Sherri_Y

My husband and I are planning a vacation to Denver or Breckenridge at Christmas. We are not planning on skiing a lot (We have a toddler). Any suggestions where we should stay or what else we can do besides ski? Should we even go if we're not going to ski? Thanks!

travelisfun

I would definitely do Breckenridge before Denver. Denver is a nice city, but definitely a CITY and not really in the mountains at all. Breckenridge is IN the mountains and a beautiful ski village. There are many other lovely towns in the mountains that would be nice, too. Aspen comes to mind, but hard to get to unless you can afford to fly directly there. Besides skiing...dining at many quaint restaurants, sleigh rides, ice skating, shopping (outlets near Breckenridge and many other shops), sitting in the lodge sipping hot chocolate, enjoying a fire in the fireplace at your condo...it would be lovely!

abram

Just be aware that Breckinridge will be at it's most expensive and crowded at Christmas.

JackOneill

You could split time between Denver (which has some nice things about it even though it is a big city) and Boulder, which, of course, is much smaller and has more of an "outdoor" feel to it.

Breckenridge is a very good choice, though. But it will be jammed with skiers. Then again, all ski areas will be jammed with skiers.

I love Aspen. It's expensive, but has lots of restaurants, shops and a great "feel."

Gretchen

As has been said the ski areas are at their most expensive. If you are travelling to see snow, Denver may or may not have snow. I love Denver--lots to do even with a toddler. You could make day trips to the mountains--Breckenridge is only an hour and a half away as is Winter Park; Vail about 2 hours. You could go sledding and have a nice dinner.

Coskier

First there are lots of thing to do in winter beside skiing. Look at http://www.mountainskiresorts.com and www.summitnet.com for activites and lodging. If you do decide on Breck you need to make reservations ASAP. I live in Denver and love it. I think one nights stay before you head to the high country is a great idea. Gives you a chance to get used to the altitude. I would stay downtown. There is good advice on this board if you search under Denver.

stephanie0107

I love Breckenridge and theer are a lot of other things. But one other place that is a little different is Boulder. It is a great "little city" and has a cute shopping district and some great areas on the hills to look around. It could be a day trip.

kaudrey

Breckenridge is also not very far from Vail (less than an hour, I think), so you could spend some time there - even if you don't ski, there are nice shops and great restaurants and a gondola to the top of the mountain.

Karen

julie_Colorado

Breckenridge is great - but you'll pay a crazy premium to stay there at Christmas if you don't ski (or any other ski town). I might do a split of Boulder and Estes Park - plus a day or two in Denver. Estes is fun in the winter (many shop/restaurants close, but not all)... and you'll see elk, etc.. and you will find snow somewhere in the park.

flopmeister

Sherri Y, the advice above is good. But you may want to check into steamboat springs. Steamboat is great for toddlers because you don't have to be at the ski hill. there really is a town (a nice western town, not a ski town) and they put on a great Christmas parade, complete with cowboys. You can drive from denver to steamboat in about 3 hours.

Sherri_Y

Thank you all for your advice. Because of it we've decided to go the week before Christmas to avoid the mad rush (and price gouge) the week of Christmas. We will stay in Denver for the weekend and then head to Breckenridge or Winter Park - husband wants Winter park but is there anything there? Thanks again for your advice!

Sherri

abram

The holiday season at ski resorts will probably start Saturday, Dec 20.

We love Winter Park for skiing, and stay at Timber House Ski Lodge, where breakfast and dinner are included and the guests are very friendly.

Most ski areas also have other winter activities such as skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling and tubing, but i'm not sure if they'd be fun with a toddler.

Lexma90

Winter Park is pretty much just the ski resort, whereas Breck is a town, so especially with a toddler, I'd pick Breckenridge.

Here are some things, mostly in Breck, that our kids (former toddlers) loved to do: sledding down the hill in Carter Park; snowmobiling (depending on how old your kid is); ice skating at the indoor arena; riding the free shuttle bus in and through town (really); painting pottery at Ready, Paint, Fire; riding the gondola at Vail. Most places have age restrictions on tubing (don't remember the age). You can even go cross-country skiing and take your toddler in a sled you pull behind you (depending on how much snow is on the ground in mid-December).

The week before Christmas will be a great time to go.

Coskier

Agree with Lexma90, If your not going to ski a lot go to Breck. One thing to do is drive over Swan Mtn Rd to Keystone and ice skate at the county's biggest ourdoor skating rink. They even have little "walker" type things for toddlers so they can skate too. If yours is to young for the walker they have cute little sleds you can pull them on. It is very fun, especially at Christmas time, the holiday music is playing there is a place that you can get hot chocolate. Very festive.

Coskier

oops not only biggest in the County...
"The largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor skating rink (5 full acres) in North America is located in Keystone Resort"