Experience Aspen in-person or online. Start planning your weekly Aspen itinerary with these options below:
Monday, September 13
Mountaintop Yoga (every Mondays-Fridays at 10:30am, top of Aspen Mountain) Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit with a yoga class atop Aspen Mountain, led by local yoga studio Aspen Shakti. After a scenic 15-minute gondola ride, head to Richmond Ridge for an hour-long yoga class in a glorious meadow overlooking Mount Hayden. All levels are welcome and participants must bring their own mat. Ride the Silver Queen Gondola using your season pass or purchase a sightseeing pass for the day at the Aspen Mountain ticket office. You can also hike up Aspen Mountain and ride the gondola down for free. Allow 1-2 hours to reach the top depending on your pace.
Birds of Prey Demonstration (Monday-Fridays at 4pm, Hallam Lake) This program will focus on educating around ACES' resident birds of prey and new training protocols. Flight demonstrations and/or feedings will be included in this program. Learn all about the important role raptors play as keystone predators! Advanced registration is required and can be found online here.
ACES: Picnic Mondays (5-8pm, Hallam Lake) Weekly membership dinner invites small groups of five or less to reserve space to bring their own picnic and seating and dine on the nature preserve of Hallam Lake. Guests are then welcomed to participate in an optional nature walk from 7:15-7:45
Dinner + a Movie at the Ajax Tavern: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (8:00pm, Ajax Tavern) The Ajax Tavern will be screening a different movie every Monday night this summer season on their mountainside patio. This week enjoy Back to the Future (1985), with the option to order from the Ajax Tavern menu or reserve a special Veuve Clicquot package. Call (970) 920-6331 to make a reservation.
Tuesday, September 14
September Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch (7:30am, Rock Bottom Ranch) Discover the diverse birdlife of the Roaring Fork Valley with ACES on Tuesday mornings throughout the summer. Birders of all experience levels are welcome! Outings begin with a brief orientation, followed by birding in the field. Explore bird activity in a variety of local habitats at ACES sites and at other nearby birding hot spots. Every outing offers rich opportunities to learn about bird behavior, identification, migration, and local habitats. Register by 5pm the day prior here.
Patton-Malott Gallery Exhibit: Boundward Home (through October 29, Anderson Ranch Arts Center) Anderson Ranch Arts Center is thrilled to present Boundward Home, an exhibition of works by Letha Wilson, who will be at the Ranch in September as a Visiting Artist and Guest Faculty member. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Colorado, her home state. More information can be found online here.
Author Talk with Writer in Residence Marie Myung-Ok Lee (5:30pm, Aspen Red Brick Center for the Arts) Marie Myung-Ok Lee’s novel, “The Evening Hero,” is forthcoming with Simon & Schuster, and her young adult novel, “Finding My Voice,” will be published by Soho Press. Her stories and essays have been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, Salon, Guernica, The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Nation and The New York Times Book Review, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and forthcoming in Smithsonian Magazine. She has been a judge for the National Book Awards and is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow in fiction. Lee is a founder and former board president of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and teaches fiction at Columbia, where she is Writer in Residence. Register online here.
Anders Johnson and Kristy Odelius: Ineffable Green Thing (through October 28, Red Brick Center for the Arts) This exhibition features recent written work by Odelius and visual work by Johnson. Using the lens of their respective mediums, both artists derive inspiration from extracting memories of certain places and cultural histories. Through seeing the layered rhythms in Odelius’ poetry and reading the layered stories in Johnson’s paintings, viewers will have an opportunity to explore the divergent concurrences of language and image while also discovering the similarities that echo through the work.
Anderson Ranch Guest Faculty Lectures (7pm, Anderson Ranch Arts Center) Sunday and Tuesday evenings, June through September, the Ranch features a 60-minute presentation by distinguished faculty members and Visiting Artists. These insightful talks dive into inspiration, the creative process and more. Registration is required and can be found online here.
Wednesday, September 15
Historical Downtown Walking Tour (10:30 am, meets by the fountain across from the Wheeler Opera House) A guided walking tour of historical buildings, sites, and stories around every corner in downtown Aspen. Register online here.
History Coach Tour with Aspen Historical Society (1:30 pm, every Wednesday throughout summer) A guided tour of historic downtown Aspen in our unique electric vehicle – complete with a visit to both the Wheeler/Stallard Museum and the Holden/Marolt Mining and Ranching Museum. Guests gain a totally new understanding of Aspen’s transformations from a mining town to ski town to year-round, world-famous resort! Reserve your reservation online here.
Thursday, September 16
History on Tap: Walls CAN Talk, Zupancis Cabin Restoration (5:30, Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum) Enjoy a beer during a panel discussion about the McMurchy-Zupancis family buildings, which were moved to the museum property from Main St. From preserved runs of Victorian wallpaper to original floors and pane glass windows, conservation projects are
always an adventure! Register online here.
Victoria West End Walking Tour (10:30 am, Wheeler Stallard Museum) Every Thursday and Saturday throughout summer, enjoy a beautiful stroll through Aspen’s Victorian West End with a focus on history and architecture. Learn little-known facts about the homes themselves and the people who lived in them. Reserve your spot here.
Northstar Birding: Fall Birds (7:30am, Northstar Nature Preserve) In partnership with Pitkin County Open Space & Trails, this birding outing will focus on local fall birds in the quiet, expansive setting of North Star where the river and wetlands make this location especially important for migration activities. Register advance with ACES online here.
