Fort Collins, Colorado: The real happiest place on Earth?

Only two American towns can genuinely claim to have inspired that quintessential slice of 1900s small-town nostalgia: Disneyland's Main Street USA. Fort Collins is one of them.

Harper Goff, the Disney art director behind that iconic theme-park “town,” grew up here, and he modeled the boulevard — along with a handful of the buildings — on his own hometown.

You can still get a sense of what inspired Goff by walking through pedestrian-only Old Town Square, now dotted with murals, children-designed sidewalk pavers and whimsical sculptures. On a spring evening a couple on horseback strolled under the square’s strung-up lights, kids enjoyed mini-play areas, and a steady parade of locals and visitors ducked in and out of the bookstore, ice cream shop, bars and boutiques.

“Everything is just a little shinier, a little cleaner, a little safer, a little slower, in a good way,” said Alex Morgan, owner of Totally ‘80s Pizza.

Today the town’s magic, if you will, is more Disneyland-esque in other ways. First, many local businesses have committed to organizing activities that pull people together in a shared experience. Second, creative enterprises here seem to be — like Walt’s achievements — entrepreneurial imagination put into practice.

Ginger Graham, co-owner of Ginger and Baker, gushed about what a friendly, safe, diverse and philanthropic community Fort Collins is, rooted in history and multiple generations of business owners.

“Everyone shows up,” she explained, to support local events and entrepreneurialism. She and her husband, Jack, a former NFL football player, moved here 14 years ago when her husband became athletic director at Colorado State University, his alma mater.

The last 20 or so years have been transformative for the town. A population boom coincided with thriving local industry, particularly breweries, tech and legalized marijuana, and a growth in tourism. Unlike the other town that inspired Disneyland’s Main Street USA, Walt’s childhood small town of Marceline, Missouri, Fort Collins has thrived.

“In the early 2000s the vibe became less Flanders,” said Ben Mozer, owner and founder of the Lyric cinema, referencing the chaste neighbor Ned on “The Simpsons,” “and more weird.”

Today it’s home to a nationally famous brewery, a totally awesome ‘80s cafe , the coolest of indie movie theaters, and great coffee shops — while retaining its historical roots. Like a theme park, you can bounce from one peak experience to another, including hiking an actual local peak in the foothills of the Rockies.

Frontierland

The town began as an Army-built supply line stop along the Overland Trail, the stagecoach route of Western expansion. You can walk inside authentic log cabins of the era and read the short bios of the homesteaders who lived in them during the latter half of the 1800s. They’re clustered in the Heritage Courtyard on the grounds next to the town’s handsome 1904 Carnegie Library.

The Armstrong Hotel has retained some of that old-world charm. Built in 1923, the rooms are classically stylish, with dark accent walls and wood floors. The lobby holds portraits of local celebrities, including Jon Heder of “Napoleon Dynamite” fame and the animal husbandry expert Temple Grandin. Free bikes for guests are available to explore the bike-friendly town.

Ace Gillett’s Cocktail Lounge, located in the Armstrong’s basement, has been in operation since the hotel opened. The classy, low-lit space is dominated by a large marble bar where bartenders mix up beverages like a sweet, lime green Japanese Drifter cocktail of gin, Midori and yuzu ume liquor (with, the menu noted, $4 of the price going to a local food bank). DJs spin vinyl on Friday and Saturday nights and they have a piano player at other times. But Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Gabriel and The Doors were the soundtrack during a recent happy hour.

An old-timey feel is also captured aboard the popularFort Collins Trolley, originally built in 1919 and now restored. From May to September, these grand electric cars ferry passengers two miles between Old Town and pretty City Park, as well as back in time.

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Fantasyland

Flashing back to the future, the Totally 80’s Pizza cafe-meets-museum is a sensory overload inspired by the nostalgia cafe in “Back to the Future Part II.” Inside, a big screen TV plays a loud mix tape of music videos, commercials and sitcom themes. Every inch of the place is covered by “the largest collection of 80’s memorabilia in the world,” its menu claims.

“Totally ‘80s Pizza exists as an escape from a complicated world, to a simpler time, to bring joy to peoples’ lives,” said the owner, Alex Morgan, echoing a Disney-esque philosophy.

“But we’re not for everyone,” Morgan added. “Loud music, bright lights, and crowds are part of this experience,” a sign outside promises and warns. The “Charles In Charge” show theme blasted from the TV, followed by Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” as arcade games bleeped nearby.

There’s a diorama depicting the Battle of Hoth from “The Empire Strikes Back.” A Ronald Reagan campaign poster. A Mr. T cereal box. An E.T. lunch box. Garbage Pail Kids cards under glass. A Zoltar fortune teller as seen in “Big.” A full-scale Han Solo in carbonite and Slimer, from the “Star Wars” and “Ghostbusters” franchises, respectively. And a million more. Tables are covered with movie posters, so don’t be alarmed to see “Goonies” looking up at you as you distractedly eat your delicious pizza.

For more stimulation, few movie houses live up to the indie title like The Lyric. In addition to three screens (one outdoors), it hosts movie trivia, karaoke and live music. Mozer, who grew up in Fort Collins always wanting the town to have an indie theater, explained that the pandemic was transformative.

Instead of closing, the Lyric expanded into a “multi-art experience” for all ages. The concession stand now serves cocktails, enjoyed outside on a sculpture-filled patio. On weekends, families come for free weekend cartoons paired with a $6 all-you-can-eat cereal bar, and separate experiences like baby goats and a drag show.

