Unlike many resort havens, Aspen is a fully functioning city, not just a tourist destination. Along with T-shirt shops and ice cream parlors, it has all the amenities that a family could require: pharmacies, bookstores, banks, and two supermarkets. So budget-conscious families don't need to pay hotel gift-shop prices every time they need sunscreen or a quart of milk.
Nearly everyone in Aspen starts the weekend at the farmers market, which runs Saturdays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. through October. On four blocks in the center of town, vendors offer fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, herbs, flowers, freshly popped kettle corn, and baked goods, along with handmade children's clothing, jewelry, and artifacts of all kinds. Stock up on peaches, peppers, and bagels.
Kick off your explorations with a view of the city and outlying countryside as you ascend Aspen Mountain in the Silver Queen Gondola (available daily until Labor Day, then weekends only). The 20-minute ride offers a panorama of the Elk Mountain Range. At the top, you'll find refreshments along with outdoor games and activities geared toward children, including a climbing wall, Euro-bungee trampoline jumping - in which children are suspended in harnesses over trampolines for super high jumps and flips - and Frisbee golf. Naturalist guides offer free tours of the summit.
If your group includes avid hikers, have them get an early start up Aspen Mountain via the Ute Trail. It's a strenuous climb that takes about three hours after which they can meet you at the top. The gondola ride down is free.
Use your first couple of days to do in-town activities as you adjust to the altitude; Aspen perches at 8,000 feet, and sea-level bodies need time to get used to the thin air.
