Tag Archives: USA
Explore Flights, Hotels, and Seasonal Things to do in Vail, Colorado
Of course, everyone knows about winter activities like skiing and snowboarding in Vail, Colorado. Although it’s one of the top trendy vacation spots and home to world-class athletes, it retains a friendly small town feel at the same time. Vail, known as a world-renowned vacation destination, isn’t only popular when the weather drops; it’s common during all seasons, boasting the ultimate experience for all ages.
Founded by Siebert and Eaton in 1962, the ski resort is named after Charles Vail, the legendary highway engineer who built the first road through the area. Their dream when viewing the mountain terrain from the top was to create a ski resort, never imagining that it would become so much more.
Spring Fling
Actually, March is the end of the ski season and noted as the biggest end-of-season bash of the Rocky Mountains. With free live concerts, after-dark parties, and base area giveaways, you’ll have the time of your life. Whether you’re ending the cold weather or beginning the warmer season, there is something for everyone.
Summer Vacation in Vail
On Wheels
Most people don’t think of traveling to Vail, Colorado during the summer months and others wonder why they would. Well, from experience I can testify there are a multitude of adventurous and exciting things to do in the warmer months.
There are gorgeous trails for hiking, biking, or horseback riding, the usual stuff. For something different, try mountain biking on the cross-country trails where you’ll see miles of scenic vistas. Getting to the top is fun, but if you want a ride down the mountain, the trails are accessed by Gondola One for the first timer, families, or experts. Purchase a bike haul ticket at the base gondola. And if you forgot to bring your bike or helmet, rentals are available from Vail Sports in the Village.
On Water or by Foot
Vail Village via Flickr.com by mattmangum
Tickets for other activities like kayaking and rafting are found in Vails White Water Park in the center of the village. Guided class 1-4 river trips on the Eagle or Colorado River are exhilarating and exciting. The Betty Ford Garden is the highest botanical garden in the United States. There, you’ll see waterfalls, as well as perennial and rock gardens, or you can have fun with a photography or kids educational class.
On the Mountain Top
Adventure Ridge is full of fun activities for all ages. Take the Eagle Bahn Gondola 10,000 feet up and play disc golf, or go tubing. If you’re not that adventurous, enjoy the spectacular views while eating BBQ food. Buy tickets in bundles of three or more goings-on. Try the Rebound Trampoline and catch air or step up the Climbing Wall. Play Lawn Sports like the bag toss, horseshoes, or Dino Dig. You can even fly through the air on the Zipline or go ice skating. Yes, summer ice-skating at Dobson Ice Arena. To heal those sore muscles, swim in a hot mineral bath at Glenwood Hot Springs.
Fall Extremes and Winter Variations
On Land, Air, or by a Motorized Vehicle
Everyone takes to the road during fall foliage, but have you ever thought about seeing the impressive end of summer colors from a hot air balloon? What about watching the X-Game athletes? Another exciting thing to do is to go jeeping with a professional Jeep driver climbing and turning for the experience of your life.
If you’re not a skier, try a Dog Sled Tour, a one-of-a-kind experience whizzing by wildlife like elk, deer, and the elusive snow fox. Try Ice Climbing with Apex Climbing School with a private guide. Give snowshoeing or snowmobiling a try or go on a sleigh ride. At the end of the day, visit Vail Valley where restaurants, shops, and attractions are plentiful.
Now that you know the time of year that appeals to you most, the below information will get you there and find lodging.
Fly Into Denver International Airport or Eagle Country Regional Airport
Finding an inexpensive flight to Vail, Colorado is tricky. Denver International Airport had its busiest year ever in 2014 with 53.4 million passengers. In fact, the busiest months were January, February, April, May, September, and October. Also noted as the 15th busiest airport in the world, DIA is just 121 miles from Vail Mountain, or a two-hour drive while Eagle/Vail Airport, is 30 minutes from the mountain and one of the fastest growing airports in the nation. I suggest you make your reservations on the fringe seasons if possible.
There are ample transportation services from the airport to the hotels, beyond car rentals. I use Vail Transport Services or All Mountain Transportation, both competitive with pricing.
Stay in a Hotel, Condominium or a Private Room
Prices are higher in the winter months. When looking for cheap places to stay, keep in mind, Vail is expensive. The least expensive is a private room in one’s home. But you’ll find lower cost lodging in Vail by staying a bit further from the mountain.
Places like the Holiday Inn Vail and the Eagle Point Resort are affordable, both with a pool. The Eagle Resort is a condominium with an airport shuttle, and the Holiday Inn has a fitness center, restaurant, and business center. If you travel with your pet, they’re welcome too. Finally, the Vail Marriott Resort and Spa is the least expensive in August, and the Simba Run Vail Condominium is cheapest in October. In 2014 World Travel Awards nominated Hipmunk as a lead comparison travel site, so investigate different places to stay using the best website.
I’m trying to build an ultimate resource for things to do in Vail. If you’ve been there, please add your thoughts or other tips and things to do below.
Bio:
Linda Manning lives in trendy Newport, Rhode Island, with her husband, Paul, and young English springer spaniel Brooklynn. She is a licensed boat captain and certified diver who loves to travel. She is a freelance writer for travel sites such as Hipmunk.com. At home, Linda loves gardening, cooking, entertaining, art, museums, and all Newport has to offer.
3 Epic Road Trips in the USA
Being a relatively young country compared with most other nations on Earth, much of the USA grew up around the automobile, creating a strong car culture that is hard to find elsewhere in the world. As such, there are many epic road trips in the USA, and if you are visiting this nation in 2015, the following three routes will make the best use of the rental car that you will be hiring.
