Last summer we were invited to a wedding in Colorado {Adam was actually singing in it} and had flight vouchers burning a hole in our pocket, so we planned a week long vacation. Because I'm nosy, I love seeing people actual travel itineraries. For every trip I end up with something like this...
Our first stop after picking up our rental car was taking the kids to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods. We all liked this stop and wished we would have had more time there before it closed. We did not actually 'hike' at Garden of the Gods. We did walk around a bit and learn a few things at their Nature Center.
From there we drove to Canon City to sleep because the next day we had reservations to take a Helicopter Tour of the Royal Gorge. The drive was hell! As in, we had a child puking the entire two hours*! Poor thing! I think it was a combination of the car ride through the mountains, the elevation, and lack of a real meal. Adam dropped us off at the terrible hotel and picked up food.
The next morning we took our helicopter ride which we all loved! A highlight of the trip for sure. The owners were so kind. It was fun to chat with them and hear their story! This was also memorable because Jordyn was still getting sick and we almost didn't let her go up with us, but the owner's son recommended a Pepsi {a first for Jordyn} and it totally helped her!
After the tour, we went to the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience since Cullyn has been determined for the last four years that he will become a Paleontologist when he grows up. The outdoor interactive dinosaur experience is trash -- broken and non working {which they told us ahead of time and prorated our tickets, it just would be nice if they would make the investment to get them working again since it's the highlight of the whole experience}. At any rate, the rest of the exhibits are good and the kids loved it.
We stopped for lunch at 8Mile Bar & Grill before heading to Breckenridge. The food was great and the views were even better! Overall, I think one night in Canon City is plenty -- that being said, we really like the things we did there. It's an old mining town with lots of gambling nearby, just not what we were looking for on our family vacation. :)
*It should have just been one hour, but we were trying to go to Pikes Peak on the way {I would recommend anyone going from Colorado Springs to Canon City take the time to stop there} but arrived just as they were closing! Super disappointing -- I had no idea Pikes Peak closed the mountain at a set time. Clearly I'm not a mountain girl!
We got into Breckenridge in time to unpack our bags at the Wyndham. We can't say enough good things about Breckenridge or our stay at the Wyndham! It was so nice to have the condo to spread out a little. We spent time in the hot tubs {& pool -- the kids} each night. It was beautiful & relaxing! We had intentions of making s'mores one of their outdoor fireplaces, but ran out of time. They also had a nice movie room, but we only had two nights in Breckenridge and didn't want to 'waste' any of it watching movies. The amenities were endless -- like the washer and dryer--gold for families! The service -- and complementary shuttle -- were top notch!
Our main activity in Breckenridge was spending the day at Breck's Epic Discovery. We took the free gondola up the mountain. We spent the day riding the coaster and racing down the Alpine slides, panning for gold, rock climbing, tubing, playing putt-putt, ziplining, and watching the kids on the ropes course and trampolines. All four of us had a blast! I can't say enough about the excellent service here either! I mean they even provide sunscreen -- they have thought of it all!
While in Breckenridge we had dinner at Eric's Pizza {a fun pizza and arcade joint in a basement} and a Mexican restaurant at the Wyndham, lunch at Ski Hill Grill -- the lobster mac & cheese was delicious and breakfast at Blue Moose Cafe. I wish we could have spent a week here, but after just two nights we headed Northeast for the wedding.
We drove to Idaho Springs and arrived late morning. The kids played at a local park, which was nice. Afterwards we went to Tommyknocker Brewery for lunch before checking into our AirBnB {Would not recommend -- the food & service was terrible!} The house we rented was clean, nice, & spacious, although the hot tub left much to be desired {we didn't even get in it}.
The wedding was beautiful! The location was just dreamy! The kids played in a sand/rock pile alongside a babbling brook. Just dreamy! That being said, Idaho Springs itself just felt like a low income town with nothing but dispensaries. :( Luckily we were only there two nights.
Next up was Denver! We stopped at Red Rocks Amphitheater on the way which was fun. The weather was perfect! The Avett Brothers played there during our stay, and we wanted to get tickets, but didn't have kid coverage. The good news is that gives us an excuse to go back. :) We spent a few hours at the Aquarium {recommend!} and went to Blue Moon Brewing Company {good, not as good as the Budweiser tour in STL, but trendy, great food & service, and a cute gift shop}. We ate at Fire on the Mountain, Fat Sully's, Machete, & Frozen Matter.
On the list for next time...
Hike Pikes Peek
Concert at Red Rocks
Ski/shop in Breckenridge
