Caribou Club
Wheeler Opera House
Maroon Bells
Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
- Aspen’s celebrities and high-society elite mingle at the Caribou Club, which opened 10 years ago. Though it’s a private club, Caribou is open for group events. It features a variety of rooms for small receptions, including the Wine Room, where up to 10 guests are surrounded by 500 bottles of famous chateaus dating back to 1812. The Pow Wow Room (for up to 20) features a Western theme with its mural The Last Second of Custer’s Life as a centerpiece. Another option, the Cub Room, resembles a 19th century salon and can hold up to 30. www.caribouclub.com.
Wheeler Opera House
- l Not long after the first prospectors discovered what is now Aspen, the town’s cultural pursuits began with the debut of the Wheeler Opera House, which opened in 1889. Fire destroyed the Wheeler in the early 1900s, but with the help of Elizabeth and Walter Paepcke, it was restored and finally reopened as a musical setting in 1984. Today the Wheeler presents opera, ballet, pop acts, and festivals, and is also open to hosting groups in its theater and second-floor lobby/bar. www.wheeleroperahouse.com.
Maroon Bells
- Located at T-lazy 7 Ranch, in the presence of South Maroon and North Maroon, two of Colorado’s most photographed peaks, Maroon Bells Lodge features 6,000 square feet of space, including open fireplaces, a dance floor, stage, and full bar. Groups can host corporate events amid the lodge’s antique wagons and other Rocky Mountain memorabilia, or organize sleigh rides to the Maroon Creek valley floor in winter and wagon rides in summer. Seasonal Western dinner dances are offered in winter, while summer is open for outdoor barbecues at the more casual Chuckwagon Grounds. The lodge can host 225 for a dinner or 300 for a reception. www.maroonbellsaspen.com.
Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
- It’s possible to snowcat right up to the Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, under the summit of Cloud Nine. This alpine ski hut, topping the Aspen Highlands, offers views of Maroon Bells and a full-service menu featuring gourmet, European-influenced fare from chef Andreas Fischbacher and his staff. Seating is limited to 35 people for plated meals and 60 for buffet-style service. www.aspensnowmass.com.