When your community is best known for being a popular winter resort, trying to persuade people to visit in the off-season can be a bit of a challenge. Vail, Colorado, located two hours west of Denver, is one such town, offering world-class skiing and winter activities half the year, but plenty of other things to do locally when the snows melt and spring finally bursts forth.
We've compiled a list of things you can do in Vail in the off-season, fun activities within a thirty minute radius of this famous ski community:
Rafting -- 30 minutes south of Vail the Arkansas River winds majestically through the Rocky Mountains, providing the perfect setting for whitewater rafting. Pass through Bighorn Canyon, Brown's Canyon and Royal Gorge, getting a fish eye's view of the most popular river basin in America. Trips range from half-day excursions to multi-day adventures with camping included.
Culture - art exhibitions, Soul Music Festival, Oktoberfest and help Jazz Festival, Vail keep visitors to come back, when temperatures are mild. Not surprisingly, Colorado Ski Museum and Hall of Fame, the Vail, located in and offers visitors a wonderful overview of Colorado ski over 130 years. Take in the Olympics and World Cup memorabilia to learn about the evolution of snowboarding and enjoy the programs a day, a guided tourtour.
Golf -- A world class ski resort should beget a world class golf course, right? Well, it has! The Vail Golf Club is "Top 100 Resource Course" according to Golf Digest, with the Gore Mountain Range as its backdrop. Golf at an altitude of 8,200 feet from May to October, but once snow has fallen enjoy the course's wintry transition to a Nordic Center offering snowshoe trails and a groomed ski track.
Shopping -- Not every activity in Vail requires exercise unless you count walking from store to store as an aerobic feat. Vail is a new community, formed in 1966, but the shopping district exudes old world charm, with friendly merchants offering a variety of shops for your perusal. Sample chocolates, find a unique toy, pick up customized t-shirts, try on jewelry and, when done with your shopping, you can dine locally. Speaking of food, Vail Restaurant Month begins as summer draws to an end, a four-week event showcasing the talents of local chefs.
Fishing -- Western trout fishing is plentiful in Vail with local streams, rivers and lakes providing plenty of places to drop a line. New to fly-fishing? Take in a special clinic in the heart of Vail. Hunting, horseback riding, mountain and road biking, rock climbing and tennis are among the other activities available nearby.
Yes, Vail offers plenty of things to do beyond its world famous ski slopes, demonstrating that this city of Colorado is not just snow in years, to attract visitors at all times.
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