The first big vacation since becoming a family of five! We have 1-year-old, 3-year-old and 15-year-old so this vacation really tested my ability to plan activities such that there was something for everyone.
Day 1 – 2: Denver, Colorado
We stayed at Kimpton Hotel Born located in downtown Denver walkable to various places, including Union Station. It was a fancier hotel that was beautifully decorated with a cozy vibe. The hotel offers both regular rooms and “specialty suites” (e.g., rooms with bedrooms separate from living space). Not a lot of parking nearby but can use valet at a whopping $53/night.
This was by-far, the best children’s museum I have ever been to. It was huge with a ton of exhibits and even an outdoor play area. If I lived in the area, I would certainly have an annual membership and would take my young ones
- Cost: $13 – $15 (under 1 is free); Reservations are required
- Time: 3 Hours (there is even a Café for snack located on-site)
- Pros: There are so many areas the kids can play – from firetrucks, sand box, art room, kitchen and much more!
- Cons: It is a bit chaotic and with the children running wild it can be a bit difficult to keep them in sight at times.
Union Station – Maybe I am spoiled living in Atlanta where we have both Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market (plug for ATL) but wasn’t all that impressed with Union Station. I had much higher expectations for this. Not to mention the parking was $$$.
After striking out at Union Station, while the littles (and dad) napped, our teenage daughter and I decided to head to Twist & Shout record store while the little ones napped. Boy did we make a great decision coming here. The record store was incredible – such a wide selection of music and an overall cool vibe. We hauled away 10-13 vinyl’s, 10 of which we had no clue what they were. The store had a section of “surprise” vinyl’s – a package of 10 or so records wrapped in brown paper. For a single price, you selected your package not knowing what records you actually purchased. It was fun to come home and sample each – some were super weird, and we will never play again but others were pretty cool, and we discovered some new music.
As a bonus, we realized that there was a massive bookstore – Tattered Cover Book Store right next door (literally)! This bookstore was huge and had a little café.
Wings over Rockies – This is a large hanger housing various aircraft – from military to an X-wing Starfighter! My son loved this place!
- Cost: $12 – $20 (3 and under are free)
- Time: 2 Hours
- Pros: Something for everyone 3+. Not only do they have cool aircraft but there are also rooms with flight-related memorabilia that was incredibly interesting.
- Cons: Kids cannot run freely – there are a lot of off-limit areas close to the aircraft. If you have little ones, it is less stressful if the kiddo’s stay in their stroller. In addition, this place is a little out of the way in Denver.
Truthfully, we came to the gardens for Blossoms of Light. The gardens are transformed into a shining winter wonderland! This is a special event each year in mid-November – early January at night. The kids loved sipping their warm cocoa and strolling through the lit gardens.
Even if you are not in the area for Blossoms of Light, it is still a worthy place to visit during the day (children’s garden, rotating exhibits, other ongoing events, etc.).
- Cost: $20 – $25 (2 and under are free)
- Time: 2.5 – 3 Hours
- Pros: Helped us get into the holiday spirit! Something unique to do that time of the year.
- Cons: In some areas, it was bit crowded. As you walk on the trails, you may end up behind another family walking at a much slower pace.
There are so many things to do in Denver! If none of the above suits your fancy, check out these other activities . . .
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Adult – $22.95, Child – $17.95 (under 3 are FREE)
- Adult – $24, Child – $18 (under 3 are FREE)
- Adult – $14, Chile – $8 (under 4 are FREE)
- FREE (however, only 7+)
- For the tour, 21+ – $20, under 21 – $10 (under 3 are FREE)
- Adult – $20, Child – $14 (under 3 are FREE)
If you plan on visiting two or more of these places, I highly suggest using CityPass. Specifically, you can choose 3-5 attractions per ticket and savings can be up to 46%.
Eating and Drinking:
We splurged one night on a fancy dinner date at Tavernetta located right next door to Kimpton Hotel Born. It was delicious upscale Italian food – definitely add this one to your list. One our list was also Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar (unfortunately we never made it so I will eat vicariously through you).
Denver is known for its 100+ brew pubs and overall beer culture. Check out this awesome site listing various options around the city. You are sure to find one or many places to visit. We found Cerebral Brewing – which had a great outdoor space and was kid-friendly.
Day 3 – 4: Alamosa, Colorado
Our ultimate destination for Day 3 was the Great Sand Dunes, which is approximately 4 hours from Denver. With young kids, we decided to break up the drive and make a stop in Colorado Springs to stretch our legs at the Garden of the Gods (did I mention its FREE). If you have extra time, you should also check out Pikes Peak Cog Railway (definitely NOT free).