1) Route 66
As sung about in the King Cole Trio’s late 1940’s hit (Get your kicks on) Route 66, this iconic American road trip will take you through the western two thirds of the United States from Chicago to LA.
Cutting through parts of America’s heartland, breadbaskets and its picturesque deserts on your way to the sanguine lands of California, this route (now discontinued in places due to freeway construction) may not be the most scenic at times, but it will put you in touch with some of its most real people.
Being separated from the often alienating nature of the USA’s biggest cities, the hospitality that you will shown in places like Amarillo, Texas and Flagstaff, Arizona will reflect very positively on this nation’s reputation for friendliness.
2) Boston to Washington DC
If you thrive off the energy of urban areas instead feeling drained by them, and don’t mind driving on busy interstate highways, following I-95 from Boston to Washington DC will put you in touch with many of America’s most prominent cities.
Start in Boston, where the first events that set the American Revolution in motion occurred, and after a side trip to enjoy the beach resorts of Cape Cod, head down the coast towards New York City. Spend several days wandering from borough to borough after seeing the essential attractions (Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building, etc), as virtually every culture and nationality on the planet has an enclave within the bounds of NYC.
After this, work your way down the Jersey Shore and head straight into Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and the home of the Declaration of Independence, as well as one of the yummiest sandwiches on Earth, the Philly Cheesesteak.
Finally, head through Delaware and Maryland to Baltimore, where the Inner Harbor holds many tourist attractions worth a day or two, and then onward to Washington DC, where tons of museums and monuments will keep you busy until you get to see the White House (reserve a tour spot through your nation’s embassy well in advance).
3) Pacific Coast Highway
Lauded in many travel publications as one of the best road trips in the USA, the Pacific Coast Highway takes you along Central California’s heartstoppingly scenic coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The Coast Range tumbles into the ocean through much of this road’s length, creating countless photo ops along the away, as well as numerous isolated beaches where nature lovers can recharge their mental batteries in an hour of aimless wandering along the high tide line.
5 unusual things to do in New York City you never considered
New York City, for all its importance on the American and world stage, ironically has a set of attractions that many visitors adhere to without variation. The Statue of Liberty, Time Square, The Empire State Building, and maybe a museum or two if certain parties are into that learning thing. This isn’t meant to imply that there isn’t anything interesting to see in New York beyond the mainstream attractions that we just listed; it was intended to expose the hive mind tendency of many visitors to only see certain attractions because some book, TV show, or friend told them to.
Being an infinitely complex city, there is an endless array of things to do in NYC, with some being less conventional than others. This post is dedicated towards the latter category, as there are five unusual things to do in New York City that you’ve never even considered doing … that you totally should!
So, go ahead and get to finding affordable New York flights for your upcoming holiday here, while we suggest some truly offbeat things to occupy your time.
1) Visit the Transit Museum
Are you an infrastructure geek? In today’s increasingly urbanized world, there are tonnes of folks like yourself, so don’t be so self-conscious! Indulge in your pet interest at the New York City Transit Museum, where artifacts from the cities’ subway, heavy rail, and bus system are stored for your viewing pleasure. Situated in a disused subway station, and boasting restored subway cars, signaling equipment, vintage signage, plus much more.
2) Create your own New York style pizza
Any traveler can waltz into a pizzaeria and purchase a wedge of New York style pizza to go – but do you have what it takes to make the melty, gooey, treat the way it was intended? Find out by attending a pizza making class, where you will learn the ins and outs of making a NY style pie, including what separates a tasty restaurant pizza from the home made varieties that haven’t quite added up … yet.
3) Check out the flea market in Hell’s Kitchen
Before you get hesitant, this is not the domain of crazed chef Gordon Ramsay, Hell’s Kitchen is a neighborhood in Manhattan that had long been a rough working class area, but with the wave of gentrification that swept the entire city in the past 20 years, even this place has apartments that are primo expensive.
Despite this fact, the long established flea market has held on, offering a veritable heaven for antique hunter’s, with relics, antiquated furniture, refurbished items, and vintage clothing all vying for attention.
4) Discover High Line Park
Built in the 1930’s to bring a dangerous freight train line off the streets of New York so that traffic could pass beneath it safely, this elevated section had largely become obsolete in recent years as deindustrialization on the West Side of New York had turned into more of an eyesore. Redevelopment of the track bed into an elevated urban park began in phases in 2006, and by this fall in 2014, the entire track will be a continuous 1 mile stretch of greenspace and human activity where nothing had existed for more than a decade.
5) Attend a performance of Sleep No More
Now, I know what you’re thinking … isn’t going to the theater a main attraction of visiting New York City? Well, it is … but the production of the play Sleep No More is far from anything that could be considered a standard show-going experience. Taking place in a re-purposed warehouse that serves as the McKittrick Hotel, a previously long abandoned hotel that has recently been “restored”.
The audience physically walks through the set instead of watching it passively, as the actors/actresses act out scenes of a play that has an eerily similar plot to Shakespeare’s MacBeth. Almost no speaking is done (audience members are masked and instructed to not speak as well), leaving participants to read between the lines in an unforgettable night of performance art. If you are planning to visit New York, you can apply for ESTA online before hand.
I started Visiting-There.com to share my travels with the world and to inspire current and future travelers to explore their world. I try and add content regularly with awesome destinations, travel tips, and much more!