I have to admit: I didn’t know much about this city until I began an internship here this past summer. Despite attending CSU just up the road in Fort Collins, I hadn’t ventured south very often, and when I did, it was usually on I-25 headed to Denver. Loveland—also known as America’s “Sweetheart City”—is a place with stunning natural beauty, a vibrant arts-scene, vibey bars, and a spectacular food scene, making it an appealing spot for all ages, but especially those of us who happen to be in Gen Z. Loveland became my own personal playground over the time I spent working there and I can’t help sharing about it.
Recently, I spent a full day exploring the city solo and with my boyfriend. So, with that, here’s a “20-Somethings” guide to Loveland:
Quirky Morning Spots
Colorado Coffee Company
Local, fresh, and responsible are the three words that The Colorado Coffee Company lives by. The Colorado Coffee Company has two locations in town: one in downtown and one in Centerra. They are one of the longest-running coffee shops and roasters in Northern Colorado. I decided to check out the downtown location, which is in the Foundry Plaza.
They offer an extensive menu that includes hot and iced coffees, flavored lattes, americanos, cappuccinos, and more. If you’re not a coffee fan, don’t fret! They have so many more options such as teas, energy drinks, Italian sodas, smoothies, milkshakes, and even alcoholic beverages.
With so many options to choose from, it was hard to decide on just one drink. I eventually went with the ‘white rabbit’, a white chocolate and caramel flavored latte. Of course, I had to pair my drink with one of their award-winning cinnamon rolls, which was definitely a solid combination.
Stroll Through Nature
River’s Edge Natural Area
With my iced coffee in hand, I made my way to River’s Edge Natural Area, just up the road on 1st Street. (Disclaimer: I know this isn’t in downtown, proper, but at just a mile away, it is still centrally-located and still walkable.)
River’s Edge has a variety of outdoor recreation activities for people of all abilities to enjoy. Need a new fishing spot? River’s Edge Natural Area has eight new fishing input areas and three ADA-accessible fishing docks. Looking for a new hiking trail? River’s Edge Natural Areas has 3.8-mile natural-surface trails that can be used for hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing. Want to enjoy a picnic, enjoying the calm setting? There are three non-reservable shelters, a number of open-space picnic tables, and open ground to enjoy a casual picnic on a blanket.
As I was taking my stroll around River’s Edge, I was taken aback by the natural beauty surrounding me. It’s places like this that I feel grateful to have in my own back yard. Loveland has these pockets of natural spaces interspersed throughout the city. It’s kind of awesome to go from downtown to natural space in a matter of a few minutes. River’s Edge is certainly one of Loveland’s best-kept secrets.
Amazing Bites and Sips
Slice n’ Roll Pizza Pub
After spending a good chunk of the day enjoying Loveland’s outdoor rec opportunities, I was starving. I said goodbye to the open spaces and found myself back in downtown. I met up with my boyfriend, Michael, and we wandered the sidewalks in front of the unique shops and many dining spots. The tempting scent of pizza caught our attention so we followed our noses to Slice n’ Roll Pizza Pub. The lively pizza joint was fairly busy the day we went, but we didn’t let that stop us from seeing what the hype was all about.
My first impression while looking over the menu was that they clearly put a lot of creativity into their pizza lineup. Everything listed on the menu caught my attention, from the gyro pizza to the taco pizza, but ultimately we decided on the lox pizza. The lox pizza comes with fresh dill cream cheese, red onion, capers, smoked salmon, and everything bagel seasonings. Essentially, it’s a lox bagel minus the bagel, and on pizza crust instead. After just one bite, we were hooked! We both were pleasantly surprised at just how good this unconventional pizza was. I will never think of pizza in a traditional way ever again after enjoying this pizza!
Fortunately, for those who may not have as adventurous of a palate as Michael and I, Slice n’ Roll also offers more traditional pizzas, such as cheese, pepperoni, supreme, and Italian sausage. Curious to see their spin on the classics, we also ordered a slice of New York supreme pizza and a whole buffalo chicken pizza. The supreme pizza was great, but the buffalo chicken pizza left me wanting to order more! Hands down my personal favorite out of everything we tried.
