Entry No. 150 — the Denver file — filed under: cult-cinema
The Lyric
The Lyric is a genuine Fort Collins oddity: a locally owned cinema-bar-music venue that screens cult classics and indie films on three indoor screens plus a towering outdoor screen, hosts circus performers and comedy nights, and whose sprawling back lot has grown into the city's largest sculpture garden since the Swetsville Zoo closed — filled with kaleidoscope towers, welded metal creatures, and found-object art. The full bar, counter-service restaurant, pinball machines, and couch seating in the main theater make it feel more like a weird living room than a multiplex.
The move: Catch a Cult Film Tuesday screening — the Lyric's weekly series dedicated to bizarre and beloved films — grab beers and chilly dillys from the bar, then wander the sculpture garden out back after the credits roll to find what new fabricated oddity has appeared since your last visit.
📍 Before you go First, the big one: this isn't in Denver. The Lyric sits about an hour north up I-25 in Fort Collins, so treat it as a day trip rather than a night out. It's on North College Avenue, just north of the walkable Old Town core — plan to drive, and there's parking on the roughly 1.6-acre site (it's also famously bike-friendly). Indoor screens run year-round, but the outdoor screen, lawn, and back-lot sculpture garden come alive on warm evenings, so late spring through early fall is the sweet spot; outdoor programming is seasonal, so check ahead. Pair it with Old Town's brewery-and-restaurant district — New Belgium and Odell included — a short hop south.
- 📍 Fort Collins
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1209 N College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-07