Friday, September 17
Garden Tours at The Little Nell (4:00pm, The Little Nell) Join The Little Nell for their weekly garden tour from 4 – 4:30 pm led by their head gardener Arabella of Busy Beavers Gardening. Recognized for being both beautiful and sustainable, The Nell Gardens include Aspen's only living wall, an herb garden, a cutting garden and more.
Red Butte Cemetery Tour (1:30pm, every Friday throughout summer at Red Butte Cemetery) A guided tour of one of Aspen’s oldest cemeteries, including insight into the lives of the locals who are buried there.Meet at the Red Butte Cemetery gate off Cemetery Lane. Spaces limited to 6 people for all tours. Register here.
North Mississippi at Belly Up Aspen (8:30pm, Belly Up Aspen) A forgotten roll of film inspired a musical accompaniment, the North Mississippi Allstars’ new record Up and Rolling. Shot before the turn of the century, the photographs resonate with the music of four families from the Mississippi hills. The album captures the communal spirit upon which the band was founded. Purchase tickets online here.
Saturday, September 18
Aspen Saturday Market (8:30am – 2pm, Downtown Aspen) Since 1998 it has been a tradition to stroll through the market buying Colorado-grown produce and Colorado produced artisan products. Open Saturday mornings from 8:30am - 2pm (9am after Labor Day) until October 9th, the market offers fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, jams and more as well as a food court for lunch or a snack.
Aspen Golden Leaf Half Marathon (8:00am, from Snowmass to Aspen) Runners from across the US will descend upon Aspen, Colorado to participate in the much anticipated Golden Leaf Half Marathon. Chosen by Trail Runner Magazine as one of “America’s 14 Most Scenic Races” and Colorado Runner Magazine as the “Best Half Marathon” in 2008, the Golden Leaf is one of the most beautiful foot races in the Rockies.
Aspen ParkRun (9am, Tennis Courts at the Aspen Golf Club) A free, weekly, timed 5km group run/walk encouraging the community to get active and healthy. Includes a post-parkrun tailgate party with coffee and pastries, generously donated by Paradise Bakery. Register here to be timed and participate. Volunteers also welcome.
Live Bluegrass Music (3-6pm, Ajax Tavern) Enjoy live bluegrass music every weekend on Ajax Tavern’s sunny, mountainside patio. Food and drinks are available to order during the shows. Dave Notor Band plays every Saturday.
Jamestown Revival at Belly Up Aspen (8pm, Belly Up Aspen) Join this rock band this Saturday night and embrace the tunes that stemmed out of a friendship that has lasted more than a decade. Purchase your tickets online here.
Sunday, September 19
Live Bluegrass Music (3-6pm, Ajax Tavern) Enjoy live bluegrass music every weekend on Ajax Tavern’s sunny, mountainside patio. Food and drinks are available to order during the shows. Buffalo Joe plays every Sunday.
Anderson Ranch Guest Faculty Lectures (7pm, Anderson Ranch Arts Center) Sunday and Tuesday evenings, June through September, the Ranch features a 60-minute presentation by distinguished faculty members and Visiting Artists. These insightful talks dive into inspiration, the creative process and more. Registration is required and can be found online here.
Monday, September 20
Birds of Prey Demonstration (Monday-Fridays at 4pm, Hallam Lake) This program will focus on educating around ACES' resident birds of prey and new training protocols. Flight demonstrations and/or feedings will be included in this program. Learn all about the important role raptors play as keystone predators! Advanced registration is required and can be found online here.
ACES: Picnic Mondays (5-8pm, Hallam Lake) Weekly membership dinner invites small groups of five or less to reserve space to bring their own picnic and seating and dine on the nature preserve of Hallam Lake. Guests are then welcomed to participate in an optional nature walk from 7:15-7:45
Dinner + a Movie at the Ajax Tavern: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (8:00pm, Ajax Tavern) The Ajax Tavern will be screening a different movie every Monday night this summer season on their mountainside patio. This week enjoy E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, with the option to order from the Ajax Tavern menu or reserve a special Veuve Clicquot package. Call (970) 920-6331 to make a reservation.
Experience Aspen Virtually with these Ongoing Online Events!
Learn about the history of Aspen with Aspen Historical Society. They post daily images to social media from their archive of more than 12,000 historical images. Visit archiveaspen.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram for a daily dose of Aspen history.
Aspen Shakti has released virtual courses available online here.
Each week Aspen Institute curates timely conversations from across Aspen Institute programming. They seek to elevate formidable leaders, inspiring thinkers, and remarkable stories. Subscribe to receive weekly emails from Aspen Ideas Now here.
Join Theatre Aspen’s Director of Education Graham Northrup for his series on their YouTube channel called “From The Director’s Chair.”
Subscribe to the Aspen Institute’s weekly podcast, “Aspen Ideas To Go” which gives listeners front-row access to events presented at the Aspen Institute including the Aspen Ideas Festival. New episodes come out every Tuesday.
If you missed Aspen Center for Environmental Studies' Naturalist Nights, you can watch videos of previous presentations available online here.
The Red Brick Center for the Arts is offering virtual adult and kids online arts classes; Check out their blog, Creative Connections, for updates on current offerings.
Bring Aspen to life with our coloring book pages, download them here.
Connect with Aspen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
For all COVID-19 resources click here.