Vail is known around the world as one of the most popular resort destinations in the Western U.S. It is best known for skiing but no matter the time of the year, you can enjoy great outdoor activities such hiking and mountain biking. The city is home to fine dining, relaxing spas, and gorgeous places to stay. You can go on a gondola ride or just enjoy the outdoors. But before you can head to Vail for a vacation, think about these top 10 reasons to visit so you know what to do while there.
Sources: Sprivail.org, Vail.com, VailVitalityCenter.com, VailMountainLodge.com, SweetBasilVail.com, BolVail.com, KellyLiken.com, MatsuhisaVail.com
You can head to the Vail Vitality Center to help you focus on wellness. It is a great place for any health visit, whether it is holistic or a traditional medical analysis. You can even go here for athletic training or to diagnose overall wellness. Get a body composition analysis and a functional movement screening so you know which muscle groups to focus on. The approach to fitness here is comprehensive with diagnostics, holistic care, athletics training, and recovery. There is also a spa and yoga center.
Perhaps the best place to stay in Vail, the Vail Mountain Lodge is a boutique hotel with 27 rooms plus condominiums. You get deep tubs to soak in, feather beds, fireplaces, and fully equipped kitchens. The lodge is also home to the Terra Bistro, a gourmet green restaurant. When you stay here, you get breakfast with homemade granola, homemade French toast, eggs, and smoked salmon. All the food is of the highest quality as part of the gourmet green movement.
Sweet Basil is a modern American restaurant but that doesn’t mean that it is like a restaurant you could find anywhere. This restaurant has a history of innovation including its menu and ambiance (it was the first restaurant to go smoke-free). In business for 37 years, much of the produce is grown fresh right in its offsite garden. There are some dishes that you just must try. Start with the Borden farm tomato salad, buffalo milk yogurt with dried olive and compressed cucumber, or puffed couscous with garden herbs and leaves. Then have a Cedar River ribeye steak or some Olathe creamed corn with crispy parmesan spoon bread. The fish menu is also extensive and delicious.
Although Bol is an entertainment center, it is not your typical bowling alley. It is an upscale, swanky bowling alley where you can play a few games, get a drink, or eat dinner. You can eat at the lanes or one of the comfortable seats by the bar if you don’t want to sit down in the dining room. The menu lets you order smaller dishes to share so you get a chance to try everything. There are more than 100 different wines available as well as cocktails and beers.
Restaurant Kelly Liken is fine dining American fare that is seasonal, using local produce –meaning the menu is constantly changing to offer the freshest ingredients and newest creations. There are more than 60 different wines available by the glass and 250 by the bottle as well as a full bar. This is a small, owner-operated place so you feel like you’re getting personal attention.
No trip to Vail would be complete without spending some time outdoors and the Berry Picker Trail is a popular hiking destination. This trail starts at Lower Fireweed and is an intermediate trail that can take you 3.2 miles (5.1 kilometers) from Adventure Ridge or Mid-Vail to Lionshead or Vail Village. It will be a relaxing two-to-three hours that allows you to connect with nature and enjoy gorgeous views.
The spa is part of the Vail Vitality Center and one of the most popular and relaxing options is the coffee-and-sea-kelp massage. This is supposed to help combat oxidative stress in your body. Additionally, the body and skin treatments help with skin recovery and are incredibly relaxing.
Matsuhisa takes Japanese dining to the next level. Every single dish on this gourmet menu is delicious but consider trying the black cod. Save room for dessert so you can enjoy gourmet shaved ice — ice cream topped with condensed milk and caramel sauce.
Another popular outdoor activity in Vail during the non-skiing months is mountain biking at Vail Mountain. For the best experience, hire a tour guide to take you around so you won’t need to mess with the trail map. You can rent a bike and ride downhill only as there is a gondola bike haul.
This research institute was founded in 1988 by Dr. J. Richard Steadman and specializes in orthopedic disorders. It works with multiple areas of research and education including injury prevention, rehabilitation, healing, and arthritis. The Research Institute also includes a popular clinic, the Steadman Clinic, that many patients travel to Vail to visit.