TOP PI C K S
27th ANNUAL
DURANGO AUTUMN ARTS FESTIVAL Celebrating 27 years of presenting fine art and fine craft by makers from around the country, this festival takes place amid the fall colors on picturesque Second Avenue in historic downtown Durango. The wide avenue, lined with restaurants and a variety of shops, is one block east of Main Avenue and serves as a gathering place for local shoppers, along with the thousands of visitors who fill the town each autumn. Organized as a benefit event by and for the Durango Arts Center, the festival is a well-loved and -attended community event attracting a large audience throughout the weekend. In 2019, the festival welcomed an estimated 7,000 visitors and nearly as many in 2020 during the pandemic. This year, the festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 18 and 19.
DURANGO FARMERS MARKET Created on July 27, 1996, the Durango Farmers Market began as a small group of local farmers looking to connect agriculture to community. Originally at Chapman Ski Hill, it now occupies about 45,000 square feet in the TBK Bank parking lot on Ninth Street. The open-air market runs May 8 through Oct. 30 this year. Last year, due to the pandemic, the footprint grew to accommodate social distancing and wash stations. Masks were mandated. This year will be much the same. Live music—a popular mainstay—will return with a special classical presentation from Music in the Mountains on July 24. Popular local musicians will perform as well. Find fresh produce throughout the six months of the market: apricots, beets, cauliflower, edamame, greens, herbs, mushrooms, rhubarb, squash blossoms, and heirloom tomatoes. Also find honey, eggs, cheese, and grass-fed beef, lamb, poultry, and pork. A great part of the experience is the chefs who make their tasty creations with market-procured ingredients—baked goods, smoked meats, coffee and cider, burritos, pizza, stir-fry, mac ’n’ cheese, energy bars, tempeh, breakfast bowls, and smoothies. Get your knives sharpened, and shop for jewelry and pottery, too. Durango Farmers Market has something for everyone.
Courtesy of Durango Farmers Market
DURANGO HOT SPRINGS RESORT + SPA Durango Hot Springs Resort + Spa is in the final stages of a redesign and expansion of the historic Trimble Hot Springs, located eight miles north of downtown Durango and 15 miles south of Purgatory Ski Resort in the scenic Animas Valley. The hot springs is the perfect place to soak and listen to live music in the natural-amphitheater setting. Music schedules vary by month and time of day. Surrounded by mountain views, these natural mineral hot springs are like no other on Earth, with a perfect blend of minerals and the absence of any sulfur odor. The 28 unique thermal mineral water features includes 17 natural mineral hot springs soaking pools, eight private Japanese-inspired cedar soaking tubs, a reflexology walking path, and a mineral water rain tower. Other amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, Finnish dry saunas, and a cold-plunge pool.
Courtesy of Durango Hot Springs Resort + Spa 10 Durango Magazine Summer/Fall
The newly renovated Durango Hot Springs Spa combines the benefits of natural mineral hot springs soaking with therapeutic and relaxation massage and a full complement of spa treatments. Food and beverages are available at the hot springs. Open daily from 9 a.m. till 10 p.m. Reservations are required. Reserve online at www.dhsresort.com or call 970-247-0111.
