Three Perfect Summer Days In Vail

The snow has finally melted and guests can paddle the rivers, hike up mountains (with or without llamas) and bike beautiful valley trails of Vail. Summers here offer music festivals, a dance festival, beer, wine and food festivals, a film festival, and even an automotive class and car show. Vail is a natural playground filled with adventure opportunities with hundreds of miles of river and recreational trails and more; plus, it’s the ideal mountain town to relax, gaze up at the mountains and try different activities and dining experiences. Here’s an itinerary for three perfect days in Vail.

Day One: Arrive and check-into one of Gravity Haus’ 22 newly-renovated, luxe guest rooms. Drop your bags and head to Sage Outdoor Adventures for Stand Up Paddle boarding, tube and duckie rentals and daily guided rafting trips on the Pumphouse stretch of the Upper Colorado. Head back to Gravity Haus for a treatment at the 18,000 square foot Spa at Dryland Fitness (for now, the massages are taking place in hotel rooms). For dinner, try a juicy steak at Slope Room at Gravity Haus, a hot new restaurant with funky Old West décor and locally-sourced food from Rocky Mountain farmers and ranchers. After dinner, hit the Bad Kitty Lounge. The speak-easy inspired basement lounge features mixologists who specialize in unique twists to classic cocktails.

Day Two: Breakfast this morning at Sonnenalp Hotel’s Treff Café a European street bar with authentic German fare, coffee, and fresh pastries. Head over to Vail Stables for some goat yoga inside an outdoor pen complete with yoga mats, instructor, and a herd of young goats. They’ll jump on your back during downward dog or wind around your arms and legs during cat pose. it’s a unique way to have an hour’s worth of belly laughs. Lunch today is at Barrio Social, a sizzling hot new high-end tapas bar with a sleek interior design that flows outside onto the patio for optimal people-watching and outdoor dining. Created by the owners of Vail’s popular La Bottega restaurant, Barrio Social’s design, menu and drinks are inspired by travels through the Iberian Peninsula. Spanish and Portuguese wines, ciders, sherry’s and portos complement the pintxos, tapas and planchas dishes.

While there are 343 miles of mountain biking trails,  white water kayaking, canoeing, Stand-Up Paddleboard, rock climbing, horseback riding, hiking, fly-fishing and 12 golf courses, for the less active, art is everywhere: in galleries, on the streets, and even interactive art on the playgrounds (one of which was named one of the World’s Coolest Playgrounds). Oliva Moya’s combination of vintage photography of Vail Mountain will adorn interior spaces of the Vail Village Transportation Center this May. In June, the collective duo Pedro Barrios and Jaime Molina (aka The Worst Crew) will transform five large cylindrical vents west of Dobson Ice Arena.

For dinner, try the Swiss Chalet at Sonnenalp for traditional Swiss fare including mouth-watering fondue.

Day 3: Breakfast at Gorsuch Ski Café for specialty coffee drinks and grab- and-go breakfast items. Today, head to the top of the mountain on a ride up the Gondola to spend the day at Epic Discovery. This amusement park is ideal for adults and kids, an immersive adventure experience with a Forest Flyer Mountain Coaster and ropes challenge course.

If that’s not your thing, then head to Piney River Ranch, located 9,350 feet above sea level and surrounded by thousands of acres of back country wilderness within the White River National Forest. This is the ideal place for an adventure-filled day trip: Stand Up Paddleboarding, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, waterfalls or relaxing by the fire pit. An on-site restaurant serves lip-smacking smoked BBQ. Come back down the mountain for your final dinner at award-winning La Tour with a 40-page wine menu.

Worried that it will take forever to get to Vail? Now it’s easy with new direct flights to Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE). Delta offers daily, non-stop service from Atlanta, Georgia starting June 5. American Airlines will launch non-stop service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport beginning June 3. And of course, there are flights from most major airports in America. So grab your sunglasses and suntan lotion, pack your bathing suit and hiking shoes, and head to Vail, one of Colorado’s most scenic alpine playgrounds.