Telluride

A Half Day Around Town

By Danielle Steffens

Do you have a half day to spend in the picturesque mountain town of Telluride? Excellent! Here’s a schedule of activities to make the most of your time and get a feel for the town.

Colorado Avenue, Telluride

Parking

There is free 2 hour parking along Colorado Ave west of Aspen Street. Once you pass Aspen Street, it turns to pay parking. I got away with being parked here for 6 hours on a Saturday (but no promises you’ll have the same luck!).

Cost: Free!

Brunch!

Pick a restaurant to eat at and get some food in that belly for your day!

I ate at Ghost Town because it had great reviews and an appealing menu—it didn’t disappoint!

I ordered the #2 Toast (hard-boiled egg, avocado, chèvre, chili crunch) on their Kim and Jake’s GF loaf and a latte with their house made cashew milk. It was delish!

Cost: $11.75 + tip

Brunch at Ghost Town

Gondola

After brunch, take the gondola over to Mountain Village.

Cost: Free!

View from the gondola

Option 1

Take the second gondola up to Market Plaza. If you enjoy gondola rides and like the views, it’s worth going the extra stretch. You can stop at the market or loop around and come right back down to Mountain Village.

I stopped at the market and picked up my favorite chocolate bar (because why not?!) and then made my way back to Mountain Village for option 2.

Option 2

Start exploring Mountain Village right away! There are lots of shops in this area if that’s your thing. If not, walk around and soak in the ambiance.

After wandering the streets, find a nice grassy place to sit and read or chat. I found a quiet place in Sunset Plaza and read a book (I keep one on my Kindle app at all times).

Telluride Distillery

A little before 2 pm, make your way over to the Telluride Distillery for a drink. I recommend the Original Mule. Their mules are only $5 and they make their own ginger beer! Take your mule to-go (COVID perk, I hope this aspect never ends).

Cost: $5

Original Mule from the Telluride Distillery

Live Music

At 2 pm, with your ice cold mule in hand, head over to Heritage Plaza in Mountain Village Core where there is live music daily. Sit and enjoy the music and your beverage!

When I was there, the band Frogs Gone Fishing was playing and they were fantastic. Exactly what I wanted to listen to on a warm summer afternoon. I stayed for the whole 2 hours!

A couple of the frogs

Cost: Free! (but I tipped the musicians $5 because I loved the music so much!)

Note: Live music times and locations may vary. Below is the schedule at the time of this post and you can get the latest information here.

Daily from 2-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. in Heritage Plaza
Wednesday, Friday & Saturday from 5-7 p.m. in Sunset Plaza
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 5-7 p.m. in Village Pond Plaza

River Walk

After the live music, take the gondola back to town. Next to the gondola, you’ll find a trail that connects to the river walk. Connect to this trail and go for a stroll. It’s peaceful and smells great—a perfect end to your time in Telluride!

Cost: Free!