Vail Village feels like someone picked up a charming European mountain town and carefully dropped…read moreit into the Colorado Rockies. The cobblestone walkways, alpine architecture, crisp mountain air, and towering peaks create a setting that feels almost unreal. Every visit reminds us why Colorado keeps calling us back. The mountains are majestic, the scenery is breathtaking, and the pace of life slows down just enough to appreciate it all. As Star Wars fans, we couldn't help but feel a little inspired: I am one with the mountain, and the mountain is with me. Whether you're hiking, strolling through the village, or simply sitting quietly taking it all in, Vail is a place that feeds the soul.

I've been to several major ski towns by now, but this village really stands out for me…read more.. For some reason, I expected some changes, but the place looked exactly the same as I remembered it from over 10 years ago! Every square inch is just so picturesque! I did feel that there were a few negatives...for me (the non-skier). I just wished they had more boutiques that weren't so ski-oriented...and nicer coffee shops. Despite being such a swanky village, they also seemed to run short on nice bakeries and coffee shops. In fact, I was nearly shocked how basic some places were! Plenty of nice restaurants though...and many had cool European ambiance. Again, I'm not a skier, but I had no problems spending my time (up to 6 hours or more) walking around this pretty village. It truly felt as if I was in Germany or Switzerland. LOVE this place!!

During the summer through September, the City of Edwards encourages fresh farmer markets every…read moreSaturday from 9am to 1pm! We learned this because we drove into Edwards and stopped by and bought some sweet peaches. The mountains appear extra boulder stone and reddish/orange when passing through. We passed through the City of Edwards because our final destination was Glenwood Springs. I found out that water rafting can be done here and they have live music often. Overall, left a good impression on me.

There are a few locations of this t-shirt shop around Vail and they are all reasonably priced and…read moretotally, utterly in love with Vail. Most of the Vail-ites (is that the word?) really love showing their Vail pride, so I like that this store serves all the tourists in the area and the locals, to boot. There were t-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, pants, PJs, magnets, keychains, shoes - anything you could possibly imagine to show your Vail pride. As a magnet collector (I know, I'm lame), I found their selection to be pretty good and reasonably priced. We also bought some "Raccoon Poop" which are tiny malted-milk balls (we've noticed this is a recent tourism trend since we also bought "Lobster Poop" in Boston - awesome). This store is much cheaper than the other tourist stores in downtown Vail and I liked the selection. If I had a bit more Vail pride, I would have bought more.

A great place to find all your gaper gifts for the folks back home! If you are in the market for a…read moreshot-glass with a trail map on it or T-shirts with lame jokes about Vail's elevation or *gasp* cannabis references, this is the place for you! PROTIP: Ask the staff to show you the select items that say "Vail" on them.