beaver creek, colorado // a winter wonderland!

It might sound weird to say that we went to a ski village and did *not* ski, but it's true. And it was one of the most AMAZING long weekends of our lives. We flew Southwest from GSP to DEN, picked up our rental car, and then drove 2 hours to the quaint and stunning town of...

Beaver Creek, Colorado!

I learned of this ski village years ago and immediately added it to my bucket list. As soon as we were able, we booked 4 nights at the iconic Park Hyatt Beaver Creek resort. Our first trip to Colorado wowed us in the best ways. What a feeling it was to see the Rocky Mountains with our own eyes for the first time. It was worth the wait!

Travel days can be hard hard, especially when no one is feeling the best. There were more meltdowns on this particular travel day than I think ever before, but the good far outweighed the bad. It was incredible to watch the earth change from bare and warm to white and cold. What a welcome! The mountains looked like they were wearing a blanket. It was indescribable. And we were in awe.

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Colorado // Day One

The one where it snowed so hard that you could barely see five feet in front of you!

We’ve never experienced anything like we did this day. The snow falling was unreal! We spent all day going back and forth from the snow to play to our room to unthaw (because us SC people are used to weather like this, LOL). Also, fun fact: making a snow angel in Colorado was not something I knew I needed to experience, buuuuut now I know it was. Plopping down in 8 inches of powdery snow was soooo fun!

We did the following on our first full day in Beaver Creek:

> Woke up at the crack of dawn (ahem, thanks to the kids)
> Breakfast in the hotel restaurant
> A scavenger hunt that took us on a tour of the village and ended with a candy bar as a prize
> Being so full from breakfast that we skipped lunch and opted for snacks from home instead
> A visit to the hotel’s arcade
> Hot chocolate all day
> Playing on a snow-covered playground
> Snowball fights (core memory)
> An espresso martini for mommy
> A quick dip in the hot tub for little miss
> Hanging out in the lounge to warm up and talk to other guests (who were so friendly)
> Coyote Cafe for dinner
> A Christmas movie before bed
> A visit to the gym for daddy
> Feeling like it’s midnight when it’s only 7 PM (hello, time change and weather-induced exhaustion)
> Anticipation for more fun tomorrow!

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Colorado // Day Two

The one where we enjoyed a world of painted white, and experienced a horse-drawn sleigh ride through a sliver of the Rocky Mountains. Wow, wow, wow!

We soaked in our favorite parts of Beaver Creek all morning, and then took a drive on snow-covered roads for our first official excursion of the trip. I was increasingly convinced that there is no part of Colorado that isn’t breath-taking. I’m not sure I breathed the entire ride — not from fear, but from soul-deep awe.

Bearcat Stables was the cutest little ranch! We sipped hot chocolate, enjoyed a warm fire before and after the ride, and cozied up under blankets during the ride. Lucky for us, we got to see an elk family on the way out, too. Our first elk encounter! Squeeee! So much about Colorado feels wild, and I genuinely loved it.

And because I value honesty, this day was both magical…and tough. I was still in a good amount of pain physically, and our kiddos were teetering emotionally today, too. These pictures could easily convince you that we are a no-drama travel family, and that just wouldn't be true. These days are worth the hard moments that are just inevitable, but I never want to lead you astray. <3

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Colorado // Day Three

Let me start by saying this: if day two (briefly) made me never want to travel as a family again, day three made me want to book a million more trips. This is a bold statement to make, but I’m going for it — this day was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

After spending most of our days in Beaver Creek up until this point, we went on a few different adventures to end our trip with a bang! I am a “wanna see it all” kind of person, and I think I’m raising the same.

Here is where this glorious day took us:

📍 Beaver Creek, CO

We enjoyed another hearty breakfast and walk through snowy streets to begin our day.

📍 Frisco, CO

We drove an hour back towards Denver to go SNOW TUBING! We aren't skiers, but we loooove to snow tube. It was windy and coooold, but we had the BEST time. Our kiddos were SO brave!

📍 Breckinridge, CO

What. A. Cute. Town. We scored street parking and spent a couple of hours exploring Main Street. We ate goooood, and the kids both picked out souvenirs, too. Everything about this ski town was so CHARMING!

📍 Vail, CO

Guys, I cried. Vail is one of those places for me — somewhere I always hoped I’d visit but wasn’t sure I’d ever get to. It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. Iconic and sophisticated. I loved it so much.

Did we check off a chunk of our bucket list in a day?

We sure did!

Colorado is something else. I don’t even know how to describe it, but we are officially obsessed.

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Colorado // Day Four

We wrapped up our trip to Colorado by spending some time in downtown Denver before heading to the airport, and we knew exactly what we wanted to see…

1) Where the Rockies play

2) Where the Broncos play

My dudes were so stoked for this! We even got to go inside the gates at Coors Field to sneak a peek up close, which was the best surprise. We all agreed that more time in the city would have been fun for more exploring, but this was perfect way to pass the time we had. Seriously so fun!

My boy has big dreams of playing in the MLB one day, and I love that he wants to shoot for the stars. Watching his face light up when he saw the field was just precious. My biggest boy’s eyes were shining, too. *grabs tissue*

Four days in Colorado was enough to convince us to return as soon as we’re able to, and I’m still giddy that we had this memorable trip!

Have you been to Denver? I’d love to hear some of your hiking recommendations if you have them. We hope to explore lots of trails next time we make it out that way!

‘Til next time, CO! You were everything we hoped you’d be…

And MORE!