If you’re looking for a quintessential hallmark movie winter vacation, look no further than Breckenridge, Co! And if your flights get cancelled last minute don’t miss out on Denver for some really cute bars and yummy food!
This year’s family vacation was an adventure to say the least! With the new variant and all its complications we weren’t even sure we were going until 2 days before we left lol but thankfully we made it on our early morning flight to Denver and our private shuttle, with Epic Mountain, to Breck went smoothly so our vacation began on Jan 1 on a great note!
We rented a townhouse cabin right off Main Street and the location was perfect! We only rented a car via Turo for the first two days then we walked everywhere or took the buses & gondolas the rest of the week.
NOTE: Before heading out west we began to take oxygen supplements to prepare for the altitude change and it was a game changer! None of us really struggled with the difference and we felt good skiing and during all of our activities. We also took chlorophyll, which I’m a big fan of for digestion and immunity, and they also really help with altitude! Linked here for you!
Day 1
We arrived in Breckenridge around 4pm MST, picked up our rental car and then stocked up at the grocery store for the week. After that we went to Aurum for happy hour and had an early dinner.
Aurum has the cutest yurts but we weren’t gonna do the $500 minimum so we just sat at the bar. The vibes are immaculate and the French fries are so yummy! Bourbon mules are a must too, especially to help you warm up. Also don’t skip the French onion burger, it is to die for!
After happy hour we went home and played Uno – definitely recommend card games to pass the time since it gets so dark so early there.
Day 2
We woke up to a home cooked breakfast by my mom – everyone’s favorite part of family vacations – and got ready for dog sledding at Good Time Adventures. A MUST!!
Definitely layer up – 3 is key, a base thermal layer, leggings and a sweatshirt and then your ski pants and jacket. Don’t forget the hand and toe warmers. Also there is no service out here so just keep that in mind, but honestly you’ll forget about that when you see the views and the dogs!
It was so cool to be able to learn about their huskies and how they train them to be sled dogs and we got to pet them in between stops on the trail. We all got to take turns as passengers and drivers and it was incredible!
After our excursion we went home to warm up and had a home cooked dinner and drinks while playing cards. It tends to get dark around 4pm and the temps drop so its up to you how you want to spend the evenings, sometimes we went for walks around Main Street, checking out local shops and bars and others we stayed in and watched movies. We’re rarely all together like this so its kinda nice to just cozy up by the fireplace and relax.
Day 3
On Monday morning we got fitted for our skis and snowboards by Black Tie Ski Rental and then got all geared up for another day in the snow. We went back to Good Time Adventures for snowmobiling and it was so much fun, the staff at GTA is amazing, so knowledgeable and they really make the experience what it is.
We got to drive up to the top of a mountain and see the continental divide and Peak Gallo right before dusk which as a stunning view. It gets really cold with the wind so don’t forget the layers and warmers this day either!
When we got back home from the excursion I got ready to go to dinner with friends that were in town. We went to The Blue Fish which was a really good sushi restaurant. If you get 7 rolls or more you get a snowboard as a platter which was really cool! Between the three of us we cleaned that snowboard and the waiter was shocked it was hilarious. This was some of the best sushi I’ve had in a long time so I highly recommend getting a reservation here!
We wanted to go for quick after dinner drinks because we were having the best time catching up after not seeing each other in months. We stopped in at Modi’s a spot my parents discovered on a walk earlier in the week and it was really cute! When I got back home we watched movies and went to bed early because the next day was our first day on the slopes!
Day 4
Well, my only day on the slopes lol. I am not a big fan of skiing and while everyone else went 2 or 3 days I just had a lesson in the morning to refresh my skills – it had been 4 years and 7 years before that – and then I went down a green twice with my parents and called it a day. We skied at Peak 8 because thats where the ski school is but Peak 9 would have been a better choice for me as a beginner/novice. Peak 7 is for experienced skiers only since there are no green runs there.
To get to Peak 8 we walked from our cabin to the bus stop, took the bus to the gondola depot and rode them up to the top of the mountain. There are Ubers but they’re not as accessible so I would use the public transportation system, also it saves money.
After our ski day I was soooo sore I took a chill night in and watched tv and relaxed the rest of the evening. We had a home cooked dinner again this night. There are a ton of restaurants in town but a lot of them were closed or had limited seating and as such a big party with several allergies, it was easier to cook at home. You do you here! I’ll share my IG Guide with recs below as well as a list of everywhere we went, ate and did.
Day 5
The next day I opted out of skiing and it was also snowing. I went extreme sledding with my friends at Country Boy Mine and it was a blast. A CAN’T MISS for sure. We did the 3 run package to maximize our time there and it was perfect. They also have a real mine you can explore, an escape room and a slide. There is so much to do out here it was a great excursion. Definitely cold out there though so make sure to layer up again. Any day we did ski/snow activities, a 3 layer rule was used and it does the trick. You also want goggles during the sledding, and they have some you can borrow but if you can bring your own, do so. The people there are so friendly and sweet we had so much fun exploring their property too, you can spend a whole day there!
