What to do in Aspen?

[Pegleg]

I'm headed to Aspen with the family (wife, 6 year old daughter, and 75 year old father-in-law) for a long weekend this weekend, Saturday through Tuesday. My band is playing the Aspen Bluegrass Sundays series on Sunday noon to 3pm on Sunday at the top of the Aspen Mountain gondola (come on up if you're in the area and say hi - it's free!), but otherwise we have no plans. What should we do? Would love some recommendations that we could do with everyone (e.g. relatively easy hikes, stuff in town, etc.), and also stuff that the wife and I could sneak away to do (e.g. mountain biking).

Also, where to eat and drink in town? Not looking for expensive/fancy, but good food and drinks are appreciated in this crowd.

[ThreeRidges]

The walk out to Maroon Bells is easy, and there is great stuff up from the lake if your crowd can handle it. The somewhat new contemporary art museum is cool, if you like that sort of thing

[Bobby Stainless]

http://beautyandsass.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/crispy-chicken-sandwich-at-white-house-tavern-in-aspen.jpg[/IMG]

[canyonrider]

Our kids love the pool at the Snowmass Rec Center (outdoor and salt water). If father-in-law is cool hanging with your daughter, they can chill at the pool while you and the wife ride the nearby MTB trails.

[Danno]

my brother and his family have gone many times, and were just there last week. I'll ask them what they recommend.

[Soups]

Was just there last week for work. Ride the Rim Trail, Tom Blake, and Government Trails at Snowmass. Gov trail goes from Snowmass to Buttermilk, catch the bus back or continue into town. All the buses are free to ride and very convenient, costs $2 to load a bike on RFTA, but the Snowmass Village shuttles are free.

Whitehouse Tavern is good. Sandwich, beer, side, and tip will run you about $40. 520 Grill and NY Pizza are the best cheap eats in town or go all out baller at Matsuhisa.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

These are all good recs. July 4th is one of the busiest weekends all year but it's definitely a ton of fun. You can't go wrong with any of the mtb options. Sky Mountain Park is fast, smooth, pretty nontechnical. The rest of SMV and Hunter Creek area a little more so. You can ride almost all of SMV from the rec center so grandpa and kiddo could swim and play at the park while you ride. There's a little trail along the airport between Buttermilk and Sky Mtn that they do kids rides on, maybe a mile if even. Not very scenic unless you like jet wash but good practice for little kids.

The Bells are nice and short, but you have to shuttle from Highlands. The hike up to Crater Lake is maybe 1.5 mi. Weller Lake is a short, easy hike up towards Independence Pass. The Grottos and Linkins Lake are short, nice hikes/walks up the pass as well, all less than a mile .

Not sure where you're staying but bring bikes and/or burly for everyone. Town's crowded so less driving/parking is key. You can ride pretty much everywhere, although Snowmass to Aspen is probably too far for grandpa and kiddo. Rio Grand trail is a fun flat ride for everyone. Ride out to the Woody Creek Tavern, all downhill; have lunch/dinner, then ride or get a shuttle back home.

The Big wrap is another cheap, easy place for lunch in Aspen, Grateful Deli too. Home Team BBQ out at Buttermilk is so much better than Hickory House and probably not as crowded as the places in town, big patio out back. Hops Culture is pretty good and they have a beer garden area out on the mall. If you really are into the porcine there's also Smoke in Basalt or better yet Slow Groovin up in Marble. It's a solid 1.5 hours each way from Aspen and I'm not as familiar with kid friendly hikes up that way but the BBQ is kinda worth it.

I'd say we'd come by Sunday and watch you play but we'll be down in GJ until late Sunday. Have fun, it's a great weekend to be in town.

[Bromontana]

[mtnjam]

^^^ LOL, that was gonna be my answer. That and go find Bryce Kellogg and ask her for a drink and if she'll meet you at the caboose down by the river.

[Bobby Stainless]

Poppycock's does a good breakfast for not much.

[BmillsSkier]

Light a candle at St. Mary's for Dex.

[The SnowShow]

Maroon Bells is a must. Try to at least hike along Maroon Lake to the falls on the other side, or up to Crater Lake if possible.

A drive down Castle Creek Road is also great, with amazing forests of aspens all around. Turn around at Ashcroft.

Drive up to Independence Pass, hike to Linkins Lake and check out the ghost town of Independence and the grotto area.

Aspen gondola will be running and provides a great view all around.

