One of the very last stops on our road trip was in Aspen, CO. It was the middle of December so this winter town was at its prime. There were skiers and snowboarders from all over the world here and we loved every minute! I definitely learned a few things during our time here about how much more this town has to offer other than the slopes.
If you love outdoors, good food, and winter this is the town for you! We love most places we’ve been in Colorado and Aspen was no exception. In fact, it was different than our expectations but almost better! So here are four things you must do in Aspen while not on the mountain!
Natural Hotsprings
We scoured Google for a spot the locals hang out at. It definitely was not the most popular, fancy, well kept hot spring. It was very natural and while we did see some other people it was not crowded! It was perfect.
It is actually right off the road but you can’t be seen from the road thanks to the little canyon wall. It was so nice and hot! We went early in the morning on a cold winters day and it was just what the doctor called for. I love natural hot springs and growing up in Idaho we would always go hike to our favorite spots! So this was right up our alley.
All the food
We ate at a couple places while we were here and all of them were delicious! We got some pizza that was great and some local coffee that was soooo tasty!
But my favorite food we ate was a a bbq place called Hickory House Ribs! The bbq here was absolutely amazing. We even bought 3 bottles of their bbq sauce to take home with us! I absolutely loved the food here and highly recommend Aspen as a location for all my fellow foodies.
Surrounding Towns
Aspen is one of the better known cities in Colorado but all of the surrounding towns are awesome too! We actually stayed out in Carbondale which was a super quaint little town that did not have the ruckus that comes with staying in a metro area.
We also went and checked out Snowmass Village and Glenwood springs. Honestly, I now know that you don’t need to be in downtown Aspen to still get an awesome outdoors experience. It is just as much fun to stay in one of these surrounding towns and possibly drive into Aspen for one day!
Shopping
Okay, Aspen actually has some of my absolutely favorite stores in the world. They have the best winter clothes, pajamas, hats, and more! I am a sucker for outdoorsy winter outfits and Aspen does not disappoint. If I had an unlimited budget, it all would have been spent shopping in Aspen!
The shops here aren’t your typical cheesy souvenir shops. They have great clothing, gear, and mugs! If you are planning a trip to Aspen you absolutely need to include a large shopping allowance into your budget.
Have you been to Aspen? What are your favorite things to do here?!
