Things to Do in Windsor This Fall: Lake, River and Holiday Events

Fall in Windsor tends to start at the lake. The Windsor Lake Trail runs 2.25 miles around the water, and Boardwalk Park, at 100 N. 5th Street, holds the lake along with a turf amphitheater, a boundless playground and the Town of Windsor Museum. A stop at the Art & Heritage Center costs nothing, since admission there is always free.

On the southeast side of town, Eastman Park spreads over 25 acres of turf with a skate park, fishing and a disc golf course. November brings a handmade craft show to the Windsor Community Center and a Thanksgiving 5k at Pelican Lakes Golf Course, and the things to do in Windsor listings and the events calendar fill in the rest.

Windsor Lake and Boardwalk Park

The Market Pavilion, the large shelter at Boardwalk Park, holds 10-12 tables and seats approximately 80 people. Along the Dr. Jones Trail, which circles Windsor Lake, the Sculpture on Loan of Windsor program began in 2025 with 7 sculptures placed between Boardwalk Park and the NW corner of the lake. The sculptures rotate out every year, so a walk on the same path turns up different pieces from one year to the next.

The Town of Windsor Museum in the park is a collection of 20th century historic buildings that tell the story of Windsor's past. The buildings include a train depot, a caboose, a freight car, a schoolhouse, teacher quarters, a farm house, a beet shack and a chapel.

The Art & Heritage Center

The Art & Heritage Center is a hub for arts, culture and history in Windsor, and it hosts a number of exhibitions over the course of the year. Its hours are Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m., at 116 5th Street.

The building started out in 1909 as the two-story Windsor Town Hall, which combined the town board's offices, administrative offices, a police station, a city jail, a fire station and public meeting rooms. Its design is a simplified Classical Revival style, the kind common to public buildings of that period, particularly in smaller Colorado communities. The old town hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It was restored in 2008 after a tornado damaged it.

Eastman Park and the River Experience

Eastman Park also has a playground, multipurpose fields, trails and restrooms, and its grounds take in the Eastman Oxbow Disc Golf Course and Poudre Pooch Park. The Eastman Park River Experience, at 7025 Eastman Park Drive, sets aside a river-mile for local kayaking, canoeing, tubing and water play. It was built as a $1.5-million outdoor adventure spot, with a mile-long stretch for floating in a tube or a kayak, canoe or paddle board. A soft surface trail there serves walkers and runners.

Treasure Island Garden sits along the trail east of Eastman Park, just after the bridge. The garden is a cooperative effort between the Town of Windsor and the Colorado Master Gardeners of Weld County.

The Poudre River Trail

The Poudre River Trail is 21 miles of well maintained paved pathway for walking, cycling, running, roller-blading and more. It runs from Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley to Colorado Highway 392 in Windsor, where it connects to the trail in Larimer County's River Bluffs Open Space. The western end of this portion of the trail is River Bluffs Open Space, at 6371 E County Rd 32 E.

The River Bluffs Open Space entrance has a shady parking lot, restrooms, a drinking fountain and picnic tables, and the trail starts at the west end of the lot. Dogs are welcome on a lead, and the trail is for non-motorized use only. Trail users regularly see deer grazing the grasslands, and some stop to watch an eagle soaring above the cottonwood forests.

Wildlife watching and open space

The Kodak Watchable Wildlife Area, a Colorado State Wildlife area along the Cache la Poudre River, is a spot for bird watching. Wild turkeys, eagles, hawks and a variety of waterfowl are among the birds there.

Riverbend Natural Area, at 525 Parkwood Drive, contains 10 acres of open lands and a detention area. The Town of Windsor planned to purchase 300 acres between Colorado Boulevard and N. 15th Street, south of Harmony Road, to preserve as open space and wildlife habitat.

Windsor Turkey Trot

The Windsor Turkey Trot is an annual Thanksgiving 5k walk and run for families, held at Pelican Lakes Golf Course, 1600 Pelican Lakes Point. In 2026 it is set for Thursday, November 26, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The course is a loop through Water Valley on paved cart and walking paths, and it finishes along one of the lakes.

Participants get chip timing and a long sleeve custom shirt. The after party serves coffee, hot cocoa and a light breakfast.

Christmas in Windsor craft show

Christmas in Windsor, which calls itself Colorado's Premier Craft Show, fills the large gym, the auxiliary gym and the Evergreen Room of the Windsor Community Center. The 2026 show runs Saturday, November 21, from 9 to 5, and Sunday, November 22, from 10 to 3. Admission is $5.00 at the door.

Windsor Wonderland and holiday lights

Windsor Wonderland turns Boardwalk Park into a spread of lights, food trucks and holiday activities for all ages. It begins with Santa arriving on the Great Western Railway Train and with the annual Holiday Proclamation and tree lighting ceremony. The event starts at 4 p.m., when Santa's train arrives, and Santa photos begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Train Depot. Activities include a Christmas scavenger hunt, Christmas crafts and face painting at the Art & Heritage Center, and fire pits with s'mores on 5th Street.

The Town of Windsor Public Works Department held its first-ever Cone Tree Lighting Ceremony as a free community event at the Public Services Campus, 922 N. 15th St., where families could meet snowplow operators and watch the cone tree light up.