Creativity, Community

Welcome to the summer 2023 issue of the Official Guide to Telluride & Mountain Village

We at the Telluride Tourism Board hope you find everything you need in this issue to enhance your experience in our community.

In flipping through the Guide, I confess to feeling somewhat awestruck by the specialness of this place and the boundless imagination and inspiration of the people who have called it home. Take for instance our cover story, which celebrates two cherished local festivals — the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Telluride Film Festival — as they mark a half century of creativity. Each took root in the early 1970s when Telluride was very much off the beaten path, its mining industry winding down and the ski area brand new. The creative vision and determination of this community combined in those days with a hunch that others would likewise get the uniqueness of this corner of Colorado and be drawn here — whether to dance to bluegrass in Town Park or sit in an intimate local theater enraptured by a surefire Oscar winner.

And how right they were. In Bluegrass and Film Fest, Telluride has world leaders in their respective genres. Extraordinary. Yet, this community’s creativity is a theme that also comes up again and again throughout this issue. Make sure to read about Telluride Theatre, our wildly inventive performing arts group that consistently puts on outstanding productions using a seemingly endless store of local talent. Surely don’t miss the piece on members of the local dining scene — restaurant chefs, caterers and instructors from our local art school — who are teaching culinary classes in a number of innovative formats. And discover the ingenuity of homegrown entrepreneurs in an article that highlights four local women with bright business ideas that led to successful enterprises.

Everywhere in this issue, we see folks thinking big in our small community, a creativity that in turn has made this corner of the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado incredibly special. Its distinctiveness has instilled in all of us a sense of stewardship and responsibility for the culture and natural beauty of this place. We at the Telluride Tourism Board, as well as the wider community, care greatly for both and ask you to do the same.

Care, creativity, community. Add celebration of our wonderful festivals and you have the makings for a perfect summer in Telluride and Mountain Village.

KIERA SKINNER Executive Director | Telluride Tourism Board

EXPLORE THE VISITORS CENTER

Make your experience in Telluride and Mountain Village an unforgettable one by exploring the Visitors Center at 236 West Colorado Ave. There, the local destination concierge team stands ready to steer you to a summer adventure, memorable meal or the perfect boutique.