AHS offers a robust schedule of guided tours during the summer and winter seasons. Step back in time with trained interpretive guides to explore the historical sites and scenes around Aspen, a fun and educational way to experience the area’s storied past. From walking tours to iconic buildings to the ski areas and even an electric vehicle driving tour, we have something for every history fan!
Visit the Activities Calendar for the current schedule and to register.
Custom à la carte experiences are offered during off-seasons and outside of regularly scheduled tours, dependent on staff availability. Scroll down to view the below menu of tours, or dream up your own history adventure on your schedule! Contact Amy at outreach@aspenhistory.org or 970.925.3721 ext. 104 for options and availability.
A la carte options require advance registration and are dependent on availability. Tour capacity is 16 unless otherwise noted. Children 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
A guided walking tour of historical buildings, sites, and scenes around downtown Aspen, with interesting stories around every corner. This tour begins with a history “primer” at the Sister Cities Plaza on Wagner Park and weaves through the historical downtown core before finishing at the iconic Hotel Jerome.
A guided walking tour through Aspen’s historical West End residential neighborhood, a quiet gem of tree-lined boulevards around the Wheeler/Stallard Museum. Learn little-known facts about the neighborhood’s homes and the people who lived in them as you explore immaculate examples of Victorian and midcentury modern architecture. From original Victorians to the influences of the Bauhaus and Frank Llyod Wright, this neighborhood has it all!
A guided walking tour through Aspen’s famed West End residential neighborhood, a quiet gem of tree-lined boulevards bordered by the Aspen Meadows, the Aspen Institute, and the Wheeler/Stallard Museum campuses. Learn little-known facts about the area, from native Ute activity to the racetrack and rodeo while strolling past the neighborhood’s countless historical homes, immaculate examples of Victorian and midcentury modern architecture and hearing stories of the people who lived there.
Bask in the history of Aspen as you relax in the lobby of the iconic Hotel Jerome, which has been at the center of community life since its doors opened in 1889. Includes a brief tour of the lobby and first floor area as you experience the history of Aspen as seen through the eyes of the Hotel Jerome.
Enjoy a guided tour inside the Wheeler Opera House,* the center of Aspen’s arts and cultural scene since it was built in 1889. This free tour offers an insider’s look at the iconic building, including its recent renovations, and storied past.
A driving tour of historic downtown Aspen in our unique, red mini-bus electric vehicle! We’ll zip around Aspen’s downtown core followed by an out-and-back visit to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum at the west entrance to Aspen. Guests gain a new understanding of the area’s transformations from mining town to ski town to year-round, world-famous resort!
A docent tour exploring the area’s industrial and agricultural history on the site of the largest industrial complex in the history of Pitkin County, the Holden Lixiviation Works! From mining to railways to ranching, the past comes alive as you experience the former Sampling-building-turned-museum, the original salt shed, and the relocated and restored historic McMurchy/Zupancis cabin and outbuildings, which help tell the story of Aspen’s Victorian era and the immigrants who helped shape the community’s agrarian heritage. A docent will show you the treasures throughout this extensive property, which is situated within the Marolt Open space and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A guided walking tour exploring Ashcroft Ghost Town, home to several relocated and restored historical buildings in the picturesque alpine meadows at storied the headwaters of Castle Creek, the ancestral hunting grounds of the Native Ute tribe, where silver was discovered in 1880. Walk the trails hearing the stories of the once-bustling transportation junction and mining town that rivalled Aspen.
A guided walking tour exploring the Independence Ghost Town where, legend has it, prospectors struck gold on July 4, 1879 making the area the first mining site in the Roaring Fork Valley. Today, Independence is an archaeological preserve located just below the continental Divide and a “don’t-miss stop” on Independence Pass along the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway.
A guided “backstage” tour of the AHS Archives and research facility! The tour includes insight into the artifact accessioning process, a viewing of the Aspen Illustrated News display in the Community Gallery, access to the underground “vault” where much of the AHS Collection is stored, and close-up looks at artifacts of note.
“Learn something NEW, or we’ll give your money back to you!”
AHS offers a money-back guarantee for all guided tours! We’re confident you’ll learn something from our historians and trained interpretive guides, but if not, we’ll happily refund your tour fee.