Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Every June thousands of music lovers flock to Town Park for the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. For four days, Telluride is filled with the twanging tones of beloved bluegrass artists like Sam Bush and Peter Rowan (not to mention artists not usually associated with this genre, like Elvis Costello, the Counting Crows and Ani DiFranco). Concerts take place on the main stage, and festival attendees are also invited to participate in music workshops, songwriting contests and jam sessions. And as the sun goes down, nightly performances start up both at the park and in many of the bars throughout Telluride.

Although the city tends to get crowded and the hotel rates skyrocket, recent festival-goers agree that the Bluegrass Festival is well worth the hassle. One attendee tells Yelp.com: "Even if bluegrass is not your favorite, there is still plenty to like about this … I'll likely be making a trip out there every summer now."

For information on ticket prices and featured events, check out the Telluride Bluegrass Festival website.