Vail

Tucked beneath the Gore Range on I-70, Vail offers up just about everything you could ever ask for from a mountain resort. The village areas at the ski area base have cobblestone walkways and are designed to look and feel like a Tyrloean mountain town. The town has some of Colorado's best restaurants – and a gorgeous crowd of well-heeled spenders that light up the night when slopes close.

The mountain itself is Colorado's largest (and one of the biggest in the world), with huge open backbowls, plenty of family-friendly cruisers on the frontside, and an assortment of restaurants, kids' forts, terrain parks and other features throughout.

Unlike some of Colorado's historic mining towns, Vail feels like it has been manufactured for your enjoyment. And it keeps on delivering, with amazing mountain biking, summer fishing, hiking and paddling, and some of the best riding Colorado has to offer.