Winter Fun in Breckenridge, CO
Winter brings to mind images of skiing and snow covered hills or mountains. Even if you don’t live in a colder climate, there seems to be this romantic allure of ski slopes and après ski (French for after ski - the social activities after a day spent hitting the slopes).
I didn’t grow up downhill skiing. Even though I grew up in Michigan, I only tried it once in high school and once in college. It wasn’t until I moved to the west side of the state to a town that had perfect kid-sized runs on the sand dunes that our family got into skiing. Friends of my young children skied and landed equipment for them to try. My kids quickly got hooked and it was a fun way to get them active and out of the house in the middle of winter when they were young. Soon our family was invited to ski at resorts a few hours away and my husband and I found ourselves renting equipment and trying a new sport just to keep up with our kids! Eventually we purchased our own equipment and looked forward to weekends with our kids and friends on the slopes.
We finally decided to go west for some skiing and the town of Breckenridge was recommended. It is an adorable town that didn’t disappoint! There are so many things to do, even year round for skiers and non-skiers alike. And of course the views were breathtaking - words don’t give justice to the snow covered mountains.
Of course there is plenty of skiing, not just a Breckenridge, but also at their 4 sister resorts with your same ticket. We spent 5 days skiing and had plenty of variety on the slopes of Breck that we didn’t feel the need to go elsewhere on our first visit.
On our other days we shopped throughout the town’s many art galleries and boutiques, and enjoyed mid-afternoon coffee and snacks in several of the coffee shops (the Starbuck’s is in an adorable restored yellow house right on Main Street). We definitely enjoyed après ski drinks and appetizers on the slopes or at the beautiful house we rented with a hot tub.
Between Breckenridge Brewery and the Flatbread Pizza Co. (now called Pianté Pizzeria), we had some great dinners out. A local and tourist favorite, Crêpes à La Cart, is something you can’t miss. This quirky little cart prepares your homemade crepes to order while you wait in line outside. One night our group of 10 decided to go for a snack at 9 pm at night! We stayed warm by the fire pit they provided and enjoyed savory and sweet crepes, that were well worth the wait.
For those that didn’t ski, there were several spas to choose from, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and even the skate park was clear of snow and enjoyed by the teens in our group. I could easily see us coming back during the summer to hike, shop and skate and take in the beautiful mountains in a different season!
