Updated: 6/5/09
Let Vail show you all the love this summer with many FREE things to do and enjoy during your stay with us!
Ride the Gondola up Vail Mountain for FREE!
Kids ride the Eagle Bahn Gondola for FREE all summer (max. 3 kids with one paying adult). The Gondola is FREE to everyone Thursday – Saturday after 4pm June 25 – August 30. All 08-09 Pass-holders ride the Gondola for FREE all summer long
FREE activities at Adventure Ridge
Head to the top of the mountain for FREE volleyball, bocce ball, horseshoes and disc golf (if you bring your own discs)! Enjoy the mountain-top fun at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola in Lionshead. Adventure Ridge is open the weekend of June 13th and June 20th from 10am to 4pm and daily June 25th to August 30th from 10am to 4pm.
Visit the FREE Discovery Center
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. Open daily from 10am to 4pm. For more information call (970) 754-4675.
Enjoy FREE Friday Afternoon Club atop Vail Mountain
Friday’s enjoy FREE live music and lawn sports from July 3 – September 4
Take in the FREE LionsHead Friday Family Fun Fair
Every Friday in LionsHead bring the kids for FREE activities and fun from July 3 – August 14
FREE Parking & FREE Bus Transportation all Summer
Parking in Vail Village and LionsHead parking structures are FREE all summer. The Town of Vail bus system is FREE - leave your car at home and tour Vail via its FREE bus system, the largest free transit system in the nation.
Explore the FREE Vail Recreation Path
The Vail Recreation Path is an affordable way to have fun with your entire family. Located right in the middle of town, the trail winds from West Vail to East Vail and has 1,100 acres of open space available to the public. The path stretches for 15 miles and is surrounded by 350,000 acres of national forest.
FREE Raptor Rendezvous
Join us from on the grassy lawn near the Eagle Bahn Gondola in LionsHead. A FREE evening of fun, featuring real live raptors that will captivate all ages. Experienced handlers from the Raptor Education Foundation will share stories of the raptors making for a unique evening of learning and exploration. 5:00 pm to 7 pm; July, 10, 17, 24, 31 and Aug. 14 and 21.
Burn off the kid’s energy for FREE at the many town Parks
Ford Park, Pirateship Park, Donovan Park, Bighorn Park – each is different – check them all out to bring a smile to the kiddo’s faces!
Kids love story time - FREE at the Vail Library
Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10:00 and 11:00 am, kids of all ages enjoy story time and arts & crafts
FREE Hot Summer Nights Concert Series
Every Tuesday June 16 – August 18 enjoy incredible music at the Ford Amphitheater – the social event of the summer!
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 with interactive exhibits and more!
Take in the many FREE Events & Happenings
Take a look at the incredible events happening throughout the summer (link to summer calendar), many of which are FREE to attend: Vail America Days, Vail Arts Festival, Vail Farmer’s Market, Vail Antique Show, Colorado Grand just to name a few!
FREE Sporting Events & Tournaments
Check out the many sports tournaments taking place at the Ford Park and Vail Athletic Fields. The majority of the events are FREE to watch and include some of the nation’s best soccer and lacrosse teams and players.
Enjoy the beautiful and FREE Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
Enjoy the highest botanical gardens in the world with a unique collection of alpine, sub-alpine and other mountain plants and flowers. Open daily through September 6 with FREE public tours, children’s programs and many other daily activities.
Stop by the FREE Vail Nature Center
Nestled along the banks of Gore Creek, this 7 acres forest, meadow and stream are a delight and peaceful place known by many locals and visitors as their favorite place in Vail. Explore or take in one of the educational programs offered.
Hiking around Vail and atop Vail Mountain is always FREE!
Enjoy spectacular wildflowers and wildlife as you explore the nature and forests of Vail. Pack a picnic and your camera!
Vail’s FREE Skatepark
Head to the LionsHead parking structure and check out Vail’s FREE skatepark. Open dawn to dusk daily, the FREE skatepark features a half-pipe, pyramid, multiple ramps, transitions, rails and banks, plus a street course area for younger or less experienced riders.
Play a FREE tennis match
Enjoy a FREE tennis match at the Golden Peak Tennis Courts. Tennis can be played at the courts on a first-come, first-served basis for FREE.
Whitewater Park Kayak Demo’s at Vail’s Whitewater Park
Alpine Kayak School have staff members present from 5-7pm to offer FREE kayak demos to experienced kayakers wanting to try out Vail's Whitewater Park. May 19 – June 16
Relax on a bench, stroll around town – just enjoy life for FREE!
There’s no better place to just relax and enjoy your surroundings than Vail – with benches and beautiful sitting areas all around to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the summer time flowers and surrounding landscapes. You may even happen upon one of our FREE street entertainers as you relax and enjoy. And be sure to take in the many fountains and water features throughout Vail Village.
FREE Art Walks
August 5 and September 5 at 3:30 pm meet on the International Bridge for a guided tour of Vail’s eclectic outdoor art collection. Tours take approx. 1 hour and stop at galleries along the way for refreshments.
FREE Bronze Casting Performance
July 26 at Ford Park starting at dusk - watch the sparks fly when artists demonstrate the 5,000 year old process of metal casting. More exciting than an erupting volcano!
FREE Summer Art Exhibitions & Events
10th Annual Summer of Sculpture exhibition at Ford Park through May 2010 – presenting a one-year exhibit of a 228.5 degree arc x 5 by world-renowned French artists Bernar Venet.
International Bridge Exhibition in Vail Village through May 2010 – four beautifully crafted steel sculptures in the modernist tradition made from recycled and found objects.
Summer Solstice Celebration – June 20, Ford Park, 1 – 4 pm – celebrate the beginning of summer with an open-air painting contest.
Sculpture Dedication – July 3, Meadow Drive, 3 pm – two new sculptures are being added to Vail’s public art collection this summer. Please join us for this dedication.
Town of Vail’s free neighborhood BBQ
Mix and mingle with fellow guests and Vail locals at these FREE BBQ events: 11:30am, Thursday July 23 @ Bighorn Park and Thursday, August 20 @ Donovan Pavilion
