Rocky Mountain Summer Fun

One of the reasons that living in the Vail Valley is so wonderful is all the summer activities available to our visitors and residents alike. I write this blog just to touch on some of the great fun you can have in the Rocky Mountains if you just knew how to plan for it.

Certainly one of the first events people want to ask about are the many outdoor music festivals. Starting in Vail are the Bravo concerts held mostly at the Ford Amphitheater. There will be three orchestras playing this summer starting with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Not to be missed is the free concert on the Fourth of July celebrating our rich heritage of patriotic songs. They will be followed by the Philadelphia Orchestra in mid July and then the month ends with concerts from the?New York Phiharmonic. Can you imagine any town with that much class and entertainment? That is not all in Vail, however, August is the?month of the International Festival of Dance, also held at the Ford Theater. Dancers from all over the world make their appearance at this incredible display of dances.

Being in Vail allows one to visit all the outdoor music festivals around the state. My favorite is the Telluride Bluegrass Festival the weekend of June 18 -21.?Some of the featured artists?include Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, David Byrne and the Yonder Mountain String Band. The Breckenridge Music Festival is June 23 to August 23 spread over several weekends. Also in June is the Palisades Bluegrass Roots Festival on June?12 to 14. That one will host Cadillac Sky, the Kruger Brothers and the April Verch Band. ?Copper Mountain has a smaller event over Labor Day weekend called the Copper Country Fest. But the most exciting music festival of the year has to be the Snowmass Music Festival over Labor Day weekend, but you had better get your tickets now because it does sell out.

No mention of music should ever neglect the Red Rocks natural amphitheater in Morrison, usually not more than an hour and a half from Vail. Phish will be playing there for four days on July 30 to August 2. Get your tickets soon! Aerosmith and ZZTop will follow up in Denver the next weekend at Fiddlers Green. Later in the summer Kings of Leon and Stephen Marley will be entertaining at Red Rocks. And the list goes on.

For the adventurous types, get into the mountains with the Colorado Fourteener Adventure Package. It is offered at Beaver Creek Hiking Center. The offer a? guided hike up one of Colorado's 54 14,000 foot mountain peaks, an option of rafting down the Arkansas River, or exploring an historic mining town. Vail also is home to several raft guide companies: Lakota, Novus, etc. for anyone who wants to get on the water and enjoy some of fastest rapids in the West. On your own you can rent a mountain bike and ride some challenging single track trails all over Vail mountain, or you can put your bike on the gondola and jump on when you get to the top to ride the Grand Traverse. There is also road biking on the designated bike trails or fishing in the Eagle River, or rent an ATV and ride up to the Continental Divide.

Finally, without going into detail the Vail Valley is proud of its 15 golf courses, most of which are open to the public. But that is a subject for another day. Call me to get the lowdown on the best courses in the valley or if you want to buy a nice home on any fairway, there are plenty to be had.