John Denver Park - this Aspen park is a pleasant place to take your dog or your kids for a splash in the creek in summertime. The park is named after the famous Country and Folk singer who resided in Aspen. Lyrics from his most popular songs are inscribed in the creekside boulders. John Denver Park is on the creek trail on the north side of Aspen, near the Rio Grande Ball Field and park at N. Mill St. and Rio Grande Pl.

Maroon Bells - a short drive outside of Aspen, the Maroon Bells are one of the most photographed mountain scenes in Colorado. The lake and views of the 14,000 ft range are spectacular. A very short trail leads to the lake from the parking lot, and continues onwards approximately a mile to a 2nd higher lake and then through a u-shaped glacier carved valley. To get to the Maroon Bells, turn south on Maroon Creek Rd from Hwy 82 approximately 8 miles. In summer, it is not always possible to drive directly to the parking lot during daytime hours (8am-5pm) and visitors must take a shuttle bus from Aspen.

By air

• Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, (also known as Sardy Field) (IATA: ASE) (ICAO: KASE)), [2]. Major carriers to Aspen include United, US Airways, Delta Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. ASE is a small airport for small planes only, and traffic tends to stop in any inclement weather. Flying into Denver Airport and driving up to Aspen is more reliable and often cheaper.

By car

The drive to Aspen is about 4 hours from Denver. There are two major routes from Denver - through Glenwood Springs or through Independence Pass. Independence Pass is only open in the summer months, but provides spectacular views and can be a bit faster than the longer route through Glenwood. To take this route, travel south from Copper Mountain exit off I70 through Leadville.

Downtown Aspen has a lot of quaint shops for unique and upscale shopping. Snowmass Village also has a multi-tiered outdoor shopping center where you can buy sporting goods, clothes, art and any number of knicknacks. There are regular open-air markets in each of these towns.

Health Spa, the Aspen Club and Spa offers massages, fitness classes, facials, pedicures and much more check it out at http://aspenclub.com

Real Estate is big business in Aspen. Many a ski bum has later settled here and bought a quaint Victorian in the 60's just to find out he is now sitting on a "Gold Mine".

• *EatAspen Take a Locals Look

• Aspen Restaurants by Foodie Aspen

• The Artisan Restaurant in Snowmass in the Stone Bridge Inn has a fresh menu [7] and many off-menu options.

• Have lunch at Woody Creek Tavern, in "downtown" Woody Creek. This is the former haunt of the late great Hunter S. Thompson. It's about 15 miles from Aspen. Go Slumming.

• A la Car of Aspen, [8]. A lifesaver! They deliver great meals all over town -- even Snowmass. Delivery from the finest restaurants of Aspen and Snowmass. Grocery delivery also available.

• Crystal Palace Theatre Restaurant, [9]. Well worth a visit. They serve a gourmet dinner followed by cabaret revue of political satire which is quite a hoot. The Cabaret is fun, even for Dinner Theater Skeptics. Closes forever on April 12th 2008.

• The Pine Creek Cookhouse, 20 minutes south of Aspen on Castle Creek Road, [10]. It is worth the trip down a beautiful valley to the elegant log cabinesque building. Their food is very fresh, on the gourmet side, and not overly expensive. Reservations recommended. Highly recommended to stop in for lunch after a morning hike to one of the many great trails in the area such as Cathedral Lake.

• The Hickory House, just south of the dreaded "entrance to Aspen," on Main Street. (It's the one with the plastic bear on the roof.) Tourists are often crowded out by the locals, drawn by fabulous barbecue and huge, hearty breakfasts. If you're lucky enough to be in Aspen for Thanksgiving, turn out for annual Hickory House freebie: turkey, with all the trimmings, and all gratis.

Head mid way up Snowmass mountain (on the 2-seater chairlifts that go from the bottom of the mtn) to the ski resort's cafe for a beer or soda. Great view of the valleys and nearby mountaintops.