12 Days of Aspen
Activity Event Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core
Celebrate the last 12 days of December during 12 Days of Aspen. Each day, enjoy fun, free, and family-friendly activities. 12 Days of Aspen activities include performances by carolers, photo ops with Santa, holiday crafts, film screenings, live music, cookie decorating, storytime for kids, and more. On New Year’s Eve, check out the torchlight parade and New Year’s Eve fireworks at the base of Aspen Mountain.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center
Activity Cultural Snowmass Village
The Anderson Ranch Arts Center serves to cultivate an artistic vision and creative understanding in people of all ages. They encourage artists participating in one of their many outstanding summer workshops and artists in their residency program to experiment and draw inspiration from the surrounding mountains. Anderson Ranch also hosts numerous exhibitions and inspiring, introspective artist talks throughout the year.
Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House
Event Cultural Family Friendly Owl Creek Snowmass Village
A festive community event that gets everyone in the holiday spirit, the annual Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House is a great opportunity to view and purchase artwork by Anderson Ranch artists-in-residence and faculty, tour the beautiful Ranch grounds, and meet fellow art lovers. During the Holiday Open House, the studios are open to all visitors, offering a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at the art-making process.
Each art-making method has its own large studio space, so from building to building, visitors are immersed in the world of photography, then painting and printing, and then ceramics and sculpture and woodworking.
As the Holiday Open House is usually held in mid-December, the event is the perfect opportunity to do a little holiday shopping, as well as to support local, national, and international artists. Most, if not all, of the artworks on display in each of the studios is for sale. Oftentimes, the artists are in their studio to discuss their work with visitors and interested buyers.
In addition to each of the studios, Anderson Ranch also has a gallery space, so be sure to swing by the gallery building, which is located near the parking lot.
After touring the campus, head over to the Ranch Café for a casual holiday dinner. Enjoy a delicious meal, and chat about all of the incredible artwork that you just saw.
Anderson Ranch is a beautiful place any time of the year, but is especially so during the holiday season. Make the most of this special time of the year by attending the Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House.
For more information on the Anderson Ranch Holiday Open House and other local events, contact Alpine Property. We can also assist you with booking a Snowmass vacation rental. Call Alpine Property at 1-800-543-0839, or send us an email.
Photo: Snowmass Tourism
Ann Korologos Gallery
Activity Cultural Basalt
Ann Korologos Gallery is an art gallery located in downtown Basalt, CO. Exhibiting contemporary Western art, Ann Korologos Gallery has played a major role in its 20 years in cultivating a strong interest in the arts in both Basalt and Aspen. Visit Ann Korologos Gallery to view oil paintings, sculptures, drawings, and more all depicting life in the West.
Aspen Art Gallery
Activity Cultural Aspen Central Core
The Aspen Art Gallery is located in downtown Aspen, CO, and showcases the work of artists who use varied media to create their art. On display at the Aspen Art Gallery are landscapes, abstract artworks, and mixed media pieces. Visit the Aspen Art Gallery in the heart of downtown Aspen for a unique cultural experience in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Aspen Art Museum
Activity Cultural Family Friendly Aspen
The Aspen Art Museum (AAM) has been a fixture in the Aspen arts community since 1979, and since then, they have provided visitors with insightful and inspiring exhibitions featuring the work of international contemporary artists working in a wide variety of media. In addition to their riveting exhibition program, the AAM strives to educate the community on the topic of contemporary art through workshops for elementary, middle, and high school students, family workshops, teacher workshops, and public programs featuring discussions by curators, artists, and other prominent figures in the contemporary art world. Since 2005, the AAM has partnered with the Aspen Skiing Company to provide an art experience to a wider audience by placing "art in unexpected places", such as on the ski lift tickets and on the ski mountains.
Aspen Grove Fine Art
Activity Cultural Aspen Central Core
Aspen Grove Fine Art has been exhibiting high quality artworks in Aspen, CO for over 35 years. Known for cultivating relationships with local and international art collectors as well as art enthusiasts, Aspen Grove Fine Art is the Aspen art gallery to visit when considering purchasing a piece of art.