By the time we made it to Alamosa, it was a little past lunch. Locavores is a must if you are in Alamosa. It is both a restaurant and market. We stopped here after the long drive in, and it hit the spot. I had the Baja fish tacos! After stopping from some grub, we checked into our hotel at Holiday Inn Express & Suites. There are not a lot of options for hotels in Alamosa and there certainly aren’t “fancy” hotels in the area. One perk was that we got free breakfast! Your food options are also limited – be prepared for a lot of fast food.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Y’all . . . I had such big plans for this. I purchased a star gazing chart, binoculars, glow sticks, etc. thinking we were going to livin’ it up on the dunes. In my plans, we would take turns effortlessly gliding across the dunes, and when it got dark, we would snuggle up, wear our glowsticks and star gaze. This is NOT what happened! Don’t get me wrong – the sand dunes were incredibly beautiful and a site to be seen. However, I do not recommend this for families with small kids. Here’s why . . .
- To get to the dunes from the parking lot, it is a long, arduous hike through SAND! If you are carrying anything – diaper bag, camera, sand board, etc. it becomes even more difficult.
- You have finally made it to the dunes – wooo-whoo! Now you just have to climb up them! Easy right? NOPE. Slushing through sand up a hill is not easy. If you have little ones, they are already pooped from the walk in so you will be carrying them up those dunes to the top.
- While from far away the dunes seem manageable, these things are not small. The little ones were a bit scared to sand board down and when we finally convinced them, the fun was short lived because we had to climb up all over again.
- WEATHER – the temperature dropped fairly rapidly and even in our winter gear we were still very cold. In addition, the wind picked up and we were being slapped in the face with sand left and right.
If the above doesn’t deter you, then I think this has the possibility to be a magical experience. If willing to put in the work, sandboarding can be a lot of fun. In addition is considered one of the best locations for stargazing (it gets very dark). Check our Kristi Moutain Sports for Sandboarding Rentals.
If I were to change anything about this trip, I would have skipped Alamosa and headed straight to Breckenridge. Again, it was just too much for the young ones.
We were on a tight schedule so were not able to travel further south from Alamosa but if you can there are some pretty cool things to check out – Mesa Verde National Park, Durango Railroad, and Mountain Coaster.
Day 5 – 7: Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge is 3 hours from Alamosa but if you drove directly to Breckenridge from Denver, it is only 1.5 hours. If you aren’t scared of windy roads with sharp drop offs and killer views, you can take the Million Dollar Highway from Alamosa.
Because we were staying a few days in Breckenridge, we opted for condo rental to save some $$ on eating out. We had the perfect condo rental – within walking distance of downtown and Snowflake Lift, Peak 8 or Peak 9. The hosts even had a closet full of toys for the kids to play and a kitchen fully stocked with supplies. It is on the 2nd floor so you will have to carry your luggage up some stairs. You can check out the home on VRBO HERE.
Our family has never skied before. Therefore, my husband and kids each took a half-day lesson. Lessons are a bit pricey but without them we would have been very overwhelmed. We also happened to go skiing on opening weekend – not the best choice. It was BEYOND busy.
While some come to Breckenridge just for skiing, there are lots of activities in or near Breckenridge for all ages.
Breckenridge Troll Hike – This is perfect for small kids – not far from the parking lot and a fun larger than life troll! It’s also FREE!
High Line Railroad Park – Cute little park in “somewhat” walking distance from downtown (parking is available). The park had a mining and railroad themed playground along with train cars!
Santa’s Rocky Mountain Adventure – There are train rides offered year-round and last between 55 minutes or 1.15 hours (or 2.5 hours if you decide on a train ride and mine tour). We happened to visit close to Christmas, so the train was holiday themed, and even included a visit from Santa himself!
Exploring Downtown – You will have so much fun just walking around – lots of little shops, coffee, candy, etc.
Day 7-8: Denver, Colorado
We made one last stop from our drive back to the city at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. If you have time, I would highly recommend catching a show here. It was such a one-of-a-kind venue. It was a quick and FREE stop to stretch our legs.
Our flight back to ATL was super early, so we opted to stay at the hotel closest to the Denver airport – Westin Denver International Airport. It was definitely worth being close by after such a busy, action-packed trip.
Can’t wait to go back!! Do you think we missed out by not stopping in Aspen or Vail?
the lost dinosaur 