Things to Do in Greeley

Since forming in the 1920s, the Harlem Globetrotters have continued to entertain millions of parents, children, and general basketball admirers with a trademark blend of athletic precision and razzle-dazzle showmanship. For the team's 2013 tour, a rotating roster of favorites takes to the hardwood each game. Spectators might spot Special K sharing a behind-the-back pass with dunker Quake, whose high jump once cleared 7 feet, cruelly dashing his dreams of working in a ceiling-fan store. The Globetrotters might also present a study in contrasts with 5-foot-2 Too Tall and 7-foot-8 Tiny, the world's tallest pro basketball player.

During each Globetrotters game, youngsters laugh along and witness the jovial jocks performing classic routines of unconventional passing and sudden transmutations of water into confetti. Having performed in 120 countries and on all six penguin-overrun continents, the Globetrotters are one of the few teams inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as ambassadors of the sport.

A plethora of mock-rock climbing challenges populates The Spot Bouldering Gym with 10,000 square feet of vertical obstacles. Rock climbers can spend all day scaling man-made mountains up to 18 feet high, gripping massive boulders made in the image of Hueco, Fontainebleau, and Abraham Lincoln's nose. Other trials include the gravity-fighting 25-foot roped wall, an assortment of muscle-mightying training equipment, and cushy flooring for seamless dismounts. No experience is necessary to tackle the upright obstacles at The Spot; the congenial crew eagerly shares climbing tips and creates encouraging victory pyramids.

With its flagship campus in Boulder stationed a short trip from some of the nation's finest alpine slopes, it should come as no surprise that the University of Colorado Buffaloes have dominated the rest of the country in one sport: skiing. With 17 NCAA Skiing titles to their name, the Buffs are among nation's premier programs, and also among the premier candidates to receive a phone call from the Yeti president. The topography and altitude has also proven beneficial to distance runners, as the Buffs have won three men's and two women's cross country titles. Though the rugged outdoors may be the school's forte, its football squad and men's and women's basketball teams compete among the nation's top collegiate programs in the elite Pac-12 conference.

Shoppers at the Southlands can take a break from gift buying by taking a turn on this icy outdoor skating rink. Families and friends can lace up rented hockey or figure skates, then take to the ice to enjoy the crisp, cold air as they practice spins and backward maneuvers or fine-tune impersonations of a baby deer learning to walk. The rink's opening also coincides with a visit from Santa, who parks his sleigh at Southlands Town Square on Tuesdays–Sundays, starting November 17.

Mile High Farms introduces visitors to the fun side of farming, teaching children about the importance of agriculture and delighting families with seasonal activities. In the springtime, schools and youth organizations flock to the farm for lessons in harvesting, soil preparation, and dressing scarecrows in the latest designer trends. Those who awake from their summer hibernation can visit the farm in the fall to take home pumpkins and other bounties from the autumnal harvest. When the farm's trees begin to shed their leaves, families arrive to traverse a corn maze and bask in the brisk fall air on antique-tractor hayrides.

Breckenridge Bikebus's eponymous vehicle is, according to owner Curt Cavnar, the "Porsche" of its unique kind of transportation. Consisting of two rows of bar stools equipped with bike pedals, the custom-built craft combines the fun of a party bus with the easygoing workout of a tandem bicycle. Some partiers can sit back and enjoy the ride as 10 others sit at the bar and provide pedal power, with a staff driver manning the wheel to steer clear of oncoming paper boys. A canopy keeps passengers shaded while they sip beverages and listen to tunes on an iPod-ready Alpine sound system. Should the sun go down during trips, the bikebus's lighting system kicks on, making it easy to continue through black holes unencumbered.