Activities and Things to Do

Art & Nature:

  • Vilar Performing Arts Center: Located in the heart of Colorado's Beaver Creek Resort, the Vilar Performing Arts Center is a 530-seat theatre, owned and operated by the Vail Valley Foundation, which presents a variety of year-round performances including Broadway musicals, rock concerts, family shows, comedy, dance, film, jazz and more. Visit Vilar Center for a schedule of show and performances, as well as tickets pricing and times.

  • Alpine Art Center: Alpine Arts Center fosters the appreciation, practice, and enjoyment of the visual arts throughout the Vail Valley and beyond. The center offers a broad spectrum of classes, open workshops, drop-in sessions, summer programs, birthday parties, exhibits, public events, and outreach programs. Whether you are interested in learning a new craft or are a professional artist looking to enhance your technique, Alpine Arts Center offers art for all ages at all stages. Visit Alpine Art Center for more information on available classes.

  • Vail Nature Center: The Vail Nature Center is located across Gore Creek from the Betty Ford Alpine Garden and the Ford Amphitheater. The Nature Center offers a wide variety of educational and fun programs, both at the Nature Center and out in the wild mountain country that surrounds it. With stream-side trails, plant and animal exhibits, and a friendly staff, it is truly one of Vail’s best kept secrets. For information and directions call 970.479.2291 or visit Vail Nature Center.

  • Wildflower Walk: Join Nature Center staff on a leisurely one hour walk through the woods and meadows and learn about the flowers that carpet the mountains and the conditions they need to thrive. Costs are $3 or $2 for Vail Recreation District residents.

  • Evening Beaver Pond Tour: Beavers are one of the animals that define the Rocky Mountains and Vail is lucky to have a healthy beaver population right in town. The evening begins at the Nature Center with a brief presentation about beavers, followed by a drive to a beaver pond where there is an active lodge. Bring warm clothes and a flashlight.

  • Morning Bird Walk: Join Nature Center staff for a morning walk through the meadows and woods along the Gore Creek to learn about a great variety of birds, what they need and how you can attract birds to your own backyard. Costs are $3 or $2 for Vail Recreation District residents. No reservations required.

  • Stories in the Sky: Stargazing: From endless constellations, cascading shooting stars and full moons almost as bright as the sun, these are the realities in the mountains of Vail that should be experienced by all.

  • Wild Kid Nature Hikes: The Wild Kids Nature hikes will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturdays for families with children 7 and older. Nature Center naturalists will take kids on fun, easy, and activity-filled hikes throughout Vail to discover the local flora and fauna. Themes and activities will change each week. Parents are encouraged to join the hikes.

  • Nature’s Bounty Native Plants Workshop: In the Rockies, we are fortunate to be surrounded by an abundance of beauty and biodiversity. You may have taken hundreds of pictures of that pretty little purple flower, but what is it called, and how do you tell the difference between that and the other purple flower? Learn the basic skills you need to identifying local plants, as well as fascinating information about their historic and modern uses. What berries are edible, what plants might save your life if you were stranded in the back-country? Our expert naturalists will teach you.

    • Family & Kids Activities:
  • Adventure Ridge at Vail Mountain: Check operational hours online. Located at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola, Adventure Ridge at Vail has fun activities for all ages at over 10,000 ft! Adventure Ridge offers kids and families of all ages fun activities like; mini-golf, motor tours, a climbing wall, rebound trampoline, disc golf, lawn sports, hiking, horseback riding and the Discovery Center. For more information on specific activities, please visit Adventure Ridge.

  • Community Pools: Take a load off and cool down at any of the Vail Valley's community pools, including the EagleVail swimming pool. Offering lessons, aerobics and yoga on the yard, the EagleVail pools offers fun activities for both kids and adults. For more information on fees and hours, please visit EagleVail Pool.

  • Avon Recreation Center: The Avon Recreation Center is a spacious multi-use facility with over 40,000 square feet of fun! Within its doors lies a variety of activities which will exceed you and your family’s fitness and leisure needs. Whether you want to join one of our many award-winning group fitness classes, swim laps in our five-lane lap pool, or simply relax and daydream while floating along the lazy river, the Avon Recreation Center and its staff can surely accommodate your needs. Visit Avon Recreation Center for more details on fees and hours.

  • Vail Recreation District: Children are children wherever they are: they love fun, they love to learn and they love to be with friends, old and new. VRD celebrates resident and visiting youth by providing top-notch facilities, which conduct camps, classes, leagues and events geared toward improvement at a sport, understanding our alpine environment, or just plain having fun. See schedules of summer camps, activities and events happening at the Vail Recreation District.

  • Family Fun Night Guest Speaker Series: An evening of discovery as the Nature Center hosts exceptional guest speakers from around the state. Family Fun Night takes place Wednesdays throughout the month of July and will include raptor experts, bee keepers, Native American history speakers and more.

  • S'mores and More: Family Campfire Program: A warm campfire, exciting stories of woodland adventures and the sweet smell of burning marshmallows fill this family program at the Vail Nature Center.

    • Music & Dance:
  • Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival:June 28 - August 3, 2013 at three venues: The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, Vail Mountain School and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. For more information, please visit Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

  • Vail International Dance Festival: July 28 - August 10, 2013. The 2013 Vail International Dance Festival will take at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail and Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, while community events will be held in streets and villages throughout the Vail Valley. Various tickets prices. For more information, please visit Vail International Dance Festival.

  • Labor Day Weekend Vail Jazz Party: August 29 - September 2, 2013. The 19th annual Jazz Festival culminates in a unique mix of world-class musicians in a one-of-a-kind format that has lived up to its title, the Labor Day Weekend Party. The Festival culminates in a unique mix of world-class musicians in a one-of-a-kind format that has lived up to its title, the Labor Day Weekend Party. Whether it's group performances, multi-artist jam sessions or the inspiring multi-media salutes to Jazz legends, the Weekend has a unique party spirit that attracts musicians and jazz lovers from all over the world. Each year, up-and-coming "young lions" play alongside the living legends of jazz in an intimate venue, surrounded by the natural beauty of Vail. With twenty five hours of performances throughout the weekend (morning, noon and night), the audience and musicians are connected in a manner that consistently inspires great performances. Check out Labor Day Vail Jazz Party to see more details and scheduled artists.

  • Vail Soul Music Fest: Vail Soul Music Fest celebrates the heart of Soul Music with top musicians, empowerment events and cultural activities over three days and two nights of performances by some of the greatest R&B, conscious Hip Hop, alternative Rock, Blues & Neo Soul artists from around the world. Visit Vail Soul Music Fest to learn more.

    • Sports & Recreation:
  • Vail Recreation District's Summer Running Club: Residents and visitors are encouraged to join the VRD for its free, weekly running club this summer that will lead participants around Vail's scenic recreation paths and mountain trails. For details, email .

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