The Vail Valley offers some of the finest fireworks celebrations in the entire state of Colorado. The festivities begin on July 3 with the largest fireworks show in the state on Nottingham Lake located in Avon.
The annual Independence Day celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with music, food vendors, and a beer garden. A free Family Zone will offer families carnival games, inflatable jumping toys, face painting, clowns and a special children’s instrument petting zoo presented by Bravo! The fireworks will light the sky at 9:45 p.m.
DJ Logic takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. The evening concludes with the Colorado Rockies’ largest fireworks display, which will kick off at 9:45 p.m. and will be choreographed to a musical score simulcast on 97.7 KZYR The Zephyr.
Leave dogs, alcohol, replica watches, grills and personal fireworks at home. Blankets and warm evening attire are recommended. Stopping on I-70 is against the law and will be strictly enforced by local law enforcement.
“Not only is this against the law it is very dangerous; we would like to invite these folks to park within the Town and enjoy our event in a safe environment,” said Avon Police Chief Bob Ticer.
Parking on Town streets is not permitted.
Highlighting the weekend activities will be the traditional Vail Fourth of July parade on Sunday. The parade starts at Golden Peak and then continues west to Hanson Ranch road, north on Bridge street, west on Gore Creek Drive, north across the International bridge, west along Meadow Drive and finally, weaves through the Lionshead Mall and to the finish. The rest of the day’s celebrations include a patriotic concert, Vail Farmers’ market and a fireworks display in Vail. Upon conclusion of the fireworks, a town of Vail public safety campaign will be enacted that enlists parental supervision of younger family members.
Some of the other activities going on during the Holiday weekend include the Vail Lacrosse shootout, Bravo Dallas symphony orchestra and the Vail Hillclimb race.
Free things to do in Vail, Colorado
Free things to do in Vail, Colorado
There are lots of “free” things to take advantage of this summer in Vail Colorado.
Hot Summer Nights free concerts start Tuesday’s June 15th – July 20th.
Vail Farmer’s market on Sundays starting June 20 – Sept. 19.
Kids ride the Eagle Bahn Gondola for free all summer with one paying adult, and
09-10 and 10-11 ski pass holders can also ride for free.
Adventure Ridge has free activities available, just head to the top of the mountain for free volleyball, bocce ball, horseshoes and disc golf (you need to bring your own discs). Open weekends in June and then daily starting June 24 – September 6
Visit the Discovery Center for free, located at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola, the Discovery Center introduces you to the environment through fun, interactive displays and guided nature hikes.
Visit Vail’s free Nature Center, nestled along the banks of Gore Creek this 7 acres forest, meadow and stream.
Visit the Colorado Ski Museum for free, located in the upper level of the Vail Village parking structure. Learn about the history of Vail, skiing and the 10th Mountain Division.
Vail’s free Skate park in the Lionshead parking structure. Open morning to dusk daily, featuring half-pipe, pyramid, ramps, transitions, rails and banks.
Free tennis match at the Golden Peak Tennis Courts. Tennis can be played at the courts on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free Kayak Demo’s will go through June 22nd every Tuesday 5-7pm at Vail’s Whitewater Park located at the International Bridge.
Free festivals coming up: Vail America Days, Vail Arts Festival, Vail’s Farmer’s Market, Vail Antique Show, and the Minturn Market.
Jazz at the Vail Farmer’s Market is free, Sundays June 27 – August 29 Noon-3pm
Join Wednesday’s free walking tours of Vail’s public art collection. The hour long tour meets at 11:00am at the Vail Village Visitor Center at the top level of the parking structure. Tours begin June 30th. Visit www.arinvail.com or call 970-479-2344
In July in Lionshead, Friday Family Fun Fair July 9 – August 6, will have many kids activities.
Enjoy!
