Top Things to Do in Vail Valley This Fall

Fall in Colorado Rocky Mountain is usually the most affordable time to explore Vail. Visitors can save almost 50% on lodging and dining. Between all the fun events like Oktoberfest, Vail and Beaver Creek Restaurant Week, along with free live music, yoga, and hiking, there are endless ways to enjoy the valley without breaking the bank.

ORQUESTA AKOKÁN at the Vilar Performing Arts Center Beaver Creek

When Orquesta Akokán burst onto the global music scene a mere three years ago, their no-holds-barred 21st-century take on the venerable Cuban mambo lit up stages worldwide with fierce and unremitting joy. Singer José “Pepito” Gómez, Chulo Records producer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Plasse, and arranger Michael Eckroth joined forces with a carefully curated selection of Havana’s most extraordinary musicians as Orquesta Akokán, polishing Cuban mambo’s golden sound to a luminous, contemporary sheen.

Along the way, Orquesta Akokán imbued these legendary Cuban grooves with a renewed vitality and powerful sense of akokán —the Yoruba word used by Cubans to mean “from the heart” or “soul.”

General Admission Tickets are $20 each. You can also get an Underground Sound Pass for $125, which includes General Admission to all 6 Underground Sound Shows, a Choice of 1 Complimentary UGS Pass Beer, Wine or NA Beverage and the pass is Fully Transferable

Venue Address: Vilar Performing Arts Center Beaver Creek, 68 Avondale Ln, Beaver Creek, CO

For more info visit https://vilarpac.org/event/orquesta-akokan/

Live Music at La Tour Restaurant in Vail: Kevin Danzig

Pop-Up Picnic in the Park Couple Date Night+ 5 Love Languages 

Watch the sunset with fun digital activities over a picnic!

POP-UP PICNIC IN THE PARK DATE NIGHT INCLUDES:

Enjoy a fun pop-up picnic sunset date for couples in Avon, Colorado! Since our date nights are self-guided, you can go any time. Each date night consists of a series of activities you are guided to complete.

You only need your mobile device and an Internet connection to access your Digital Date Nite Box. At DNB, we pride ourselves on covering all 5 love languages on every date night. All the following is included in your digital date night box when we send it over with registration to create a night to remember!

* Parking and/or park fees for your chosen location are not included.

Venue Address: Harry A. Nottingham Park
414 W Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO

For more info visit https://allevents.in/avon/pop-up-picnic-in-the-park-couple-date-night-5-love-languages-self-guided/2200023387299415

Bulb Sale at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Shop a carefully curated selection of unusual bulbs! Hardy, deer-resistant, and naturalizing bulbs such as Allium, Fritillaria, Daffodils, Crocus, Species Tulips, Trillium, Shooting Star & more to keep your garden blooming through summer.

Venue Address: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
522 S Frontage Rd E, Vail, CO

For more info visit https://bettyfordalpinegardens.org/

Vail Annual Ski & Snowboard Swap

The annual Vail Ski & Snowboard Swap is back again this fall! Mark your calendars and do not miss it!

The Vail Ski & Snowboard Swap is the best place to find all you need for the upcoming winter.  Products will include everything from alpine skis and snowboards to boots and bindings, and a large selection of winter clothing and accessories, such as helmets, gloves, and goggles, will also be available for purchase.

This year’s swap will offer a great selection of new and used products. Used gear from the general public will be available at very affordable prices.

Venue Address: Dobson Ice Arena, 321 East Lionshead Circle
Vail, CO 81657

For more info, visit https://www.vailskiswap.com/

Vail Farmers’ Market & Art Show

Vail Village | Meadow Drive | Sundays 9:30AM – 3:30PM

The Vail Farmers Market and Art Show is entering 21 years in Vail on Meadow Drive. The event started with a few tents and has grown to over 148 tents for 16 summer Sundays. All the vendors have been handpicked with our guests in mind. We work to have most of our vendors make Colorado artisan items and food. We ring people from all over to enjoy the mountain lifestyle on a Sunday.

Enjoy strolling down East Meadow Drive in Vail while tasting treats from Colorado. Parking for the Market is at the Vail Village Parking or Lionshead Parking. The Market begins late June and goes through till early October.

Venue Address: East Meadow Drive, Vail Village, CO, 81657

For more info visit https://www.vailfarmersmarket.com/

Cupcakes & Canvas

 Want a fun and creative afternoon in the company of friends and family? Alpine Arts Center will lead you step-by-step through the featured project and provide all materials. The class is $45 per person and includes a cupcake! Wine/beer is $6 per glass (all alcoholic beverages must be purchased through our bar; non-alcoholic options are available too). Advanced registration is required.

Can’t make this class but want to get creative? Alpine Arts Center offers drop-in hours Tuesday through Saturday, 11am-6pm, and Sunday, 12pm-5pm, for painting, clay, crafts, paint pottery, and more!

You can also arrange a private lesson or a private group event anytime! Call 970-926-2732 for scheduling.

