9 Ski Towns With Main Streets As Memorable As The Mountain

Skiers are an interesting bunch when it comes to traveling to enjoy their winter sport of choice. Instead of sunny destinations during winter, the white, snowy landscapes of America's best skiing destinations beckon to their souls at the end of the year, when ski season begins. According to a study sponsored by the Mountain Travel Symposium, they also want to maximize their time on the slopes when they get to their destination. That's not surprising. After significant investment in lessons, pricey gear, and mountainside accommodations, it makes sense that skiers would want to spend as much time as possible enjoying skiing. 

With the ski season limited to just a few months every year, they also have added pressure to try to squeeze in whatever time they can in the snow. But perhaps the biggest thing keeping skiers addicted to the mountains is the fact that the sport is just plain exhilarating. Due to all these incentives to stay on the slopes, dragging them away to do something else can be a feat. Only the best ski towns can manage to pull skiers off the mountain. We've done the research and found ski towns with entertaining main streets that could almost rival skiing down the slopes. From cowboy-themed main streets to posh ones filled with luxury shopping, skiers of every persuasion will find a town they'll enjoy exploring as much as they like skiing.

Skiers at Heavenly Mountain Resort often have to choose between skiing the Nevada or California side since the slopes straddle both states. More advanced skiers and those looking for fewer crowds choose the Nevada side. For these skiers, the town of Stateline at the base of the mountain is like having three vacations in one. Its main street, U.S. Route 50, locally known as Lake Tahoe Boulevard, is where the action is.

The main street passes major casinos like Bally's, Caesars, and Golden Nugget. But Lake Tahoe Boulevard also runs past the Nevada Beach and Zephyr Cove sections of Lake Tahoe that create a trifecta of fun, including skiing, gambling, and lake activities. Zephyr Cove offers fun cruises like a Santa Cruise, a New Year's Eve Cruise, and a Dinner Cruise during ski season.

What's more, Heavenly's gondola has a stop steps away from the casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, making travel between the mountain and town seamless. This was much appreciated by skiers in our research who loved being able to hop from skiing in the day to playing cards at night without having to drive. Here's how one skier described it on Reddit: "Staying at the base of the Heavenly gondola, skiing and playing blackjack for a couple days, and not once starting the car is one of my favorite things."

When skiers find a main street as exciting as the surrounding slopes, you know it's special. That's the case with Lincoln Avenue in Steamboat Springs, where the Steamboat Ski Resort is located. Thanks to its ranching and cowboy history, the town feels like it could belong in a Western movie. This unique aesthetic continues on Lincoln Avenue, making it unforgettable. Built extra wide to accommodate cattle runs, Lincoln Avenue is where skiers head when they want to unwind in true Western style.

The charming street houses numerous Western-style shops, eateries, and attractions that add dimension to a winter trip. The Shack Cafe serves meals worthy of its rustic Western decor. Steak-fried chicken, refried beans, chili, and other foods traditionally popular in cowboy bunkhouses across the West are all on the menu. For Western-style clothing and souvenirs, F.M. Light & Son, located on Lincoln between Eighth and Ninth Streets, offers a range of cowboy hats, boots, and more. And art galleries like Jace Romick Gallery, also between Eighth and Ninth streets, specialize in Western art. The town's popular hot springs, including Soda Springs and Sulphur Springs, can be found near Lincoln and 13th Street.

Skiers in our research really enjoyed how the town's Western character pervades everything in the town — including the slopes. Especially beloved is Cowboy Downhill, held every January on the mountain. Reminiscent of the 1960s, when the local skiers actually skied in cowboy hats, the event sees rodeo cowboys taking over the slopes for the day. Here's how one skier on Reddit described it: "Yep, Steamboat is my jam as well. Love events like the cowboy downhill and the carnival. Has maintained its authenticity so well over the years." 

Shaded by the five snow-capped peaks of the surrounding mountains, Main Street in Breckenridge houses the regular downtown sights. Shops, eateries, and other fun attractions occupy colorful Victorian buildings that feel both historic and modern at the same time. While these sights set a pretty picture, it is the many festivals and celebrations on Main Street that leave an indelible mark on visitors.

