For additional information on any of these organizations and activities, please ask our concierge service by calling (970) 925-1000 ext. 3515 or send an email inquiry to concierge@aspensquarehotel.com
Anderson Ranch Arts Center
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is an art learning community on five scenic acres in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado. Its facilities feature fully-equipped art studios and galleries. Anderson Ranch programs and activities — including art auctions, art workshops and artist slide lectures — attract over 10,000 artists and patrons annually to this historic Rocky Mountain ranch. You’ll also find a gift shop featuring local artists’ work on the grounds.
The Aspen Art Museum
Aspen Art Museum is a globally preeminent non-collecting institution that presents the newest evolutions in international contemporary art. Innovative and timely exhibitions, education and public programs, and community happenings actively engage audiences to experience art, culture, and society. Admission to the Aspen Art Museum is free.
Aspen Art Galleries
For a small mountain town, Aspen’s art galleries rival those found in the art meccas of Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. When staying at the Aspen Square Hotel, we encourage you to visit one of the many local galleries. Stop by Galerie Maximillian for Modern and Contemporary Fine Art, Elliot Yeary Gallery for eclectic fine art and jewelry, and Skye Gallery for curation of “a diverse collective of emerging and established artists, both local and global.”
Aspen Center for Physics
The Aspen Center for Physics hosts weekly lectures and speakers on a variety of scientific subjects. They also present Radio Physics once a month. Events for kids are offered around town on a regular basis.
Aspen Chapel + Gallery
For yoga and meditation sessions, sound healing, discussions on consciousness, plus various artist talks, look no further than the Aspen Chapel’s calendar of local events. Located at 77 Meadowood Drive, Aspen Chapel offers enough variety in events to expand your cultural and consciousness horizons!
Aspen Community Theatre
Aspen Community Theatre (ACT) has been staging musicals and plays in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1975. Each year, ACT produces a fall musical during the month of November, they also occasionally produce a spring show. In years past, ACT has performed shows such as The Music Man, Little Shop of Horrors, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, A Little Night Music, plus many other award-winning musical theater favorites.
Aspen Film
Since 1979, Aspen Film has been creating unique and memorable experiences for audiences of all ages. Through its three annual events, Filmfest, Shortsfest, and the Academy Screenings, Aspen Film aims to share great films and filmmakers with its audiences.
Aspen Historical Society
The Aspen Historical Society offers tours to the main historical sites of Aspen as well as its museum, the Wheeler-Stallard House. Self-guided tours, historical programs and lectures on Aspen’s colorful past and walking tours through Aspen’s historic West End neighborhood and downtown areas are also offered throughout the summer.
Aspen Institute Events
The Aspen Institute offers a number of ongoing events at its Aspen campus. These events range from literary and theatrical discussions to writers workshops to leadership seminars. The Aspen Institute also presents its annual Aspen Ideas Festival each June. Attendees have the chance to interact with “public officials, artists, scientists, authors, business executives, scholars, economists, foreign policy specialists, entrepreneurs, and leaders of all kinds.”
Aspen Music Festival and School
During the 8-week season of the Aspen Music Festival and School, the internationally-acclaimed classical music festival presents more than 300 musical events including daily concerts, master classes and recitals at the Benedict Music Tent, Harris Concert Hall and a variety of locations throughout Aspen. The presentations range from orchestral programs, chamber music and fully-staged operas in the Wheeler Opera House, to student recitals, family concerts and more. More than 25% of the events are free, as is the (first come, first served) lawn seating outside the Benedict Music Tent on the Aspen Institute grounds.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
In its second decade of activity, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is a nationally recognized dance company, and a leader in the dance world in terms of repertoire, acquiring and commissioning work from top choreographers. ASFB is also one of the largest dance presenters in the country, welcoming the best in dance. The ASFB’s summer season runs from mid-July to mid-August at the Aspen District Theater, and features performances by the ASFB alongside other renowned dance companies.
Aspen Words
Presenting its annual Aspen Summer Words in June, Aspen Words (formerly the Aspen Writers' Foundation) continues its renowned exploration of the joys of the written word. Now partnered with the Aspen Institute, the AWF presents authors and professional consultations with literary agents and writing retreats, as well as writing workshops for adults and writing camps for children.
Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Founded in 1991, Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) promotes jazz, American and popular music through world-class festivals, performances and education programs. The original three-day June festival, now called the June Experience, has evolved into an internationally recognized summer-long series of both free and paid performances — as well as diverse education programs reaching gifted students, dedicated teachers and young audiences. JAS’s Labor Day Experience signals the end of Aspen’s busy summer season.
Pitkin County Library
The Pitkin County Library — on North Mill Street, a block from the Main Street intersection downtown — keeps a full roster of arts and culture events, including “Books + Brews,” Library Cinema, Family Movie Nights, Escape Rooms, weekly French Chats, and various special events.
Red Brick Center for the Arts
Alongside the professional gallery artwork and associated artist receptions in the Red Brick gallery, the Red Brick Center for the Arts advertises an ongoing selection of art workshops, lectures, and student exhibitions. Explore the full events calendar at the Red Brick in downtown Aspen.
Spellbinders and Story Hour
The Aspen/Pitkin County Library on Mill Street hosts free, age-appropriate storytelling sessions and readings throughout the summer. It’s a perfect quiet time for young children to take a break from a busy family vacation.
Theatre Aspen
Theatre Aspen, Aspen’s original repertory theater in the park, offers engaging live theater in its intimate tent next to Rio Grande Park. You’ll find the Season calendar here (season passes are usually on sale in April, and single show tickets are available beginning in May).
The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies
The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies (“The Bayer Center”) is a new exhibition space and center for the study of art and culture located on the Aspen Institute’s campus in Aspen, CO. Herbert Bayer (1900–1985) was an influential modern artist and designer who worked at the Bauhaus before relocating to Aspen in 1946. The Bayer Center promotes a fuller understanding of Bayer—one of the leading figures to translate the Bauhaus movement into an American context—and his contributions to art, design, and architecture. Free Admission.
The Wheeler Opera House
Since 1889, this landmark has been at the center of Aspen's cultural scene. The Wheeler Opera House resides on the National Register of Historical Places and offers lectures, concerts, musicals, community theater performances, and foreign and independent film showings, keeping its stage occupied almost every day of the year.