Ritz Bachelor Gulch Rentals
The Ritz Carlton Club in Bachelor Gulch has a total of 54 condos. There are 32 two bedroom condominiums and 24 three bedroom condominiums. All condos are furnished exactly the same. All the two bedrooms units have a king bed in each room, and each three bedroom has two rooms with king beds and the third has 2 double beds. Just in the fall of 2009 all the “soft goods” had been replaced, that means new couches, curtains, carpets, mattresses and comforters etc.
Each condo comes equipped with a full kitchen including a Viking stove, Sub Zero refrigerator, a full size washer and dryer, and wireless internet access. The Ritz Carlton Club condos have their own hot tubs in addition to access to the Ritz Carlton Hotel Pool and Bachelor Gulch Spa.
When you stay at the Ritz Carlton Club condos you have access to all the amenities of the Ritz Carlton Hotel, including poolside food service and the options to charge items to your room. There is room service also available.
Before you arrive the concierge will help with arrangements for your stay including setting up the lift tickets, bike rentals, dinner reservations, and even scheduling spa treatments at the Ritz Carlton Hotel that is in the adjoining building.
For the youngsters, they have an extensive children’s program, the Ritz Kids Roundup. The Roundup is designed to make your child’s Rocky Mountain vacation as exciting and memorable as yours. This supervised program is available for children ages 5 through 12.
The rental weeks run from Saturday to Saturday. There are 5 and 7 night minimums that apply throughout the year.
The Ritz-Carlton Club Beaver Creek SUMMER Special!!
Purchase 6 nights of lodging and receive the 7th night free!! Valid for reservations staying June 1, 09-Nov.15, 09.
Golf in the Vail Valley
While Vail maybe be best known for some of the best skiing in the world, it is slowly becoming just as known for it's summers and all the wonderful summer activities. One of the best summer activities that the Vail Valley has to offer is golf. There are now fifteen golf courses in Eagle County, all within a thirty minute drive of Vail.
Some of the golf courses are completely open to the public such as the Vail Golf Course and the Eagle Vail Golf Course, some are semi-private where members receive the prime tee times and other times are open to the public. A few examples are the Beaver Creek Golf Course and the Sonnenalp Golf Course in Edwards. Some of the courses are members only (and their invited guests). Arrowhead and Eagle Springs are a few examples.
The golf courses in the Vail Valley are building a reputation as some of the best in the country. Avid golfers are realizing that Vail has some of the most beautiful and challenging courses anywhere and the summer months in Vail offer a perfect golf climate, usually in the low to mid 80's. They also love the fact that the golf ball travels about 10% farther in our mountain air. Many golfers who live in states with very high summer temperatures such as Arizona and Texas travel to Colorado for our picture perfect summer golf.
Our concierge service can assist golferswith useful information and to assist with tee times. You can visit our concierge webpage . For information on all of the courses in the Vail Valley including prices, location and dress codes please visit http://golfvailvalley.com/
Vail Events
There is always something going on in Vail and the surrounding areas during the summer.
Some special events that are coming up is this weekend is Blues, Brews & BBQ in Beaver Creek village, where chefs from all over the country come and share there best barbecue, microbreweries share their latest beers and some of the greatest musicians play their tunes. The Teva Mountain Games is coming in a few weeks (June 3-June6). This host events from fly fishing contests to kayak and bicycle races. These events draw big spectator crowds and full of high energy.
There is always a Farmer’s Market on the weekend starting mid June through mid September. Saturday is the Minturn Market and Sunday is the Vail Farmer’s Market and even one that is getting bigger each year is the Edwards Market which is on Saturday’s as well.
Some of the favorites for the summer is the free “Hot Summer Nights” concerts on Tuesday nights throughout the summer. Locals and guests alike join in the Village of Vail to listen to some great bands.
Special events are always going on in Vail and surrounding areas, come back to our blog for more upcoming events as the summer progresses. In the meantime…if you are headed to town and looking for some excitement, please check our calendar for more upcoming events.
