Breckenridge, CO: Girls Trip Edition
I recently took a girls trip to Breckenridge, CO with my sisters-in-law (isn’t it just wonderful when you get along with your spouse’s family?!). We I had a great time planning it, and we all had so much fun! We all kept saying how much we wanted to go back with our families while we were still on the trip.
Breckenridge is about a 2 hour drive from Denver, so we flew in early in the morning, rented a car (for your sanity, please DO NOT rent through Routes), and drove about halfway to Georgetown, where we took a driving break to have lunch and ride the Georgetown Loop. Then we finished our drive and hung out at our phenomenal hotel for the rest of the evening.
Here’s where we stayed and what we did.
Where To Stay
Hyatt Vacation Club at The Ranahan
I’m usually a low-key, Holiday Inn sort of hotel guest. I want an inexpensive, clean room I can crash at at night, and usually don’t see hotels as part of the experience. However, my sister-in-laws did NOT share my same view, so they found the Hyatt Vacation Club at The Ranahan (and for the same price as other hotels).
My philosophy on hotels has forever changed. This hotel was incredible. Our room had a patio overlooking a flowing stream, a separate bedroom suite with a fireplace, a full kitchen, living room, and super spacious bathroom.
Besides the room, there was a full gym, a restaurant and bar, an indoor/outdoor heated pool with a splash pad and slide, and 3 hot tubs with mountain views.
The Ranahan also had fun activities everyday and would text me with updates (like kayaking at 3:00pm for $20). On our first night, there was trivia in the lounge/bar area and we won!
I would 100% come back here and bring my husband and toddler!
Where To Eat
Unravel Coffee
Starting with the most important meal of the day - coffee. Unravel Coffee was in downtown Breckenridge in the hotel lobby of Gravity Haus. I had an iced honey almond latte with oat milk and it was delicious and very flavorful! We went to Unravel twice, and the first time I ordered a Brecky Sandwich, and the second I ordered a Breakfast Burrito - both were great!
Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters
Technically the Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters is in Frisco, but it’s such a short drive. It was fun going to a different downtown - it was a bit more casual and local feeling in Frisco. This coffee shop was super charming and had great drink options!
Horseshoe
We went to Horseshoe for dinner one night in downtown Breckenridge. It was a really pretty restaurant and we got to sit on the rooftop patio. I ordered a frozen margarita, which I don’t normally love, but I saw that they put a bit of raspberry flavor/alcohol in it. It may have been the BEST margarita I have ever had!
I also ordered 3 tacos and they were pretty good! Not particularly standout tacos, but it did the trick.
Bird & Cow
Bird & Cow was an American restaurant off the main street one block, so it was nice to be just a *little* secluded. We also snagged a rooftop patio spot, and the view was incredible. I wasn’t super hungry, so I ordered chili cheese fries, and oh my goodness, they were awesome! Our waiter also upgraded a basic strawberry lemonade to a fun cocktail by adding some bourbon for me.
Mountain Top Cookie Shop
My sister-in-law saw Mountain Top Cookie Shop was having a “buy 6 get 2 free” deal so we went in and got some cookies! We were planning on getting 6 chocolate chips and 2 speciality cookies, but once we actually got in line, we saw they had so many delicious flavors, so we switched and each got 2 specialty cookies, and let the 2 free cookies be chocolate chip.
A lot of the cookies are actually 2 cookies with buttercream or edible cookie dough in between, which we didn’t know, so we absolutely had a ton of leftover cookies by the time we had to fly home. 1 is enough!
What To Do
Shopping
Main Street
Breckenridge’s Main Street is lined with cute boutiques and shops. A lot of the shops are tourist shops, but many of them were actually cute and had great options! We particularly liked Mountain Vibe for their spectacular hat offerings.