Creativity abounds in Fort Collins. The Lincoln Center hosts live music, classic theater and dance. The Mishawaka Amphitheatre (or “The Mish” if you want to sound like a local) attracts big names 13 miles out of town in Bellvue. Many bars in town have local musicians entertaining patrons. And there’s a self-guided public art tour which takes you through the civic artistry of downtown. Local Colorado State University has public exhibits at its own art museum.

ESSENTIAL FORT COLLINS

• DRINK: Voodoo Ranger IPA after your New Belgium brewery tour
• EAT: At Ginger and Baker, for an upscale meal or a slice of pie perfection
• SEE: A recent film, or live music, or baby goats at The Lyric movie house
• PLAY: Vintage video games at Totally 80’s Pizza, where the main topping is nostalgia

Even the modernly appointed Elizabeth Hotel has a creative streak for guests to enjoy: a lending library of guitars and vinyl, the latter to be played on the record players in each room.

The founders of New Belgium Brewery, Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch, had a build-it-and-they-will-drink vision. Fort Collins is home to about 20 local breweries, but it’s fair to say theirs is a seat and handlebars above the rest. The house Fat Tire Ale built opened in the early ‘90s, preceding and helping manifest the Fort Collins renaissance.

“New Belgium was a big catalyst in the town,” said the Lyric’s Mozer, “inspiring other breweries.”

New Belgium’s public space includes an outdoor area where friends were picnicking and playing Smashball on a sunny, spring afternoon outside its taproom bar. Inside you can enjoy a Voodoo Ranger IPA from a comfy leather chair or take a funny and informative Willy Wonka-esque tour behind the curtain, complete with a twisty metal slide to bypass a flight of stairs.

The delightful guide shared the wanderlust origin story and do-good philosophies of the brewery’s founders, encapsulated the history of beer in America, gave a hands-on lesson in proper pouring technique, and handed out drinks along the way, including some you’ll only find on the premises.

The final temptation to quit your job and work for New Belgium? They give employees new bikes after working there a year.

It’s a small world

The Northern Colorado Feeders Supply building, built in 1905, at the corner of Willow and Linden Streets, was a gathering spot for local farmers and ranchers. One sold and the other bought grain “while talking over coffee about crops and the weather,” according to a plaque on the building. It was the start of a community.

That building is now Ginger and Baker, a hybrid high-end restaurant (the Cache), café, bakery and teaching kitchen that brings people together for meals, culinary classes and other activities. Out-of-towners are welcome to their floral arranging, rooftop wine tasting and Dungeons & Dragons nights and the rest. Next to the bakery, where you can dither over a display case of transcendent-tasting pies, is the test kitchen where pie masterclasses are held.

Fort Collins residents are still jawing over coffee. Little Bird Bakeshop has taken over a house, with tables arranged in the rooms on two floors. They sell wonky, irregular versions of their signature cinnamon buns at a discount, but with the same great taste.

Wolverine Farm Publick House is a wood barn of a building that stands out as a perfect hybrid of coffeeshop, bar and bookstore — the kind of place designed to appeal to a college town demographic. There are nine beers on tap, a book selection that overindexes on poetry, regulars have their own personal mugs, and there’s a tiny shrine to Henry David Thoreau.

The Exchange is a shared space of craft ice cream, craft beer, street food and, uh, Pilates. Jessup Farm is a ranch-to-mall space of boutique shopping, eating and hanging out. Alongside another ice cream shop and Italian restaurant at Jessup is the perfect, little Bindle coffeeshop, located in a small barn-like building. Do not miss their maple knot pastry.

Maida Trattoria, a high end, family-owned Italian restaurant on the edge of Old Town Square, is the hot newcomer. The Silver Grill Café is the oldest joint in town, opened in 1933, a popular breakfast spot known for its cinnamon rolls.

Or you can follow budget-conscious college kids with epicurean tastes to the Mexican spot DGT Tacos. The chocolate horchata is spicy, the service friendly and the tacos are filling and, as the name implies, damn good (though the name is more cleverly derived from “dam good tacos” as their first location was near an actual reservoir dam).

Adventureland

Often sunny and temperate, Fort Collins is a dream if you love the outdoors. And if you’re not geared up, JAX is an old-school sporting goods store across from the Lyric theater, with added delights like candy and a model train that does loops as you browse.

Recreationally speaking, you can start by staying local. Hike, run or ride along the Poudre River Trail, on kayak on the water, near Old Town. Farther out you can negotiate rapids on that same Cache la Poudre. Fort Collins has a 17-mile connected bike trail to the town Loveland. There’s water recreation on Horsetooth Reservoir, an eight-mile drive west.

Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding are at Lory State Park, 10 miles away in Bellvue. Animals you may spot just out of town include mountain lions, pronghorn antelope and small, adorable burrowing owls.

But it’s Horsetooth Mountain that’s a rite of passage. It may be 30 minutes out of town, but it can be seen on the horizon and its distinctive peak is on the Fort Collins logo. For Colorado State students, bagging it is a long-standing tradition. The moderate-to-difficult trail is roughly 2.5 miles to the top with nearly 1,500 feet in elevation gain. The mountain view of the Rockies, and Pikes Peak on a clear day, is worth the sweat.

And to wash out the dust from the hike, pop into the nearby Horsetooth Tavern, a cozy, charming and oddly nautically themed bar. On tap is New Belgium’s Old Aggie Superior Lager, brewed with the help of Colorado State students.

From there? Well, going back to Fort Collins’ roots as a stop on the old Overland Trail, you can head to points north, south and west. Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park and Red Rocks Amphitheater are all less than a 90-minute drive away, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, is about half of that.

Coming or going, Fort Collins is a fun and quintessentially American destination. It may not be the happiest place on Earth, as Walt Disney called his imagined world, but for a real town, it comes attractively close.

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Some information for this report was gathered via edition.cnn.com.