The fun starts in December when the popular Ullr Fest draws throngs to Main Street for the ultimate winter festival. Dressed in Viking gear to commemorate Ullr, the Norse snow god, revelers can take part in a colorful parade, try ice plunging, watch a shotski competition, and then warm up at a bonfire. Also in December, the Rockstar Open brings professional snowboarders to the town for an active competition featuring some of the nation's biggest names in snowboarding. While competition days happen on the mountain, More Après, the concert that is part of the celebrations, is held at Blue River Plaza on Main Street. Other events on Main Street include the family-friendly 'Race of the Santas' and New Year's Torchlight Parade, which can be viewed from Main Street, with The Maggie just off Main Street being one of the recommended viewing spots.

The amusements around Main Street continue in January as ski season reaches full swing. Skiers can take time off the slope to enjoy some icy fun at the International Snow Sculpture Championships at the Riverwalk Center at Breckenridge on West Adams Avenue, just steps from Main Street. Visitors can watch professional sculptors carve the ice into gorgeous works of art, or view the final pieces at the end of the competition, ranked among the best places to see ice sculptures in the U.S.

Telluride Ski Resort has more than 100 trails offering world-class skiing for skiers of every persuasion. The only other activity that comes close to this wide variety of action is the small-town shopping on Colorado Avenue, the town's historic main street. Dwarfed by the San Juan Mountains, Colorado Avenue is lined with quaint Victorian buildings housing boutique shops that sell everything visitors might need. Visitors consistently recommend the town for its scenic beauty and shopping, as one Reddit user wrote: "Hands-down the most scenic town in Colorado, in my opinion. The storefronts, the towering peaks in almost every direction, forested ski slopes, the lush, small river valley."

Colorado Avenue doesn't do big-box stores. Instead, visitors will find boutique shops — many of them locally owned — stocked with all kinds of goods, worth your buck. Camp Bird's custom-made hats are crafted locally and are a dapper addition to any wardrobe. CashmereRed sells clothing made from Scottish cashmere. And Down to Earth is the place for trendy boho looks. The locally owned bookstore, Between the Covers, features books by local authors, among others.

Telluride has so many shops all around town that when comparing it to Crested Butte Ski Resort's main town, a skier on Reddit recommended Telluride for its broader range of shopping: "Telluride has a more posh town and a lot more shopping, art galleries, etc."

Crested Butte Ski Resort is consistently ranked among Colorado's best. Like Telluride's Colorado Avenue, Crested Butte's main thoroughfare, Elk Avenue, is beloved for its Victorian architecture. But unlike Telluride, Crested Butte's Victorian buildings are painted in bright colors that lend the street a quirky aesthetic blending the historic and the artistic. This combination of historical charm and artistic flair endears the main street to visitors who return again and again to enjoy the pretty scenery.

Thanks to its arts, wildflowers, and paradisal beauty, Crested Butte was designated a Creative District in 2016. But it has long been an artsy town. As far back as the 1980s, the town painted its buses in unique colors and themes. And in the 1960s, creatives began flocking to the town, inspired by the area's natural beauty. Skiers can draw inspiration from the brightly colored buildings while shopping or dining along Elk Avenue. But there are also opportunities to immerse oneself in the arts.

Redline Gallery, at the corner of Elk Avenue and Fifth Street, specializes in paintings and photography for the home. Crested Butte Fine Art Gallery, just off Elk Avenue at Third Street, is the chance to meet the group of local artists who create the works of art on sale. And Paragon Gallery is yet another Elk Avenue art gallery that visitors can stroll through in the evening after skiing for the day. Art pieces can also be commissioned or purchased from local artists like Michael Mahoney and Laura Cooper Elm, both between First and Second streets on Elk Avenue.

Skiers in our research highly recommended Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for both its skiing and the nearby Jackson Town. The resort does have a village at its base, called Teton Village, but the consensus is that the area was built solely for visitors. Those looking for a town where they can mingle with locals and enjoy true small-town character head to Jackson, located in the action-filled Jackson Hole Valley. Here, the main hub isn't a street, but the historic Jackson Town Square.

Framed by iconic elk antlers, Jackson Town Square hosts many cozy community events that celebrate the town's Western history during the warmer months. In winter, when skiers flock to the nearby mountains, the square comes alive with entertaining events like Santa Meetings and a dog sled race called the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race. The race begins at the Jackson Town Square and continues to numerous towns in Wyoming and Idaho, with the dogs and their mushers making stops along the way. The whole race lasts a full 10 days, and it's free to watch.

