Breckenridge Summer Vacation
Why Breckenridge in the summer? When thinking about summer vacations mountain/ski towns aren't always the first places that come to mind. We used to escape the summer heat by heading to the beaches in California. Once our kids were in school things changed. We now had to travel when everyone else was traveling during school breaks. The beach vacation suddenly became more expensive and crowded. So I started to look around for other places with cooler temperatures and lower rates and found ski towns to be an amazing summer getaway. They are not only a great place to cool off, many offer fun summer activities and it's their off-season so rates are lower and the crowds are minimal.
We began our first mountain town summer vacation with a trip to Breckenridge, CO....as a road trip (yikes).
Getting There
Definitely the quickest and easiest way to get to Breckenridge is to fly into Denver, CO (strangely located near....nothing), rent a car and drive about 1 hour and 45 minutes to Breckenridge. If you can find transportation to a car rental location located anywhere other than the airport you will likely save a significant amount of money on your car rental. While flying to Denver would've been my first choice on how to get there, it's not how we went about it. After much debate we decided to drive from Phoenix to Breckenridge for a few reasons: the car rentals and airfare for Denver were relatively high, we wanted to be able to bring a few items (scooters, hiking backpack to carry a toddler, food, cooler, games, etc) that we wouldn't be able to bring on a plane, it turns out there are a few fun stops along the way, and it also turns out it's a much easier adjustment to the altitude when driving vs. flying.
For our drive, we began in Phoenix and and drove roughly 2 hours before taking a quick pit stop in Flagstaff for the kids to play at Thorpe Park. Flagstaff is also a great place to grab a coffee and a treat before continuing on (we love the coffee and churro donuts at Tourist Home Cafe). We then continued to drive to Moab, UT (about 5 hours from Flagstaff). We took a moment to visit Arches National Park which was beautiful and worth the stop.
 |
| Arches National Park. That's us, the little people in the arch. |
We then had a nice laid back pizza dinner at Antica Forma in Moab. We stayed the night at the Comfort Suites Moab. It's a newer hotel which is always nice, a good value, right along the main strip through Moab and had an outdoor pool and hot tub so the kids could let off some steam and stretch their legs before resting for the night.
The following day we headed back on the road and stopped in Glenwood Springs (about 3 hours from Moab). This was another surprisingly wonderful stop. We took the kids to the Glenwood Canyons Adventure Park and they had a blast!
 |
| Glenwood Canyons Adventure Park |
 |
| Glenwood Hot Springs |
My recommendation is on your way to Breckenridge, stop at the grocery store and/or Whole Foods in Frisco to grab some snacks and/or meals so you are all set to stay in Breckenridge.
Where to Stay
We have stayed in two different VRBO's and had very different experiences with each. The first visit we had a large group and decided to rent a large home Mooshead Lodge in the Highlands neighborhood located down the street a bit from the main shopping/restaurant area of Breckenridge. The pros were the house was beautiful, great kitchen, amazing views, loved the back deck, hot tub, plenty of room for all of us and a great neighborhood for walks. Cons were we needed to drive to town and it can sometimes be a challenge to park in town. Our second visit we stayed in a VRBO condo One Ski Hill, located at the top of the gondola. The pros were we were right at the adventure park, could take the gondola into town, van service to/from town, indoor pool and hot tub, free bowling alley and full kitchen. Cons were the views weren't as great, the gondola closed a little earlier than we would like and it was a struggle for the kids to see the adventure park out the window everyday and only be able to go on one day (it's pricey).
Friends of ours who frequent Breckenridge often stay at Blue Sky or Water House on Main Street which are part of Wyndam Vacation Rentals. They are nicely appointed condos with full kitchens. They are both great locations too. Near hiking trails and Main Street but beware that for some units you need to walk up a relatively significant hill to get to Main Street. It's a great way to stay in shape on vacation.
Friends of ours who frequent Breckenridge often stay at Blue Sky or Water House on Main Street which are part of Wyndam Vacation Rentals. They are nicely appointed condos with full kitchens. They are both great locations too. Near hiking trails and Main Street but beware that for some units you need to walk up a relatively significant hill to get to Main Street. It's a great way to stay in shape on vacation.
Things to Do
EPIC Discovery Adventure Park - Just outside the One Ski Hill is a fun way to spend a day! The adventure park has alpine slides, an alpine coaster, zip lines, scenic chair lift, tubing, obstacle course, maze, often a big pile of snow to play in and many other fun activities. You could easily spend an entire day here with the kids. I highly recommend checking the weather before you go and heading to the park in the am. It's far less crowded in the morning and both visits we were greeted with afternoon thunderstorms and they had to close the park down due to lighting. You can check out the dates, hours and pricing options here EPIC Discovery
Sawmill Reservoir Hike - This hike is perfect for families. You can easily access the trailhead from town. It's a 1.4 mile hike and is a relatively easy hike. We took a few pitstops along the way to let our kids play near the creek. At the top of the hike you reach the Sawmill Reservoir which is pretty. The kids enjoyed playing around in it and we even fished for a bit before heading back down. It's also nice that you can make this trail a loop to keep things more interesting.
Biking - There are plenty of family friendly places to bike around Breckenridge. There are a few trails that will take you from Breckenridge to Frisco (Frisco is less than 20 min. drive from Breckenridge). Once in Frisco you can bike around the little town or around the Dillon Reservoir. There is no shortage of places to explore and there are bike rental places available in town.
