By The Editors By The Editors | April 1, 2024 | Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Feature, Guide,
From world-class drinks and dining, unparalleled outdoor adventures and luxury lodging and hotels, here is the best of Carbondale.
WHERE TO EAT
The Goat Kitchen & Bar
995 Cowen Dr, Carbondale, website
All of your favorite Mediterranean dishes are served up in one location, including hummus, dolmades, tabouli and gyros. The menu also features pastrami Reuben, lamb burgers and Greek salads.
WHERE TO STAY
Cedar Ridge Ranch
3059 County Road 103, Carbondale, website
From yurts and cabins to star gazing tents and the farmhouse, Cedar Ridge Ranch is Carbondale's ultimate glamp-ground. Grab your friends and head to the outdoors for a full weekend of yoga, horseback riding, farm tours and so much more.
WHERE TO RELAX
True Nature Healing Arts
100 N 3rd St, Carbondale, website
This spiritual sanctuary has everything you need to recenter your life from daily classes of yoga, movement and meditation to personal workshops, a nourishing spa and so much more. Inside the spa, self-care and holistic wellness lead an impressive lineup of facials and body treatments like the the hot stone massage, reiki and fire cupping (just to name a few). Outside, take a guided tour of the Peace Garden or find tranquility at a variety of retreats, seminars and workshops held in the Kiva that’s fit with state-of-the-art lighting, sound, acoustics and aesthetics.
Elk Mountain Spa
1033 CO-133, Carbondale, website
From first foot in the door, Elk Mountain Spa transports you to a world of relaxation and rejuvenation, showcasing a full range of professional treatments from massages and bodywork, eyelash extensions and waxing services. Treatments can be handled in the salon, or you can request home services if you live throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.
WHERE TO SHOP
Lulubelle
320 Main St #100, Carbondale, website
A fun mix of designer clothes, jewelry and denim brands like Hudson and Heartloom offerstyle at accessible price points. The shop also has a selection of jewelry from local artists.
Basalt Bike & Ski.
571 CO-133, Carbondale, website
In the summertime, the store carries mountain, road, downhill, hybrid, BMX and children's bikes for rent or sale. High-tech ski and snowboard equipment is sold in the winter.
WHERE TO GRAB PRE-DINNER DRINKS
Marble Distilling Co.
150 Main St, Carbondale, website
Make your way to the marble bar (quite literally a 14 ton block of Yule Quarry marble) and order glass (or two) of the signature Marble Vodka martini while you’re there. This distillery is as delicious as it is sustainable—with all of its process water recaptured and energy harvested from the distillation process and is reused to heat the facility and water, including The Distillery Inn. On top of that, the grains are sourced locally and all stillage from the distillery is sent to local Carbondale ranchers. We’ll cheers to that!
Homestead Bar & Grill
303 River Valley Ranch Road, Carbondale, website
What’s a happy hour without a view? Nestled at the base of Mount Sopris, the Homestead’s Sopris patio oversees the Crystal River Valley and the first tee of River Valley Ranch’s golf course. Open Wednesday through Sunday, happy hour starts promptly 3pm until 6pm and offers a variety of signature cocktails, beers and wine. The lavender martini made with lavender grown on the property (and a splash of Marble’s vodka and gingercello) is sure to tantalize your tastebuds.
WHERE TO HIT THE TOWN
Black Nugget Bar
403 Main St., Carbondale, website
As the oldest bar in town, Black Nugget Bar has reserved its title as the place to be any day of the week. On top of the delicious drinks, the space is fit with pool tables, foosball, multiple TV's with sports, live music and sports. What more can we say?
Phat Thai
343 Main St, Carbondale, website
Classic Asian dishes are served up in a vibrant atmosphere. Taste flavor combos like the Thai-style fried chicken and shrimp ceviche with grilled pineapple.
WHERE TO GET INSPIRED
Powers Art Center
3110 CO-82, Carbondale, website
Welcome to the Powers Art Center, a place where creativity and architectural design blend in the most cohesive of ways to create a standout space that is better described as a work of art than a building. This world-class museum and show-stopping study center is dedicated to John G Powers and his wife Kimiko, who were avid collectors of contemporary art. On the first floor, a rotating exhibit from some of the world’s most prominent contemporary artists (think Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and more) line the space. Moving up, the four upper galleries are dedicated to the museums’ featured artist Jasper Johns’ expansive collection of works on paper from 1960 to 2021. Outside, the property is complete with a shallow pool on the terrace that reflects the nearby mountains, masterfully executed architecture leading to rolling hills and pastures.
Steve’s Guitars
19 N 4th St, Carbondale, website
This legendary music venue is unlike any other. This intimate listening room has played live music to the Carbondale community on Friday nights every week since 1993. Lined with vintage guitar (and hanging from the ceiling), old movie-theater seats and plush couches to sink into, the space strips away all the lights and baubles to get the center of its meaning: the music. Come grab a seat—or livestream the performances—and listen to local talents and music veterans alike.
Carbondale Clay Center
135 Main St, Carbondale, website
The Carbondale Clay Center is so much more than clay classes for adults, children and families. In fact, this non-profit community arts center also offers outreach programs with local organizations, ceramic studio space rentals, long term artist residency programs and a ceramic gallery-meets-retail spaces. Upcoming exhibitions include Journey of the Casually Curious to the Dedicated Maker by Frank McGuirk and students this October and The Makings of Carbondale Clay Center: A Visual History this November.
Photography by: By Kevin Wenning/Unsplash
