Vail

Is there a better place for thrill-seekers than Vail? With skiing and snowboarding on North America's third longest slope, mountain biking, snowmobiling, ziplining, bobsledding, climbing, rafting, tubing, and kayaking, there's so much to do and so little time. While playing golf is decidedly less adrenaline fueled, there are courses in the Vail area that can provide the rush. The two best are at Red Sky Ranch and Golf Club.

The Greg Norman Course and the Tom Fazio Course rank nos. 1 and 5 respectively among public golf courses in Colorado (Golf Magazine). Another high-end choice is the Golf Club at Cordillera, where Hale Irwin's Mountain Course plays amid snow-capped peaks, glistening aspen and multi-million-dollar homes. Other strong courses nearby are Sonnenalp Golf Club (Bob Cupp/Jay Moorish) and Beaver Creek Golf Club (Robert Trent Jones Jr.), which allows limited public play.

Bargains are rare in ritzy Vail. But you can find them at EagleVail Golf Club, municipal Vail Golf Club, and further out at surprisingly player-friendly Copper Creek Golf Club (Pete/Perry Dye) and Eagle Ranch Golf Club (Arnold Palmer), which Colorado Avid Golfer Magazine named the best course in Colorado priced under $100. Excellent choices within an hour's drive include Adams Mountain Country Club, Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks, Breckenridge Golf Club, and Keystone Ranch Golf Course.