Aspen is known for world-class skiing on scenic mountains and as a higher-end town where luxury can be found on nearly every corner. With the snow-capped Aspen Mountains as its backdrop, the town is where visitors go to find luxury shops, fine dining, and premium attractions set behind Victorian facades. The town's main hub, Galena Street, is the destination for experiencing its luxury offerings. Visitors in our research agreed that Aspen offers an unparalleled selection of shopping, eateries, and attractions throughout town. But even with all these draws, skiers were split when it came to recommending the town to others.

Those with higher budgets called it one of the best towns to explore after skiing. Others found accommodations — and everything else — way too expensive. One skier on Reddit summed up the appeal — and the price tag — this way: "There's quite a bit of sightseeing and shopping during the day for all those who stay off the mountain, but it all feels like it's catered to someone's wealthy stepmother- art galleries, high-end retail, dramatic western wear."

Many of these high-end shops are clustered around Galena Street. In the five-block stretch of Galena Street, between East Cooper Street and East Hopkins, visitors with higher budgets will find at least six luxury clothing brands: Prada, Valentino, LoveShackFancy, Moncler, Alicia + Olivia, and Brunello Cucinelli. In the same area, visitors can also shop for upscale leather goods at Hermès and Bottega Veneta. There's also Bosq, a Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant. The rest of the street has many more high-end shops that the visitors will find delightful.

Skiers in our review loved Cranmore Mountain Resort for its family-friendly skiing and snow tubing. At the White Mountain resort, both skiers and nonskiers find fun in the powder. Cranmore offers kid-friendly lessons, tubing lanes, and beginner-friendly slopes, along with more advanced skiing. White Mountain Highway, the main street in the nearby town of North Conway, was also beloved for its wholesome, quaint small-town New England vibes.

Voted 2025's best ski town by the USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards, North Conway is chock full of family-friendly attractions that families on a ski trip to Cranmore can enjoy. Those who take a day off the slopes could plan a fun itinerary without ever venturing off White Mountain Highway. Along the street, Kahuna Laguna has indoor water slides that stay open year-round. Just a 15-minute walk away, the toys and holiday items at Christmas Loft are a kid's dream come true. Finally, the Conway Scenic Railroad hosts themed train rides that are especially fantastic in winter when holiday and winter theme rides start running.

The attractions along the main street and in the surrounding town were consistently recommended for families going skiing around the town. Here's how one parent on Reddit planned a family-friendly itinerary in North Conway: "Tubing at Cranmore (may do a day of skiing as well if I can talk my kids into it), skating, sleigh ride, cocoa at Nestle Nook Water, sliding at Kahuna Laguna Diana's Baths- we were there this summer. No idea what it will be like in winter. My kids are 6 & 8."

After merging with The Canyons in 2014, Park City Mountain Resort became the U.S's largest ski resort with more than 7,000 acres of skiable terrain. A sign of its popularity is that, despite its vast size, it still gets crowded. Almost as popular as the resort is Main Street in the Historic Main Street area of the nearby Park City, one of the prettiest mountain towns in the U.S. With its mining history, the main thoroughfare feels historic, but a modern selection of stores, restaurants, and lively spots adds excitement, drawing skiers in when they want to unwind after a day on the slopes.

Main Street is known for its good looks and its nice variety of exciting attractions. Visitors can dine at more than 100 restaurants; shop for items ranging from knives at New West Knifeworks to fine art at one of Main Street's many art galleries; or catch one of the films in the Sundance Film Festival at the Library Center Theater. One Reddit visitor highly recommended the town for its varied attractions: "Sundance film festival. A bit of fine art. Tubing is fun if you want to do something in the snow that's not skiing/snowboarding. I highly recommend a restaurant in Deer Valley called The Fireside."

We began our research by searching through the best online resources to find the ski towns that were highly recommended. Travel forums, blogs, travel review sites like Tripadvisor, and travel boards on Reddit and across the web were consulted. Once we compiled a list of the most highly reviewed ski towns, we identified those with main streets entertaining enough to rival the slopes. We identified those main streets using tourism boards for each town and then returned to travel forums to see which ones were most frequently recommended. We also used Google Maps to find the main streets' best attractions, where other sources came up empty.