Vail Pass Opens $20 Million Rest Area That Could Double As a Wedding Venue

The ski industry is huge in Colorado, with Vail being one of the major destinations in the state for getting your "gnar" on. Getting to Vail takes you over Vail Pass; the Colorado Department of Transportation spent a lot of money reconstructing the rest area there.

You don't have to be an avid skier to know about Vail; it's been a "go-to" for decades, especially for those who have a lot of money. Maybe that's why CDOT made the "new" Vail Pass Rest Area so fancy. Rich people don't want to stop down at some "regular" rest area; they want "nice" things. Plus, it does make Colorado look good when tourists head back to Palm Springs and talk up  having a rest area that they'll talk about when they get back to Palm Springs.

When CDOT posted pictures from the "Grand Opening" of the new Vail Pass Rest Area, many took shots at the state for spending so much on a rest area, though some were happy about it. I took note that one commenter was "on point" when they said it looks like a wedding venue; I couldn't agree more.

From the photos, it does looks like a lodge that a couple might spend $15,000 to rent out for a spring/summer wedding. Add in the fact that there's plenty of parking, I would not be surprised if more than a few couples actually do "tie the knot" at that beautiful rest area: "Come meet us at the Vail Pass Rest Area at 11:00 a.m. - We'll do it quickly, before they kick us out!"