Aspen Historical Society
Activity Cultural Aspen
The Aspen Historical Society provides visitors and local residents alike with the opportunity to explore the rich history of the Roaring Fork Valley. With their Wheeler/Stallard museum, housed in a beautiful West End Victorian home, and their Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching museum, they offer an insightful perspective on the history of this special place. The Historical Society also offers a wide variety of tours, including their History Coach, a guided tour of downtown Aspen in an electric vehicle. On-mountain ski tours are also offered, with topics covering the Ute Native Amercan Tribe, the Ziegler reservoir dig site in Snowmass, the early days of skiing, 1970s ski culture, and freeskiing.
Aspen Music Festival and School
Activity Cultural Aspen
The Aspen Music Festival and School has been a major cultural institution in Aspen since 1949. Each summer, the Aspen Music Festival and School brings talented musicians to Aspen. Over the course of eight weeks, these musicians from all over the world treat the Aspen community to over 320 performances and musical events such as orchestral concerts, chamber music, opera, and more.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Activity Cultural
The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is a renowned dance company based in both Aspen, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Throughout both the winter and summer seasons, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet hosts a number of performances showcasing the incredible talent of the dancers in the company as well as the creativity and innovation of notable choreographers. The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet seeks to foster in dancers of all ages a strong dance education background through The School of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, which is held year-round throughout the Roaring Fork Valley and in Santa Fe.
Aspen Words
Activity Cultural Aspen
Aspen Words, formerly the Aspen Writers' Foundation, was founded in 1976 with the purpose of inspiring writers and readers through programming that brings people together to share in a love of reading and writing. Throughout the year, Aspen Words hosts a number of popular programs, including the Winter Words Festival, which brings authors like Salman Rushdie, Michael Chabon, Erica Jong, and many others to Aspen to share their stories. During the summer, Aspen Words hosts a program called Summer Words, which includes writers' workshops and author lectures.
Baldwin Gallery
Activity Cultural Aspen Central Core
The Baldwin Gallery is an art gallery located in the heart of downtown Aspen, Colorado. The Baldwin Gallery represents artists like Will Cotton, Eric Fischl, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mariyln Minter, Tom Sachs, and James Turrell. Past Exhibitions at the Baldwin have included Gilbert & George: Urethra Postcard Pictures in January 2012, Robert Mapplethorpe: Horses in July 2010, and Eric Fischl: Beach Scenes: New Work in March 2009.
Crystal Theatre
Activity Summer Winter Cultural Family Friendly Carbondale Summer Winter
A small movie theater located along Carbondale's Main Street, the Cystal Theatre is an independently owned and operated theater showing arthouse films alongside mainstream movies. The theater space was constructed in 1912, and originally was home to the W. M. Dinkel Mercantile Store before being refurbished into a theater in the 1940s. The Crystal Theatre is a historic small town movie theater with a friendly staff and a community vibe, making it the perfect place to catch a flick after enjoying a meal at one of Carbondale's many fine restaurants.
Free Snowmass Summer Concerts
Event Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Outdoor Slopeside Mall Snowmass Village
The free Snowmass summer concerts on Fanny Hill are held on Thursdays during the summer season. Fanny Hill is an amphitheater venue at 8500 feet with a 4000 person capacity. Each week, a new band performs a free, outdoor concert, and musicians range from rock 'n' roll to funk to R&B to country. Check out one or all of these free concerts, since there's nothing like spending a beautiful summer evening on Fanny Hill, listening to live music. The Snowmass free summer concerts welcome new names each summer, so you're guaranteed to discover a favorite, new band year after year.
Concerts are held on the Fanny Hill Concert Stage at the end of the Snowmass Mall. We recommend taking the free RFTA bus service from Aspen and the Intercept Lot, or the free Village Shuttle service throughout Snowmass. It is best to get off at the Snowmass Mall stop.
Harvey Preston Gallery
Service Cultural Aspen Aspen Highlands
Harvey Preston Gallery specializes in contemporary ceramic art, works on paper, and sculpture. Working with nationally and internationally recognized talent; the gallery’s main focus is to forefront the work of artists willing to push the boundaries of their ideas and materials.
Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Activity Cultural
Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) brings world-class musicians to the Rocky Mountains in order to meld the enjoyment of great music with the beauty of the natural world. During the summer, JAS is known for its four night extravaganza, the June Festival, as well as for the Labor Day Festival, which draws enormous crowds of up to 10,000 people per day. When winter is in full swing, JAS hosts a brilliant line-up of jazz musicians in an intimate nightclub atmosphere at The Little Nell. All year, JAS provides the gift of world-class music to the Aspen community.
