Christmas in the mountains
with the family! Snow! Skiing!
Santa Claus! All kinds of other activities for children, many of them
free. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, it was. We were in Aspen, Colorado. Although it has a glitzy reputation, in
actuality it is very child and family friendly.
The ski school, of course, is terrific for everyone, but outstanding for
kids of all ages. We stayed in Aspen but
took our two granddaughters to Snowmass, to the Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center for skiing.
For the little bitty ones, they have a great program with a lovely room,
separate from the slightly older bunch.
The daycare seemed to be very good - parents were happy. Our girls, 5 and 7, were in the ski school
program. You can start them as soon as
they are potty-trained. The instructors are very careful to keep the kids warm,
happy, well hydrated, and sun-screened.
The little ones can ride the Elk Camp gondola
to the special area on the mountain with a "Magic Carpet" that moves
them ever so slowly up a very gentle slope to try their skis in the "pizza
slice" position. They have a
special lunchroom in the new restaurant that is right next to the gondola. There is also a "Magic Carpet" area
at the bottom next to the Treehouse.
Even during the busy holiday season, the staff was charming and patient,
and everything works well. The 7 year
old, having four previous trips behind her, is skiing all over the mountain now
when she goes with her parents. We
stopped to watch the ski school races for the kids. They have five parallel courses for the
various age groups and an announcer who identifies the racers and their
hometowns. Lots of fun and excitement.
There were kids from all over the world. The nice thing about taking
them to Snowmass was that we could stay there to ski, and have all the slopes
we could want to challenge us. The other
children's center is at Buttermilk/Tiehack, which is closer to Aspen town, and
quite nice, although all beginner and intermediate skiing.
As for the rest of the
activities, they had elf clowns presiding over a free s'more-making party at
the big fire-pit on the pedestrian mall in Aspen. I took the 5-year-old who wanted a day off
from skiing, and she loved it! Songs
were sung, balloon animals and toys were made and distributed, and we met a
lovely Australian family with a child her age.
There were activities there about every other afternoon. There were carolers, Santa, and a disc jockey
on various afternoons on the plaza near the Children’s Center in Snowmass. Other
activities the kids loved were the skating rink in Aspen, which has
push-supports for those who are less steady on the blades, and a restaurant
famous for its great hamburgers. The Aspen Recreation Center (“the ARC”) has indoor pools for old and young, and
the kids’ pool has a lazy river and a huge slide, plus fountains and sprays. (I
admit to enjoying it myself.)
There are many restaurants
kids will like, with Little Annie's being one of the best as far as we are
concerned - an Aspen classic with a ton of old time atmosphere. On Christmas day, however, we went to the St. Regis Aspen Resort for their Buffet Brunch that runs from about 8AM to
5PM. Santa was there, and the food was excellent.
For the family who likes a
bit of pampering, the St. Regis is a wonderful choice. The new decor in the
hotel is lovely, the staff could not be more charming and helpful, and at Christmas
the hotel goes all out to help the kids celebrate. Santa was in the library for a couple of
nights before, reading stories to the kids who came down in their p.js. They have, in the lobby, a gingerbread
reproduction of the hotel that fascinated kids and adults. They have two fire pits in the courtyard, and
an ice bar serving hot chocolate with or without an alcoholic addition. (Patrón
is great in hot chocolate - who knew?)
It is magic to sit there at night and look up at the mountain and the
stars while you sip your hot drink, and listen to the music from the lobby
lounge. You do not have to be staying at
the hotel to enjoy this. If you do stay at the hotel, the condominiums they
rent out are spectacular. The hotel runs
a shuttle to the base of the Aspen gondola, a block away, so you don't have to
carry your skis or it will take you to the other mountains if you don't want to
ride the free buses. (Aspen has four ski areas, mountains all: Aspen Mountain
(called Ajax locally), Aspen Highlands, (a
local favorite, and ours too),
Buttermilk/Tiehack, and Snowmass.
All are connected by free buses and one lift ticket.
The town itself is decorated
with lots of lights in the trees and with the snow, looks like a Christmas
card. On New Years Eve, they have a big
bonfire in Wagner Park, overlooking the mountain, and at 8PM (for the kids) and
again at midnight, they shoot off fireworks over the mountainside. Spectacular!
Our kids also love the horse
and carriage rides in town and brought carrots and apples to feed the horse.
The same company does sleigh rides if you prefer. There are many more things to
do - the newspapers in town are full of information about them. It is a real town with a permanent population
that has to work for a living, so the library and other institutions have many
free story hours and events.
There are always special
events for adults. Before Christmas
there are showings of possible Oscar-nominated films at the Wheeler
Opera House. The Wheeler, a Victorian-era opera house, is
completely restored and always has musical performances. There was the final of the International Snow
Polo Championships, right in the middle of town, in Wagner Park. Great horses -
fun to watch, even though we know next to nothing about the game. Well-known rock bands play at the Belly-Up.
You can fly directly into
Aspen, or into Eagle (about 2 hours away), Grand Junction (about an hour and
1/2 away), or into Denver and drive or bus (about 4 1/2 hours.) Non-stops run
from Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston.
It's a lot of fun for all
ages even if you hate glitz, and there are accommodations in various price
ranges, hotels, and condos. Restaurants don't make it unless they are good, but
it is really nice to barbeque in the snow at your condo.
--Mary Mages, Travel
Consultant
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