Local Tips

Ideas and suggestions from our year round population of not to be missed sights, sounds and experiences you won't find in traditional guide books:

- Rubey Park is a bus station, not a park

- Many hotels in Aspen and Snowmass are dog-friendly

- Always yield to pedestrians - on foot, bikes and skateboards

- Our garbage cans are bear proof. Ask for our help is you're having trouble opening them

- The Aspen and Snowmass Village Recreation Centers are open to the public. Enjoy the pools, ice skating rink, climbing walls and first- class fitness facilities for a small daily fee.

- Parking is free on Sundays in Aspen and year-round in Snowmass's Rodeo Lot.

- Butts out! The City of Aspen and Town of Snowmass Village have banned smoking inside all buildings.

- Missing your pets? Go to the Aspen Animal Shelter and tke a dog for a walk, or stay and groom the cats!

- Meet "Belle" the 25-year resident Golden Eagle at ACES - Aspen Center for Environmental Studies

- Turn down, turn off, and unplug. When you leaving your lodging, turn down the heat or air conditioning, turn off appliances, and unplug unnecessary equipment.

- Take a West End Walking Tour with the Aspen Historical Society for a peek at our Victorian Past.

- Enjoy time at the John Denver Sanctuary along the Rio Grande Trail; our Art Museum is right there also.

- The City of Aspen offers wi-fi throughout town. Grab your laptop, the park and Google! Or visit our Library where internet access is free and there's 20 computers available to the public.

- Tipsy Taxi, a free service, is available to drive you home when you've had too much to drink. Just ask a bartender and they'll call the taxi for you!

- Aspen Saturday Market (mid June to mid October)features locally grown produce, meats, wine, flowers and hand made goods - a wonderful place to meet the locals.

- There are holes in them thar hills! Take a mining tour to see what's really inside Smuggler Mine on Aspen Mountain.

- Enjoy an Aspen tradition: Pack a picnic and take in the sounds of the Aspen Music Festival on the free David Karetsky Lawn.

- The East Aspen Trail along the Northstar Preserve provides some of the most spectacular, untouched scenery. And you can't miss the Maroon Bells - the most photographed mountains in the Northern hemisphere.

MOST IMPORTANT: Relax . . .  it's Aspen/Snowmass!