Welcome to Aspen!
We are so proud to call this incredible place home. A city revered around the world, Aspen is nestled in some of the most stunning, mountain landscapes in the nation. This iconic Colorado town is known for its unique fusion of active, mountain lifestyles with elevated culture and arts. Just stepping onto the historical downtown streets will excite anyone as they stroll around the unmatched eateries, lively bars, and high-end shops. Combining Colorado's natural beauty with an après-ski lifestyle, Aspen is a slopeside, dream destination.
What to Love
- Fantastic dining, arts, entertainment and cultural events
- Unbelievable mountain vistas, sprawling wide open spaces, mountain sports and nature at its best
- Unique, exclusive living that offers a range of architectural styles, from historic to mountain to contemporary
Local Lifestyle
Aspen residents vary from seasonal to full-time residents who appreciate the outdoors and mountain living, to nature-loving active sports enthusiasts who are here because of unparalleled outdoor recreation and culture as their backdrop. Families love living here for the fantastic school district, and appreciate a safe and wholesome lifestyle with a range of activities for their children.
Dining
Aspen is a foodie town, no questions asked. Restaurants strive to buy locally, and many places are farm-to-table.
- Grab breakfast at Paradise Bakery, Hickory House, or Poppycocks Cafe for pancakes.
- Go to bars like The Living Room or the J Bar at the historic Hotel Jerome, Escobar and Casa Tua, The W Hotel, Element 47 at the Little Nell and Hooch, all great ways to kick off the night, and you’ll love Belly Up nightclub offering a small venue with a wide range of music and events.
- For dinner, try Matsuhisa sushi, authentic Italian at Campo de Fiori, or a wood-fired pizza parlor like Mezzaluna. Other great restaurant options include Duemani, Bosq, Steakhouse 316,The Monarch Steak House, Ellina, Jing, Spring Cafe, Jus, Mawa’s Kitchen & Mi Chola. The Woody Creek Tavern is one of the most historic spots in the Aspen area. You will find the ghosts of Hunter S. Thompson and delicious tavern style food. An excellent bike ride from downtown Aspen in the summer.
- Whether it is lunch or dinner, Aspen offers more restaurants in a small downtown area than most other resorts. White House Tavern, Betula, Catch Steak & Casa D’Angelo are just a few of the national dining spots. Two more local Aspen spots are Las Montañas for mexican food and Parc Aspen for local, sustainable cuisine.
- Try Pine Creek Cookhouse for lunch or dinner. Here you can cross country or take a sleigh ride in winter, and bike, hike or drive in summer to this very scenic spot in the Castle Creek Valley. A true mountain experience, open in both winter and summer seasons.
Hotels and Lodging
Aspen has just about every kind of accommodation available from bed and breakfasts, to five star hotels, and everything in between.
Following is a sampling of the best five-star hotels: The Little Nell Hotel, located at the base of the Gondola, offers the ultimate in luxury and location. The Hotel Jerome, also a five-star hotel and part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, is the most historic hotel in Aspen, originally opening in 1889. The St Regis Hotel is located in downtown Aspen, and The Ritz-Carlton is ski-in/ski-out at Aspen Highlands. The W Hotel, The LImelight, Annabelle Inn, & The Aspen Meadows Resort are just a few additional favorite places to stay.
Popular among many visitors is renting residential properties, whether it’s downtown condominiums or private homes from the central core of Aspen, to the West End, to Red Mountain or Snowmass Village and beyond. This is where you can really feel like a local and experience what it is like to live in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Shopping
Aspen is home to numerous shopping destinations, with historic favorites and modern selections.
- At Pitkin County Dry Goods, shop for locally-sourced apparel and goods.
- You’ll love browsing Chequers home furnishings.
- Nuages and Max are favorite local apparel retailers.
- Performance Ski, Miller Sports and The Ute Mountaineer, Four Mountain Sports, Aspen Sports, Replay, Hamilton Sports and Aether are all go-to for skiwear, snowboard gear and outerwear.
- Luxury 2nd hand shops include Little Bird, Susies, Aspen Thrift Shop, and Twinkle.
- Aspen is home to Sport Obermeyer, a historic outdoor clothing manufacturer and a popular haunt for adventure-seekers.
- Luxury name brand stores such as Moncler, Patagonia, Lululemon, Alo, Zegna, Gucci, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Dior, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Cos Bar, Kemo Sabe, Hermes, and Maison Ullens are just a few of our stores.
Things to Do
You will be overwhelmed and exhilarated with the number of things to do in Aspen! The social calendar starts in January and goes throughout the year.