Slice n’ Roll also has a full bar, and we couldn’t help but indulge in their libations. I ordered the peach lemonade, and Michael ordered a margarita. I really enjoyed the peach lemonade. It was cold and refreshing, not to mention quite smooth, and the margarita would be a strong competitor to any you might find in Mexico. Slice n’ Roll is just one of the awesome dining hotspots in downtown Loveland. You can find food for any taste from breakfast burritos on-the-go to fine-dining steakhouse fare, here.
Tom Davis Saloon
After a leisure afternoon of carb-fueled rest, we geared up again and headed out to experience the nightlife. We were surprised by the variety of bars we had to choose from. There is The Flipside with its colorfully lit arcade bar environment, Axe to Grind, which as the name suggests is an axe throwing bar, and laid-back sipping spots like the Pourhouse and Loveland Tap and Tavern. Sage Speakeasy, Tee Shots and Lyssa Nightclub and Rage Room are some of the newest places to check out while downtown.
With all those interesting choices in mind, a couple of places caught my eye and one was Tom Davis Saloon. This western bar somehow spoke to my inner-country girl and the fun, inviting vibe was the perfect welcome. With the added touches of a mechanical bull and live music acts, it’s apparent this bar knows how to perfectly capture a fun and spirited atmosphere!
Like many places in Loveland, their menu had so many good options to choose from that deciding which one to order was difficult. I wanted to try them all! Eventually, I landed on one of their most popular cocktails, the Moondance. The Moondance is a drink containing blackberry moonshine, blackberry puree, limoncello, sour mix, and sprite. It tasted just how I like my cocktails: sweet, but not too sweet.
This It’s important to mention that Tom Davis Saloon does not sell food, but they typically have a food truck parked in front in case you get hungry. Don’t forget to check out their weekly specials, which include country line dancing on Wednesdays, live music, and so much more.
Wicked Tequila Room
After Tom Davis Saloon, the vibrant and lively aesthetic of Wicked Tequila Room called our name. I had never been to a bar that specializes in tequila and was intrigued. Looking over their offerings, it was apparent they carried a wide variety of tequila and mezcal in everything from the standard offering all the way to the high-end rare bottles. If shots aren’t your thing, they have some of the most unique cocktails I’ve ever had.
I ordered one of the Wicked’s most popular craft cocktails, the Poltergeist, which contains ghost pepper spicy tequila, grand marnier, agave, fresh lime, and lemon juice. Michael ordered the Colorado Chihuahua, which contains cantera negra caf´e, vodka cream, and a splash of coke.
The combination of sweet, sour and spicy were hauntingly good in the poltergeist. The “heat” in this drink is a bit fiery but it works well. Out of curiosity, I couldn’t help but take a few sips of the Colorado Chihuahua. As an avid coffee drinker, I was a big fan of this drink! It was almost like a Starbucks iced coffee, but better! Surprisingly, it’s got a kick, but it’s safe to say that this chihuahua had just the right amount of bite to it.
Aside from the bars, unique boutiques, and good eats, as walked the streets of downtown, we were pleasantly surprised by how much public art there was. There were literally murals or sculptures on every block, and if that isn’t enough art, the amount of privately owned art galleries in town add more to the creative vibe Loveland is dripping with.
There are so many options for all generations in downtown Loveland, but as someone in my early-20’s, I can say there are far more things for those in my generation to do here than you can fit in one day. This was just downtown and doesn’t even include the other cool things to do here, like mountain biking or seeing a show at Blue Arena. I had a blast and continue to discover more cool things about the city every day. So with that, get out in downtown Loveland — explore, stroll, dine and drink, and don’t forget to take advantage of the many photo-ops this place has. When it comes to Loveland, I 10/10 would recommend.
This blog was written and experienced by Mackenzie Glenn, Intern at Visit Loveland.