Venue Address: Alpine Arts Center
280 Main St C-101, Edwards, CO

For more info visit https://alpineartscenter.org/upcoming-events

Live Music in Vail: BBQ Mike & Friends

10th Mountain Whiskey Music Series presents BBQ Mike & Friends every Wednesday Night from 7:30 to 9:30. Come by for a cocktail and stay for the great live music.

Venue Address: 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirits
227 Bridge St, Vail, CO

For more info visit https://10thwhiskey.com/

For more info visit https://www.evld.org/storytimes

EagleARTS 2nd Friday ARTwalk

Charming galleries, shops, and restaurants will be offering art exhibitions, live music, sales, and specials for a fun evening out every 2nd Friday of the month in Historic Downtown Eagle!!!

Presented by EagleARTS, ARTSPaCE workshop+gallery with funding from the Town of Eagle, Colorado Creative Industries, and the National Endowment for the Arts and our downtown business community.

Venue Address: Eagle County History Museum
100 Fairgrounds Rd, Eagle, CO

For more info visit https://www.eaglearts.org/

Live Music in Avon: Al Maul

Friday, October 14, 21, 28 7-10 PM

Al Maul is a published local musician who plays every Friday at Ein Prosit in Avon. Ein Prosit is the only Bavarian and Belgian beer hall in Avon, Colorado. Patio seating is available. They serve the finest beers, traditional and exotic sausages, sandwiches, soup, and Bavarian pretzels.

Venue Address: Ein Prosit
82 E Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO

For more info, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/383403960369858/383403987036522/

Man of the Cliff at the Nottingham Park in Avon

The 12th annual Man of the Cliff returns to Avon for another round of lumber-jack games and outdoor ruggedness! Man of the Cliff is your chance to don your favorite flannel and try your hand at axe throwing, keg tossing, speed chopping, and more! All the while, enjoy craft brews, local food trucks, and mountain town vibes.

Venue Address: Harry A. Nottingham Park, 414 W Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon, CO

For more info, please visit https://www.avon.org/calendar.aspx?CID=14,30,27,26,15,29&showPastEvents=false

Think trail race meets food festival. Enjoy a morning running or hiking through the fall colors as you ascend paths lined with iconic Aspen trees, finish line high fives and hugs, tears of joy, a scented finisher’s medal and brunch bites while raising money for Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R).

Venue Address: Beaver Creek Resort
210 Beaver Creek Plaza, Beaver Creek, CO

For more info visit https://www.beavercreek.com/

Beaver Creek, CO || GROW Retreat with Andrea Rogers + XTEND BARRE

Group size: 30 – 40

For 5 Days (4 Nights) – Experience the breathtaking fall foliage of one of the most pristine, beautiful places on earth – Beaver Creek, CO – all while being luxuriously enveloped with the finest accommodations provided by The Ritz Carlton- Bachelor Gulch.  

Andrea Rogers welcomes you to join her on this amazing adventure to the mountains. Travel safely with a tribe of like-minded ladies. The theme of this extremely special retreat is GROWING through MINDFULNESS. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you focus on the right things. 

Venue Address: Ritz Carlton at Bachelor Gulch, 0130 Daybreak Ridge Rd, Avon, CO 81620

For more info, please visit https://andrealeighrogers.com/travel/

The Ethical Leadership Forum

October

The Ethical Leadership Forum is a collaborative event that brings together emerging and experienced leaders across sectors—education, non-profit, business, government, philanthropy, media, and more—to learn, share, and grow their unique and interconnected ways of advancing ethical leadership.

This year, the Forum will interactively explore our theme, “Emerging Strategies for an Ethical World,” featuring new session formats to inspire, inform, and interconnect ideas beyond the conventional conference setting. Join us in the natural beauty of Vail, Colorado, to connect and collaborate towards a more ethical & thriving world.

Venue Address: 241 S Frontage Rd W #8150
Vail, CO 81657

For more info visit https://www.ethicalleadershipforum.org/

Vail Symposium

Overworked and Under Threat: Preserving the Colorado River

The Colorado River is a workhorse—it sustains life as we know it for more than 40 million people in seven Western states and two countries, provides water to irrigate crops, sustains communities with drinking water, and supports incredible recreational opportunities and diverse wildlife. It provides an economic benefit of $1.4 trillion, including a $26 billion recreation economy and hundreds of thousands of jobs. However, we should all understand that it is impossible to ignore the state of the Colorado River.

From our local papers to the New York Times, headlines about dropping reservoir levels, low flows, and increased demand are abundant. This complex system, established with the Colorado River Compact of 1922 and over-allocated at its inception, is strained.

How do we move forward with more demand and a more unpredictable water future? What role do we play, and what actions can we take as a headwaters state? How do we balance a system of diverse and demanding uses? How do we find hope?

Join Vail Symposium and Eagle River Watershed Council as our moderator, journalist Luke Runyon, guides us through a conversation with Colorado River and water management experts Pat Mulroy and Fay Hartman to learn about key challenges that have led us to critical levels and how the collective we take action to protect the mighty Colorado River and our way of life.

