Downtown Aspen

Downtown Aspen is small enough to cover on foot and rich enough to fill a day. The town began as a silver-mining camp in the 1880s, and its brick storefronts, the Wheeler Opera House and the Hotel Jerome date from that boom. After the silver crash it nearly emptied, then reinvented itself in the mid-twentieth century as a place for skiing, music, ideas and good living, and that mix is still its signature. Today the core around Cooper Avenue, Hyman Avenue and the pedestrian malls has designer shops, galleries, restaurants, cafes and bars, with the slope of Aspen Mountain rising at the end of the street. The pleasure of the town is in the walking. Wander the malls with a coffee, look into the courtyards and side streets, stop at the Wheeler Opera House, read the historic markers, and notice how many of the older buildings have been preserved. Locals and visitors share the sidewalks with dogs, bicycles and the occasional celebrity, but the atmosphere is friendlier and more outdoorsy than the headlines suggest. The Roaring Fork River and the Rio Grande Trail are a few minutes away for a more natural stroll, and the gondola base is right at the edge of the shopping streets.

A good plan is to walk the core slowly twice, once in daylight and once in the evening. In the morning, browse the galleries and shops, have breakfast at a local cafe and visit one of the town museums. In the afternoon, take a guided walking tour, ride the gondola or sit on a patio.

In the evening, the mix of bars and restaurants changes the mood completely, with early dining on terraces in summer and cozy fires in winter. Reservations are wise for dinner in peak season, and prices are high, though lunch and happy hour specials soften the bill.

Seasons give the town different faces. Winter is busy and glamorous, with the holiday weeks the most crowded and costly, and the sidewalks crowded with ski boots and fur. Summer is warm, bright and full of festivals, concerts and farmers markets, with hikers and cyclists everywhere. Spring and autumn, the so-called off seasons, are quieter, with some businesses closed for a few weeks, but the aspens turn gold in late September and the town is easy and affordable. Free town shuttles and the regional bus make it simple to get around without a car.

A few tips help. Altitude is about 7,900 feet, so drink water and go easy on alcohol on the first night. Parking in the core is metered and limited, so use your hotel, the garages or the public buses. Dress in layers because the weather changes quickly, and bring good walking shoes for the brick and gravel paths. Families do best in the morning and afternoon, couples tend to linger over dinner, and anyone interested in history should add one of the guided or self-guided walking tours described elsewhere in this guide.

If you only have a few hours, a good route runs from the gondola base along Durant Avenue, across Hyman Avenue Mall and Cooper Avenue Mall, past the Wheeler Opera House and the Hotel Jerome, and down to the river trail. It takes about an hour at a gentle pace and shows you the best of the architecture, the shops and the mountain views in a single loop.