Parks - There are a few parks throughout Breckenridge. There is the Rotary Snowplow Park which you can reach from town and has a few fun train cars you can explore. There is a park in the center of town, right across the street from the main gondola that has slides and tunnels. There is a fun park in Frisco too right near the Dillon Reservoir.
Picnics - You could walk around town or follow a trail and find so many great places for a picnic. We had a few picnics in different places just along the Blue River.
Take a day trip to Vail - If you want to explore some of the best playgrounds we have ever been to and some different restaurants, take a day trip to Vail. It's located less than 45 min. from Breckenridge. Vail knows how to do playgrounds. They have a Pirate Ship playground which is just like it sounds, a big pirate ship you can climb and play on. Sunbird Park Playground which has some fun climbing structures that resemble large flowers and Ford Playground which has many slides, climbing structures and great picnic spots. Seriously, this town is worth the playground visits alone.
Where to Eat
Crepes A La Cart - If you talk to someone who's been to Breckenridge, they know about Crepes a la Cart. It's a small cart toward the end of Main Street that ALWAYS has a long line. If you don't see a line at this cart, they aren't open. The crepes both savory and sweet are amazing! For savory, my favorite is the All American breakfast crepe and for sweet, I really struggle. I love anything with Nutella but I tried my son's crepe which was just butter, cinnamon/sugar and it became my new favorite.
Duggan's Deli - I love sandwiches which is probably why this place is one of my favorites. You don't go for the atmosphere (tiny deli) but you go to grab some delicious sandwiches for your picnic on the river. The Nola sandwich is the best! You can let me know if anything else is good. I love this sandwich so much I haven't ventured out to the rest of the menu yet.
Daylight Donuts - If you are like us, you struggle to turn down a donut shop while on vacation (or not). I wouldn't say Daylight Donuts are the best donuts but we take the kids for the donuts and we go for the sausage rolls. Do not go here without trying a sausage roll, they are delicious!! Get in line early as this place gets busy.
Giampiero Pizza - I love the atmosphere of this place. It's a great family restaurant. They have a nice bar, great pizza and good food too!
Cabin Coffee Co. - We have been to a few coffee places in Breckenridge and nothing beats Cabin Coffee. They have delicious coffee, the nicest staff and a relaxed atmosphere. You can even see where they roast their own beans.
Mountain Top Cookie Shop - Just try walking by this place and not want a cookie. It's a great place for a sweet treat. They have a large variety of cookie choices and you can even have a cookie sandwich if you wish. This place was a kid favorite!
 |
| Adventure Park |
Sawmill Reservoir Hike - This hike is perfect for families. You can easily access the trailhead from town. It's a 1.4 mile hike and is a relatively easy hike. We took a few pitstops along the way to let our kids play near the creek. At the top of the hike you reach the Sawmill Reservoir which is pretty. The kids enjoyed playing around in it and we even fished for a bit before heading back down. It's also nice that you can make this trail a loop to keep things more interesting.
 |
| Fishing at Sawmill Reservoir |
Biking - There are plenty of family friendly places to bike around Breckenridge. There are a few trails that will take you from Breckenridge to Frisco (Frisco is less than 20 min. drive from Breckenridge). Once in Frisco you can bike around the little town or around the Dillon Reservoir. There is no shortage of places to explore and there are bike rental places available in town.
Parks - There are a few parks throughout Breckenridge. There is the Rotary Snowplow Park which you can reach from town and has a few fun train cars you can explore. There is a park in the center of town, right across the street from the main gondola that has slides and tunnels. There is a fun park in Frisco too right near the Dillon Reservoir.
Picnics - You could walk around town or follow a trail and find so many great places for a picnic. We had a few picnics in different places just along the Blue River.
 |
| Picnic along the Blue River |
 |
| Ford Playground |
Crepes A La Cart - If you talk to someone who's been to Breckenridge, they know about Crepes a la Cart. It's a small cart toward the end of Main Street that ALWAYS has a long line. If you don't see a line at this cart, they aren't open. The crepes both savory and sweet are amazing! For savory, my favorite is the All American breakfast crepe and for sweet, I really struggle. I love anything with Nutella but I tried my son's crepe which was just butter, cinnamon/sugar and it became my new favorite.
Duggan's Deli - I love sandwiches which is probably why this place is one of my favorites. You don't go for the atmosphere (tiny deli) but you go to grab some delicious sandwiches for your picnic on the river. The Nola sandwich is the best! You can let me know if anything else is good. I love this sandwich so much I haven't ventured out to the rest of the menu yet.
Daylight Donuts - If you are like us, you struggle to turn down a donut shop while on vacation (or not). I wouldn't say Daylight Donuts are the best donuts but we take the kids for the donuts and we go for the sausage rolls. Do not go here without trying a sausage roll, they are delicious!! Get in line early as this place gets busy.
 |
| Celebrating his birthday at Daylight Donuts |
Giampiero Pizza - I love the atmosphere of this place. It's a great family restaurant. They have a nice bar, great pizza and good food too!
Cabin Coffee Co. - We have been to a few coffee places in Breckenridge and nothing beats Cabin Coffee. They have delicious coffee, the nicest staff and a relaxed atmosphere. You can even see where they roast their own beans.
 |
| Cabin Coffee |
Mountain Top Cookie Shop - Just try walking by this place and not want a cookie. It's a great place for a sweet treat. They have a large variety of cookie choices and you can even have a cookie sandwich if you wish. This place was a kid favorite!
 |
| Mountain Top Cookie Shop |
Comments
Post a Comment