Warmer weather doesn’t always = un-hunched shoulders, thanks to that pesky thing known as the 12-month American work ethic. Neither does vacation, especially when you pick some tourist-saturated destination that presses your misanthropy buttons. Sometimes to get away, you *really* have to get away, be it remote beach or rugged mountain retreat, little-known wine trail or in-city spa escape.

MOUNTAINS

Snowmass, Colorado
Why it’s so great: Snowmass is irrefutable proof that ski resorts are sometimes better in the summer. For starters, it’s irrefutably gorgeous in the warm-weather months, what with that lack of snow revealing picturesque mountain vistas. And the outdoor activity lineup might just cause you to cancel that overpriced Grand Canyon jaunt: mountain biking, fly fishing, whitewater rafting, golfing, rock climbing, and horseback riding (plus gondola rides for the lazy and/or exhausted).
Must-do: We’re going to have to go with the rodeo (every Wednesday night, June to August), a tradition that starts with barbecue and cocktails (full rodeo bar!) and ends with roasted marshmallows around a communal campfire, with all the expected trappings — bull riding, barrel racing, roping demos — in between.