The Vail Symposium is a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides educational programs for the Vail Valley community.  These are thought-provoking, diverse, and affordable events for all.

Venue Address: Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley

150 Miller Ranch Rd, Edwards, CO 81632

For more info visit https://vailsymposium.org/

Vail Comedy Shows

October, 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

The Vail Comedy Show brings nationally touring comedians to Vail who have been featured in film and television, like Late Night with Stephen Colbert on CBS, CONAN, HBO, Comedy Central, NBC, and more.

Sam Tallent [NETFLIX, Comedy Central, Amazon Prime, Juno Nominated] (Los Angeles, CA–originally Toronto, Canada)

Austin Black [Iowa’s Funniest Person, Floodwater Comedy Festival, Comedy Works Clean Comedy Competition Finalist] (Denver, CO)

Leah Althoff [Four Corners Comedy Festival] (Denver, CO)

Special Guests

Mark Masters [AWE Network, OutsideTV, ESPN, Pro Comedy Tour, Antelope Valley Comedy Festival, SnoJam Comedy Festival, Rubber City Comedy Festival] (Colorado)

Venue Address: Sarah’s Lounge – 356 Hanson Ranch Rd., Vail, CO 81657

For more info visit https://www.vailcomedyshow.com

Friday Afternoon Stitching in Edwards

Fridays in October from 3:00pm-6:00pm

Gather with us to get your weekend kicked off right. Bring your project, or we can help you find a new one. It’s a great way to meet new people with shared interests, get inspired by what others are working on, and get connected. Stitchers of all kinds are welcome!

Venue Address: Maker+Stitch, Edwards Corner, Edwards, CO

For more info visit https://makerandstitch.com/products/kfac

Cupcakes & Clay

Sundays in October from 3-4:30 pm

 Want a fun and creative afternoon in the company of friends and family? Alpine Arts Center will lead you step-by-step through the featured project and provide all materials. The class is $45 per person and includes a cupcake! Your clay class includes all ceramic mug-making materials: instruction and firing/glazing based on a set glaze for the entire class. Projects will be ready to pick up approximately 2 weeks later, or shipping can be arranged at an additional fee. If you prefer to glaze your own piece, you may opt to do that for a half-price drop-in fee of $8; please ask your instructor if you are interested in this add-on.

Venue Address: Alpine Arts Center
280 Main St C-101, Edwards, CO

For more info visit https://alpineartscenter.org/event/cupcakes-clay-11/

Trick or Treat Trot

October 31 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Get ready for Halloween fun! The Vail Recreation District will hosts its annual Trick or Treat Trot every October 31st. The Trick or Treat Trot is a great opportunity for kids (infants up to 10-year-olds, plus their families) to trick-or-treat through the streets of Vail from 2 to 5 p.m.

Bottom Line:

Vail Valley puts on a stunning display each fall as the aspens glow gold and the crisp mountain air signals winter’s approach. From September through November, this alpine paradise invites visitors to partake in its myriad outdoor adventures, festive events, and tempting fare—all while enjoying spectacular scenery, fewer crowds, and budget-friendly deals.

Of course, the ‘usual’ Vail fall fun is in full swing—such as Dining at Vail’s Best Restaurants, Shopping, Mountain Biking, Hiking, and Fishing. Do not forget that Colorado in fall is a stunning place, and with giant aspen groves, Vail puts on quite the display. Many of the best ways to view the fall colors can be found in the Vail Valley.

Vail is one of the top places to see in Colorado during the fall. It’s pure magic! With affordable lodging and fewer crowds in the later months, Vail is the perfect place to get some tranquil mountain time in the fall.

Many people flock to the most popular places in Vail for leaf-peeping, so do expect some crowds, especially on weekends. However, Vail is relatively quiet, local, and very peaceful in October.

How to Get to Vail – What is the best Transportation Service in Vail Valley?

Parking in Vail Valley in October has never been an issue, and it is probably the only time of the year this happens. It is highly recommended to use Public Transport, Private Car Service, Uber or Taxi to get to the events and not worry about parking. Free on-street parking is very limited in the Valley.

Vail Village Parking Structure fills up very quickly. You can also use Solaris Parking for an additional fee. Use of Public Transportation or Private Transportation Services is advised to avoid the hassle of looking for a place to park.

There are many Vail transportation services to choose from. Vail Blue Sky Limo offers private and reliable Vail taxis and private Vail car services to every Colorado Resort. Families visiting sunny Vail, Colorado, can book private SUV service 24/7. You will be driven to some of the best Vail events, restaurants, or other attractions the Colorado Rocky Mountains offer.

Blue Sky Limo will make your vacation stress-free and eliminate the parking hassle so you can spend more time having fun on the mountain. Whether you are staying at one of the resort villages, a local Vail hotel, or a private residence in Beaver Creek or Edwards, an experienced chauffeur will pick you up for safe, direct transport anywhere you decide to go. Prearranged Vail shuttle transportation services are available 24/7. Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy The Ride with Vail Blue Sky Limo!