After heading back into town we stopped at I Scream for coffee to warm up and then went to Eric’s Downstairs a bar, restaurant and arcade right on Main Street. We had a great time playing skeeball and basketball and then I went home to get ready for dinner. We had another homemade dinner this night and played dominos and watched movies with wine, one of my fave ways to spend an evening at home!
Day 6
On Thursday we slept in and had a chill morning before heading to Eric’s for a pizza and boozy lunch while the boys had their final snowboarding day. We walked around the shops and stumbled upon a local winery, Continental Divide Winery, so we had a tasting flight before dinner, because when on vacation, why not right? When we got home we all freshened up and then had a family dinner at Modi’s, this makes 2-3 times we went here depending on who in my family you ask lol it was definitely a favorite!
The ramen was to die for and we got the charcuterie board – a staple for us – and mussels which had a sauce that was incredible! They have really yummy cocktails too and I got the scallop pasta which was also sooo good. We wanted to get the mushroom bruschetta but didn’t get around to ordering, next time for sure!
We finished off a bottle of Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon when we got back to the cabin and called it a night soon after a movie.
Day 7
Our final full day in Breckenridge we got to explore town during the day and it was a beautiful one! We had brunch at the famous crepes a la cart stand on Main Street. You have to wait in line for over an hour but I will say they were WORTH IT! I got the chicken Florentine and my dad’s German strudel was out of this world!
It was a sunny morning but waiting out in the cold made us chilly so we ate by the fire outside Whiskey Star with a few spiked apple ciders and it was magical! After brunch we rode the gondola up to Peak 7 to check out the mountains and beautiful weather and then came back down before heading to the Breckenridge Distillery for happy hour.
We took the distillery’s shuttle from the mountain to the restaurant which was such a power move! It took us home after too, which was awesome. While at the distillery, dad and I had a couple smokey old fashioneds and did a whiskey flight which was really fun. We chatted up some locals too while enjoying the 420 tater tots and the bone marrow which was delicious! Don’t skip the Breck dip either, it was so yummy!
At home we just chilled and packed up for our early morning shuttle back to the Denver airport only to find out that our flight was canceled and we got booked on a Sunday morning flight so we had an extra day in Denver we hadn’t planned for. It turned out to be the best under 24 hour food and drink tour of Denver and just what we needed to decompress from the week. Basically delaying reality one more day lol.
Day 8
We started at Union Station and walked around, PigStation dirty chai in hand before heading to Wynkoop Brewing Co for lunch. Mom and I shared the bison bolognese and OMG you have to try it!
After lunch we walked across the 16th street mall over to the Le Meridian Hotel and the 54Thirty rooftop and the views and seasonal drinks were such a vibe. We met a cool local couple here too and just hung out for a bit to kill time before dinner.
Ever since I knew we were going to Colorado back in the summer I had been researching Denver restaurants. We had originally planned to make Denver a part of our actual trip and then we decided not to but somehow it was meant to be and we ended up in the Mile High City. So I HAD to eat at Tavernetta even though we didn’t have reservations. It must have really been meant to be because we got in and had the most mouth watering dinner we’ve had in the longest time.
This is a MUST EAT spot! And the vibes, the service, the experience is just top notch. We ordered the lamb carpaccio and gorgonzola with honey for appetizers alongside a pinot Grigio and it was to die for. For entrees we split TWO mushroom parpadelle’s and a lamb rigatoni and omg I am still dreaming of these dishes.
For dessert we had the tiramisu and an affogato and of courseee an espresso martini to close the night. If you follow me on IG you know I’m a big fan of these!
But of course our night couldn’t end there. We walked over to Larimer Square and had to finish the trip properly with a night cap at Green Russell’s. Its a really cool speakeasy vibe and was the best way to end our annual family winter vacation!
There was so much we did so to quickly recap it all for you:
Where We Ate/Drank
Breckenridge
Aurum
Modi’s
The Blue Fish
Eric’s Downtown
Continental Divide Winery
Whiskey Star
Crepes A La Cart
Denver
Wynkoop Brewing Co
54Thirty
Tavernetta
Green Russell’s
What We Did
Good Time Adventures dog sledding and snowmobiling
Country Boy Mine extreme sledding
Skiing and snowboarding
Whew what a trip!! To make it a little easier for you, I made an IG Guide sharing the basics here and I also added a few of the places on our list to try next time!
I hope you enjoyed my travel diary, I’ve really missed making these for you! If you check out any of these spots, definitely let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
xo Kayla
This looks like such a fun family week! I want to go back to Colorado for dog sledding and snowmobiling. I just have to get myself mentally prepared for that cold 😅
It was!!! Yes for sure hahah the key is lots of apple cider and hot chocolate when you get home!