Marigold’s Farmhouse Funk & Junk
Marigold’s Farmhouse Funk & Junk was the dream store I never knew I wanted. It had an eclectic 70s/Western vibe, and sold so many cute things, from homemade mugs, fun graphic tees, to scarves and little notebooks. I LOVED this store and could have spent forever in there! We learned that they were almost an hour past closing, so we hurried up and purchased our items and left. I ended up buying a satin bandana scarf, a handmade mug, and a hat. Honestly, I would have bought a lot more if we hadn’t known the store had closed. I will absolutely go back!
Overland
Overland was too pricey for me, but it was a joy to just be inside. As soon as we entered the shop, the smell of beautifully supple leather hit our noses. The store was spacious and inviting and had gorgeous, quality pieces to admire. My sister-in-law ended up buying a purse and we were so happy for her! We even went back the next day so she could buy another one. Brooke helped us and she was AMAZING and so fun to talk to!
Hiking
I’m not much of a hiker, but I figured it would be a crime to go to Breckenridge, CO and NOT go hiking at all. We went to a scenic overlook and also did a 3 mile hike, and I actually enjoyed it! The elevation can cause headaches and exhaustion much quicker than usual, so I brought a backpack with some water (and my camera, of course).
Sapphire Point Overlook
Sapphire Point Overlook was a short drive up the mountain near Frisco. There’s a little parking lot, which has pretty good turnover! We parked and did the .6 mile loop overlooking Frisco. It was incredibly gorgeous, and a great introduction to “hiking.”
Blue River Trail
We drove to Blue River Trail in Breckenridge after the overlook for a 3 mile hike (out and back). This place had ZERO restrooms just FYI. The hike started in a beautiful valley/prairie with Western farm signs and wildflowers. It pretty quickly turns into a hike in the woods that’s mostly uphill. We saw some bear scratches on trees which was equally exciting and terrifying. Thankfully, there’s enough people on the path that bears didn’t seem to be hanging out there.
The hike was beautiful and towards the end, brought us to a very quiet highway. We crossed (after taking some pictures) and descended to a river flowing in a forest. It was very serene and calm.
The hike back was not as exhausting as it was mostly downhill, and again, incredibly beautiful! I was surprised how much I enjoyed it - I kept up well and there weren’t really bugs or forest creatures that bothered us.
Activities
Georgetown Loop Railroad
On our way from Denver airport, we stopped about halfway at Georgetown. We went to a little restaurant for the worst soup of our lives (it’s ok, it was hilarious), and then we hopped on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. We had planned on going, and were able to get tickets at the window.
I knew this was going to be fun, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it! There were two types of train cars - one with open windows, and one with a canvas rooftop with open sides. It was incredibly stunning and I would do it again!
Gondolas - ski town
Our last day, we took the gondolas up to the ski resort “town.” They were free to ride so we thought “why not?!” One of my sisters-in-law had to get off at the first stop because she was so scared (haha). But, I personally thought the ride was fun! They also had separate gondolas for bikes if you wanted to bring that with you.
We were expecting to turn around once we got to the top, but they turned the winter ski resort into a summer playground. The ski lifts took people up to a mountain top slide. There were bungee jumping trampolines, obstacle courses, and so many fun activities for families! There’s also a coffee shop on the premises, very accessible and clean restrooms, and a bar.
Horse back riding
We went horseback riding at Breckenridge Stables. I would say we had a good time, but it turned out that my childhood fear of horses was not just reserved for childhood. Other than that it was great! Once you sign in (you must register online), you wait in a line to go with your group. For your trail ride, they pair horses up that are friends with each other so everyone in your group can ride behind one another in single file.
The trail was incredibly beautiful and our horses were easy enough to manage. If you like horses, then Breckenridge Stables is a good place for a beautiful ride!
The whole trip, we kept saying how much we wanted to bring our families back to Breckenridge. I’m sure it’s a great ski town in the winter, but with the age of my daughter (toddlerhood), summertime would be perfect for us. It’s not too busy and there’s still plenty to do (and it’s incredibly gorgeous!).
I highly recommend Breckenridge and would go back, no question.
As usual, may your weekend be full of creativity and style.