Annual favorites
- Winter X Games hosts passionate crowds every year as the world’s best winter athletes compete in extreme action sports, such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. World Cup Ski is also a favorite when it comes to Aspen.
- Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race is a riveting outdoor event.
- Aspen Shortsfest in April celebrates cinema
- June brings the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, where food and wine lovers and industry insiders head to town for this three-day event.
- The Aspen Music Festival hosts hundreds of classical music programs, ranging from concerts to classes.
- Jazz Aspen Snowmass holds year-round events with big June & September music festivals.
- Belly Up Aspen offers a small venue with artists from everywhere.
- The Aspen Filmfest brings cinephiles from all over the world.
- In December, celebrate 12 Days of Aspen which features a dozen holiday-themed days full of festivities at locations across town.
- Aspen Institute, host of The Aspen Ideas Festival, is a national think tank in both Aspen & Washington DC, with numerous speakers from around the world at engagements happening all summer long.
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Mountain living
- The Aspen Saturday Farmers Market, taking place every Saturday in downtown Aspen during the summer from June to October, offers farm to table foods and LOCAL produce, jewelry, & gifts. The Aspen Animal Shelter brings their animals that are ready for adoption, and there is even a petting zoo for the kids.
- Aspen’s most notable areas include but are not limited to Independence Pass, The Maroon Creek Valley, Castle Creek Valley, Lenado & The Frying Pan Valley, offering endless hiking and biking trails, summer and winter. Try American Lake or Cathedral Lake trails in the summer for challenging out of town hikes with fantastic views and a lunch spot at the lake before heading down. Lost Man Loop up Independence Pass allows a great loop where hikers can end up at a different spot on the Pass. Weller Lake is a great spot for kids and picnics. For the more adventurous outdoorsman, you can try cliff-jumping at Devil’s Punchbowl. If you want a more relaxed walk, pick up the Rio Grande Trail right behind the US Post Office or Cemetery Lane. Hunter Smuggler loop is right in town and offers river and mountain views.
- Roaring Fork River and the Maroon Creek River run through Aspen and converge along the Rio Grande Trail. Fly-flshing is another popular sport enjoyed in the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan rivers, both Gold Medal waters.
- Aspen offers four unique mountains for skiing and snowboarding: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk. You can find everything from beginning ski trails to the most extreme. Highlands Bowl is one of the most challenging areas to ski and it starts with a difficult hike up to the various ski zones.
- Numerous Cross Country Ski trails located all over Aspen where you can get in shape!
- In the summer, you can find mountain biking, road biking, hiking, rafting, paddle-boarding, rock climbing, etc. Experience an array of alpine recreation at every ski mountain and beyond.
- Maroon Bells Scenic Area is probably the most photographed spot in Colorado where people love to camp, fish, and hike. Backcountry hiking into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness is perfect for those who wish to experience the outdoors in a peaceful setting.
- The 9.8 mile Government Trail is hugely popular among mountain bikers and hikers, spanning from Aspen to Snowmass Village.
Arts, culture, and recreation
- The Aspen Art Museum, located in downtown Aspen, with traveling exhibits from around the globe. Galerie Maximillian, Baldwin Gallery, Aspen Fine Art, Galerie Zuger, Pam Driscoll Gallery, and Toklat Gallery are just a few of the galleries where you can view and purchase local and internationally recognized artists.
- Aspen Summer Words is a festival for anyone who is interested in writing.
- Take the Aspen Mountain Gondola and take part in an alpine tour.
- The John Denver Sanctuary is a lush park-like setting in downtown Aspen dedicated to, you guessed it, singer-songwriter John Denver who had a home in Aspen and enjoyed it for many years. Bring your lunch and relax and lay out on the numerous large rocks or grassy areas.
- The Aspen Golf Club course is a popular place to hit the links in the summer and an equally popular cross-country skiing area in the winter. The Maroon Creek Club & the Snowmass Club offer private golf memberships.
- Aspen’s Silver Circle Ice Rink is a wonderful place to skate in the winter, along with the rink at the Aspen Recreation Center, and when summer comes, Silver Circle transforms into a miniature golf course.
Schools
The Aspen Public School District is a top-rated school district in Colorado and is home to many excellent schools. Aspen High School offers the International Baccalaureate program (IB Diploma) for high aspiring students. Basketball, football, dance, lacrosse, theater and music programs all appeal to the various and broad range of the student body. It also has its own ski lift at Aspen Highlands! Younger students attend Aspen Middle School and Aspen Elementary School or attend one of the area’s esteemed private schools — Aspen Country Day School K- 8th grade or the public charter school, Aspen Community School (K-8th grade).
Learn more about West End, Red Mountain, West Aspen, East Aspen, and McLain Flats
