Aspen can be a strange place for most people – an infamous, posh ski resort located on the Western slope where the cost of everything can be double what it is on the front range. However, if you know how to tackle this beast correctly, Aspen is an Umphreak’s paradise – and we’ve got you covered as far as suggestions! Compiled from reviews by the Colorado Umphreaks regional group, we bring you the low down on Aspen for Umphreaks:

• History – Umphrey’s and Aspen
  • Umphrey’s McGee has been playing in Aspen for a damn long time, dating back to 2003 at the Double Diamond, which would later become the Belly Up Aspen. Since then they have played the Belly Up 9 times! The only other time Umphreys has played Aspen outside of the Belly Up too place in September, 2009 at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, a day after their legendary 2009 Mishawaka appearance in Fort Collins.
• Skiing 
  • When it comes to skiing in Aspen, we suggest Snowmass. With the largest skiable area and runs that will accommodate all of your friend’s skill levels, Snowmass is but a free bus ride away from main bus stops in Aspen, every 15 minutes between 6:15 am and 7:30 pm. Snowmass probably has the best scenic views out of all the mountains and is perfect if you’re looking for the type of casual riding we’d expect betwix a two night show. That said, if you’re looking to go extremely intense, you could head to the Aspen Highlands for tons of double-black diamonds.
• About the Belly Up
• • The Belly-Up is as fine as they come for small venues – sightlines are abundant and the tiered sections make it easy to see the band – however, it can get easily crowded. Remember not to shove or be a dickbag about how tiny this place is, the privilege that we get to rage Umphrey’s at such a intimate place means we also have to be mindful of each other and the limited room therein. We would venture that this venue is far too small to enjoy any special “Colorado Recreation Activities” within, and they will kick you out if they catch you – get blazed before/afterwards. The venue has re-entry to access the smoking sections, you can leave and return any time as long as you have your hand stamped, a wrist band and a ticket.
• Breakfast
  • Poppycock’s Cafe is a favorite for delicious Aspen breakfasts. Located in the heart of downtown, well known for their amazing buttermilk pancakes (Oatmeal is apparently amazing). The benedicts (veggie and Salmon) alongside their smoothies also get many positive reviews. Expect a medium-sized wait.
  • Main Street Bakery & Cafe is the breakfast joint I suggest to people staying at the amazing Aspen lodging institution The Tyrolean. They frown on cell phone usage, so don’t come expecting to get digital with your breakfast, their large open rooms and communal seating inspire a more “homely” vibe than one might be used to in Aspen. Their food is excellent, biscuits and gravy come highly recommended. They just aren’t the fastest moving wait staff in the planet, if you know what we mean.
  • Peaches Corner Cafe looks absolutely to die for, and while we haven’t be there personally, it comes highly recommended.  A “healthy” alternative, Peaches corner cafe is described as “crowded chic” by one reviewer. The Open Face appears to favored.

• Lunch
  • We love to stop by the Grateful Deli any time we’re in good olde Aspen-town. Big sammies with Grateful Dead themed names? Yes please! Every run, we stop be here. It is small, definitely a grab-and-go place, but it beats the pants out of other joints in town. The Terrapin and Darkstar suggested for meat eaters, while the Magic Mushroom, Eddy Out and Cassidy work best for vegetarians. You can call ahead to make the wait time faster for your order (they’re slow moving wookies): 970-925-6647. Menu here.
• Dinner
  • Inside of a small, weird house that seems out of place in Aspen, Little Annie’s is an institution which serves moderately priced food and has a “Shots and Pitcher” deal which will get you all worked up pre-show. The menu reads almost like a Chicago “Cheese Fry Joint’-gone-Western, with burgers (veggie avail), Gyros, Chicken Sandwiches, BBQ Beef, etc. Close to the venue as well.
  • New York Pizza is a late night delight – and while it is not the most delicious pizza in the planet, it will feel that way when you’re completely sloshed at 1:30am standing outside the Belly Up starving in the cold.

• Drinking
  • Justice Snow’s made it onto the “drinking” menu due to its amazing happy hour and specialty drink selection. Described by one reviewer as “hipster western”, they do have a menu that caters to carnivores with little for vegetarians on the menu. However, it does look like they take a delicious (though expensive) approach to steaks and other western classics, we just would consider them “over budget” for our tastes on a run like this.
  • Hops Culture is a modernesque bar with a nice lunch menu and a focus on craft breweries. While not brewers themselves, the restaurant features 200+ uniquely crafted brews for you to sample. There are happy hour specials and the food is not bad either, our friend claiming that the “burger is one of the best I’ve ever had”.

• Dispensaries
  • When in Colorado, feel free to enjoy unprecedented freedom by getting high legally, however, remember that they’ve made it difficult for tourists to chief by making it illegal to toke outdoors. Everything is more expensive in the mountains and you have far more variety in Denver/on the Front Range if you’re flying in or driving from the Eastern states. Regardless, if you’re looking for a suggested place to go in Aspen, we would point to Alternative Medical Solutions, though they haven’t updated their Weedmaps menu in 2+ years.