living in a smaller space such as an apartment or dorm, you can go borrow them from this local business!
If you want an experience slightly closer to campus, check out the Museum of Discovery! There are a variety of exhibits here about all kinds of topics from music to science. Sharing an experience with someone is much more valuable and good for the planet than going out and buying a physical gift, and this experience has something for everyone. The museum also offers a discount to students if you bring your RamCard– woo hoo!
The Lyric is a fun, locally-owned movie theatre that plays all kinds of movies from different genres, eras and countries! They have three different auditoriums for films and even an outdoor screen with a backdrop of the beautiful foothills. Recently, The Lyric has started hosting local live musicians in their outdoor patio space on select days.
Make the journey to all these wonderful places while simultaneously touring the city’s art! The Fort Collins Mural Project is a nonprofit that works with local artists to get buildings across Northern Colorado spiced up with murals! There are hidden artworks all across the city for you to explore. You could take a look at the mural map, or you could try and find them all without a guide. The art is changing every year, meaning there might be a new mural next time you walk through old town!