12 Days of Aspen

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 Holiday Open House

Cultural Family Friendly Snowmass Village Owl Creek

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

Aspen Art Museum

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.  

Crystal Theatre

Cultural Family Friendly Carbondale

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

Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Outdoor Snowmass Village Slopeside Mall

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.

Red Brick Center for the Arts

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

Cultural Family Friendly Snowmass Village Slopeside Mall

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.

Theatre Aspen

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. 

Wintersköl

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

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

American Cultural Family Friendly Nightlife Woody Creek

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.