Free Things to Do in Loveland, Colorado

Are you on a tight budget? Most people are these days. Do you want to have fun, but worry about spending too much money? There are a lot of fun things you can do that don't cost anything at all. Here are several ideas of fun, free things to do in my hometown of Loveland, Colorado.

Visit a Park
Pack a picnic lunch and head to one of Loveland's parks. Many neighborhoods in Loveland have a park within walking distance, so you don't even need to put gas in your car to get to one. Over two dozen parks in Loveland have playgrounds for the kids. You'll also find picnic areas where you can eat the lunch you packed.

In addition to playgrounds, there are two skate parks in Loveland. There are parks with tennis courts, basketball courts, soccer fields and baseball fields. One park even has a dog park. Some of the larger parks have pavilions if you plan on picnicking with a group of friends. Two of the parks in town have water spray parks for those hot summer days.

Visit the Museum
Loveland's Museum is located at 503 North Lincoln Ave. Historical exhibits depicting early life in Loveland are permanently on display. Visitors can see replicas of an old time doctor's office, a general store, a blacksmith shop and livery stable. There is also a small cabin on display.

A valentine exhibit can also be seen at the museum. Loveland is known as the "Sweetheart City" and is famous for its valentine remailing program. Museum visitors can view vintage valentines and read about the history of the remailing program.

Visit the Library
The Loveland Public Library is located at 300 North Adams Avenue. The library has a wide selection of adult and children's books, CD's, DVD's and magazines. The staff is friendly and helpful and always ready to assist you in locating what you need. Grab a book or magazine, find a comfy chair and spend an hour enjoying the peace and quiet of the library.

When you are finished inside the library, head outside. There is a playground for kids right next to the library. You can also take a walk around Foote Lagoon which is next to the library's parking lot. The walk only takes 5 to 10 minutes. You'll see some lovely bronze sculptures on your walk which takes us to the next free thing to do in Loveland.

Visit the Sculpture Parks
Loveland is well known for its sculptures. In fact, every year in mid August, there is an entire weekend dedicated to sculpture shows. You can view many bronze sculptures at Benson Sculpture Park which is located at 2908 Aspen Drive.

Another sculpture park in Loveland is Chapungu Park. It is located just east of the Promenade Shops in Loveland at the corner of Centerra and Kendall Parkways. The park contains approximately 80 hand carved Zimbabwe stone sculptures.

Take a Walk or a Bike Ride
Loveland has a great trail system consisting of approximately 15.5 miles. You can get some great exercise walking or biking along the trails in Loveland. There are many good resting stops and several parks along the trails where you can stop and rest, or have the picnic lunch that was suggested earlier in this article.

Go to the Beach
In summer, you can go to the beach at Lake Loveland. The beach is located in North Lake Park which is one of Loveland's most popular parks. The entrance to the park is on Taft Avenue, just south of 29th Street.

Watch the Sunset
After you've done some of the free things mentioned above, you can settle down and watch the sunset. One of the best places to watch the sunset is at South Shore Scenic Parkway alongside Lake Loveland. There is a walking trail along the lake with places to stop and sit down to enjoy the end of the day.

You can get an idea of how beautiful sunsets are in Loveland by reading the following article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1923112/the_beauty_of_sunsets_around_the_united.html.
The picture displayed with that article was taken by Glen Zakavec at South Shore Scenic Parkway.

These are just a few ideas of fun things to do in Loveland that are free. Check out your own hometown and you may find lots of fun, free things to do too!

Sources:
http://www.ci.loveland.co.us/
http://www.colorado.com/Search.aspx?mid=-1&q=chapungu+sculpture+park
http://www.chapungusculpturepark.com/