Most people think of traveling somewhere warm for spring break, such as Cancun, Mexico or Miami Beach. For my spring break travels, I did the exact opposite and left Miami to head to Denver. After a nerve-wracking red-eye flight on an American Airlines 737 Max 8 headed west (they were grounded in the US only a few hours after we arrived), we were finally in Denver!
Of course, on our first morning, there was a blizzard - or bomb cyclone as it was being called - and we were sheltered in for most of the day but did take some time to experience it in its earlier stages. Thankfully, there was a beautiful park and reservoir near our AirBnB. Despite the blizzard, it proved to be a nice time enjoying our AirBnB home and watching mother nature from inside.
The next morning, we got up bright and early considering there were lingering effects from the previous day’s storm and made our way west and upward to the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. The drive was a very careful yet unpredictable one as our car was not exactly a “snow” vehicle despite having all weather tires. Additionally, the melted and iced over snow made road conditions dangerous. I must give my props to the snow plow drivers as they did an amazing job in less than 24 hours. If it wasn’t for their hard work, we would’ve never made it all the way up. As @Shirley would advise - make sure you have snow tires.
Being from Miami, our group was laughably underdressed for our ski and snowboarding lessons, but thanks to their rental shop, we were equipped and we all hit the slopes for the first time ever. It was an incredible experience being on that fresh snow and learning about the history of the area and the art of skiing. Lessons were very cheap compared to other locations.
Anyone who has ever done these type of winter sports knows that it can be absolutely draining, so in classic Local Guides fashion, we paid a visit to the Bighorn Bistro, which was in the Keystone, Co area. Delicious food, brews, and views were waiting for us as we rushed to their happy hour offerings.
The next morning, while browsing Google Maps, a large area caught my eye and that’s when I saw the magic of Google Maps in exploring areas around me. We were only minutes from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. We followed the encouraging reviews by Local Guides and it was an exhilarating experience exploring the refuge. Tons of wildlife, including bison and prairie dogs, and absolute natural beauty all throughout. At one point, near the center of the refuge, you could hear a pin drop - it was so serene and peaceful. Best of all, this experience was free!
Working up an appetite, we drove to Stanley Marketplace, which used to be a former aviation engineering plant and the history and theming is spread throughout the entire marketplace. With tons of shops and eateries, we had our eyes and stomachs ready for the Denver Biscuit Company. These weren’t your nana’s biscuits either - we’re talking a full gourmet journey with magically large and buttery biscuits. I’ll let the photos do the explaining.
After our mind-blowing meal, we explored the city center a bit more, including the areas around Larimer Square and Union Station. This included delicious pasta from a really amazing food hall we found called the Milk Market.
The final day, we were off to another mountain adventure in Winter Park, Co and had reservations for a 2 hour snowmobiling rental - something we had never done before but looked forward to. We rented with Great Adventures Snowmobiling Tours (excellent and affordable folks, by the way!). Once again, we were underdressed but equipped properly as the temperatures higher into the mountains reached lows we hadn’t experienced yet. Snowmobiling eventually ended up being the highlight of our trip. The rush of driving these mobile machines and the views that are presented to the riders within the mountains are worth every penny and are breathtaking.
Since we were in Winter Park, we decided to explore the mountain town and what it had to offer, which includes a great meal at Deno’s Mountain Bistro - another location we selected based on reviews from other Local Guides. Simply put, we were not disappointed. The service and dishes were some of the best we had our entire trip.
And of course, a visit to a new city meant that I HAD to grab a donut at some point. With many great options out there, we decided to visit the Habit Donut Dispensary. Even at a late hour, the quality and flavors of the donuts were so delicious and unique and held up well.
The next morning, we were off to our flight back to Miami (had to take a photo of the ever-so-cool Frontier planes to pay homage to @DDuangnet ), but we laughed and recalled our experiences and trip to Denver. Considering all the different destinations we could have visited with our budget, we did not regret leaving the other spring breakers here in Miami to try out new things and explore what Colorado had to offer. We definitely will return!
. Glad you enjoyed your spring break. That donut pic reminded me of the ones in at Google HQ during CL18!
But thank you so much V! I honestly think it takes a lot of guts to slide down 1000 feet haha and now I want to do that!