Red Brick Center for the Arts
Activity Service Cultural Family Friendly Aspen
The Red Brick Center for the Arts is a vital organization within the Aspen arts community, as they both promote local artists, as well as strive to create a thriving local arts community. The Red Brick hosts an opening reception for new exhibitions the first Thursday of every month, so there is always an inspiring installtion of new artwork to see. Classes for elementary, middle, and high school students are also offered with workshop subjects ranging from painting to printmaking. Each spring, the Red Brick hosts the ArtStart! Kids' Art Show, featuring fantastic creations by kids who live right here in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Red Brick truly is a wonderful place to view art by local artists of all ages.
Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center
Activity Cultural Family Friendly Snowmass Village
After years of advocating for a home to display the state’s largest fossil dig, Snowmass Discovery officials expect its ice age center to open its doors in Base Village by summer or winter of 2021. At the Snowmass Ice Age Discovery Center, learn about the "Snowmastodon" archeological dig. In 2010, a team from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science uncovered thousands of fossilized bones from bison, black bears, sloths, mammoths, mastodons, and many other Ice Age animals. Learn about these incredible creatures, who once called Snowmass home.
Snowmass Wine & Golf Festival
Event Cultural Snowmass Village
We know you appreciate wine; do you also enjoy playing golf? The Snowmass Wine & Golf Festival offers the best of both worlds! Combine the excitement of a golf tournament and fine wines at The Snowmass Wine & Golf Festival! The tournament is held at the Snowmass Club surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of Snowmass. Play golf, enjoy fine wine and snacks paired with music by DJ Boogie Down Light & Sound.
The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies
Activity Cultural Aspen
The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies (“The Bayer Center”) is a new exhibition space and center for the study of art and culture located on the Aspen Institute’s campus in Aspen, CO. Herbert Bayer (1900–1985) was an influential modern artist and designer who worked at the Bauhaus before relocating to Aspen in 1946. The Bayer Center promotes a fuller understanding of Bayer—one of the leading figures to translate the Bauhaus movement into an American context—and his contributions to art, design, and architecture. Free Admission.
Theatre Aspen
Activity Cultural Family Friendly Aspen
Theatre Aspen provides the perfect venue in which to enjoy a professional theatrical production. With an array of rich programming such as productions of Annie, Little Shop of Horrors, The True Story of of the 3 Little Pigs, and so much more, Theatre Aspen brings inspiring live performances to the Aspen community each season. In addition to their theater productions, they also provide educational programs for all adults, teenagers, and children in order to cultivate an appreciation and love for performance art.
Wheeler Opera House
Activity Summer Winter Cultural Nightlife Aspen Summer Winter
The Wheeler Opera House has been situated on the corner of Hyman Avenue and Mill Street since 1889. With over 350 days of entertainment and programming, the Wheeler is considered an integral component of cultural life in the Aspen community. The Wheeler hosts an incredible array of festivals and other programs including the Aspen Laff Festival, Mountain Summit: Mountain Film in Aspen, the 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival, and so much more.
Wintersköl
Activity Event Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Central Core
Wintersköl is a unique Aspen celebration of winter that began in 1951. This nordic festival includes a canine fashion show, a snow sculpting competition called Wintersculpt, a torchlight parade, fireworks show on Aspen Mountain, and lots of other activities and events happening around town.
Woody Creek Community Center
Restaurant American Cultural Family Friendly Aspen Woody Creek
Woody Creek Community Center (WC3), located next door to the popular Woody Creek Tavern, is a great spot to enjoy a cup of coffee, browse their extensive secondhand library, eat a delicious sandwich, and view the current art exhibition in their small gallery. The WC3 has a lot of offer. Spend the afternoon in a comfortable space right along the Roaring Fork River and Rio Grande Trail.
Woody Creek Tavern
Restaurant American Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Summer Winter
Enjoy fantastic food in a comfortable and fun atmosphere at the Woody Creek Tavern. A local, visitor, and celebrity hang out, the Woody Creek Tavern was the favorite of legendary Hunter S. Thompson. Stop by for margaritas and guacamole, or stay for lunch or dinner. A great cycling destination in the summer.