The modern art museum is awesome and has a great deck, as does Aspen Brewing Co.

Enjoy! Love it there.

[iceclimb]

Current exhibition at Art Museum is solid if you like contemporary art... be sure to talk to docents to get the low down. Ideas fest ends Saturday, town will be insane Saturday night, maybe plan to go to home team BBQ to avoid the throngs.

All good suggestions. For the 4th, check this site. The $20 BBQ for AVSC supports kids skiing so I'm all for it.
https://www.aspenchamber.org/events/...ioned-4th-july

The fireworks are solid, although hella crowded if you can't get an invite to some big home on red mountain.

[ThreeRidges]

A few years ago, you could drive up to the Bells parking and skip the shuttle so long as you entered by a certain time in the morning.
Whitehouse is awesome.

[Jethro]

Rivers are a little below peak. Check out class three Woody creek section or class 4 Slaughterhouse (probably not for grandpa and 6 yr old).

Hikes up the pass like Linkins lake are favorites of my family. We have a four year old but he did it at 3. It might be somewhat snowy still

Float Stillwater. Have a shuttle organized since parking at each end is a bitch. It is a calm class 1 stream, good for duckies and sups.

Hickory house for breakfast or lunch

Glenwood is an hour away and there are several hot springs and a cave and ride attraction

We might get up top and check out the music scene. Thanks

[raisingarizona13]

Hunt down Claudine Longet and try to get to the bottom of her story with Spyder.

[ASmileyFace]

A few years ago, you could drive up to the Bells parking and skip the shuttle so long as you entered by a certain time in the morning.
Whitehouse is awesome.

You can still do this but you have to be there early (before 8am or whenever the parking lot fills up I think?). I've never had to take the shuttle but I've driven up to that parking to climb the Bells/Pyramid. I was there before 5am both times and had no issues finding parking.

[Shredhead]

Where are you staying?

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

You can still do this but you have to be there early (before 8am or whenever the parking lot fills up I think?). I've never had to take the shuttle but I've driven up to that parking to climb the Bells/Pyramid. I was there before 5am both times and had no issues finding parking.

This is true still, but it's 7am you have to be through the gate. And parking depends on the day. I've been there on a Sat in the summer by 5:45am and could barely find spot with all the 4 Pass loopers and trail runners. YMMV

[Pegleg]

Where are you staying?

Rented an Air BnB right next to the Aspen Golf & Tennis Club on the road into Aspen. Supposedly 7 minutes from downtown Aspen.

[Shredhead]

Avoid prime time anything.

Hwy 82 is really busy going into town in the morning and out in the afternoon. Plus parking will suck. It's an easy bike ride or take the bus.
The White House Tavern is really good, but it's small and the wait can be long. There really aren't any bad restaurants in Aspen and many have bar menu's, that are quite reasonable.
Lot's of them have 4 top tables and even your kid is welcome. Just walk around, till you see a place with seats.

[goldengatestinx]

Take a ride up to Reudi Reservoir along the Frying Pan. If it's hot there's a little beach by the campground at the west end. And can drive further east on relatively mellow 4x4 road for a higher cruise if you have the vehicle for it.

[iceclimb]

Scrap the fireworks, both Aspen and Snowmass cancelled them due to fire ban.

And Home Team > Hickory House.

[Percy Rideout]

Rivers are a little below peak. Check out class three Woody creek section or class 4 Slaughterhouse (probably not for grandpa and 6 yr old).

Hikes up the pass like Linkins lake are favorites of my family. We have a four year old but he did it at 3. It might be somewhat snowy still

Float Stillwater. Have a shuttle organized since parking at each end is a bitch. It is a calm class 1 stream, good for duckies and sups.

Hickory house for breakfast or lunch

Glenwood is an hour away and there are several hot springs and a cave and ride attraction

We might get up top and check out the music scene. Thanks

Home team BBW and Slow Groovin BBQ in Snowmass are far and away better than poor hick house at this point. They've been mailing it in for years, but we never noticed until there was good competition locally.

I just tried to find a fucking parking spot downtown for 20 minutes...This weekend blows.

Go MTB snowmass, and grandpa and the kids can play at the snowman Rec + pool (great rec whoever said that)

Aspen is a shitshow right now. Id almost rather have the high maintenance international guest (like Xmas) instead of the smarmy New York/LA/Fucking Texas american tourists we get in the summers.

[iceclimb]

No kidding.... I couldn't find a place to park my bike at the St Regis yesterday.