Since our kids have been born we’ve dreamed of taking them on a Breckenridge ski trip. We love this iconic city so much, our son’s middle name is Breck. Our South Florida kids have finally reached good ages to give skiing a go – Wynn (6) and Nixon (8). We’re swapping our swimsuits for skis!
My Florida kids have grown up at the beach and even get chilly when the temps drop to low 70s. We didn’t know how they’d react to the cold, putting on all the layers, and even going to ski school. We’ll share with you our family ski trip planning tips, what to expect at ski school, where to stay and especially fun things to do in Breck!
Ultimate Breckenridge Ski Trip with Kids
Where To Stay
There’s 6 things to look for when booking a ski resort if you want a stress-free & fun trip. Find a place to say that has these perks and amenities:
- Proximity to a ski lift is ideal, especially with kids. You want ski in and ski out. Getting kids suited up is hard enough, the closer you are to the slopes, the better.
- In resort ski rentals or nearby. Who wants to be lugging around boots, skis and helmets. Check to see if the resort has lockers to hold your equipment too.
- Food & restaurant options in the resort. Being able to grab a quick breakfast before the slopes or if you decide you’re too tired for your dinner reservation in town, having an option at the resort is clutch.
- Firepit & good après ski vibes. There’s nothing better than coming off the mountain, grabbing a seat by the fire, ordering a drink, and listening to good music.
- Endless amenities. Beyond proximity to the mountain, a good resort should have games, pool/hot tubs, and things to do when you’re not on the mountain.
- Free bus shuttles into Breckenridge Village. No car, no problem.
During our Breckenridge ski trip we spent 4 nights at Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center and it checked all of our boxes:
- The resort is ski in ski out and located right by ski lifts: Beaver Run Superchair & Quicksilver Super 6 (our favorite lift because its all green runs for the kids…and me!)
- Breck Sports ski rentals is located in the building. PLUS if you’re staying at Beaver Run Resort you can save 20% off your rentals.
- If you’re looking for a Breckenridge ski school, it’s also located right outside the resort for kids and adults.
- Free bus shuttles to and from the village.
- Amenities: indoor/outdoor pool, steam room, sauna, firepit, 8 hot tubs (outside with mountain views), arcade, indoor mini golf and games, darts, pool tables to name a few!
- The resort has great après ski area with a massive fire pit, a beer truck outside and a dj playing.
See our full review of Beaver Run Resort & Conference Center.
Shopping & Dining on Main Street
Breckenridge Village is a picturesque downtown. Packed full of unique shops and restaurants on Main Street with colorful storefront signs. The village is a popular place, day and night – make sure to make dinner reservations ahead of time. Places fill up quick!
Some of the places we dined in Breck:
- Motherloaded Tavern: our kid’s favorite meal was here, because of their chicken & waffles.
- Downstairs at Eric’s: more than just food. Plan to spend an hour or so here burning through cash playing in their arcade. Be prepared to wait, they don’t take reservations and the place is a hot spot for families.
- Hearthstone Restaurant: more upscale American steakhouse located in a historic house.
- Breckenridge Brewery & Pub: local microbrewery right on the south end of Main Street offering craft beers & pub grub.
- BreckFAST: good and FAST sit down breakfast. Yummy breakfast sandwiches and cheesy potatoes. Bloody mary’s were great too.
- BoLD: Mediterranean inspired food. Try the spanakopita and meze board.
- I Scream Gelato: this might be the best I’ve had – I ordered the caramel gelato with heath bar topping. I can’t wait to visit their Miami location!
- Bangkok Happy Bowl Thai Bistro and Sushi Bar: we loved the red curry and egg rolls. Our kids love a big bowl of white rice too. Our sushi was just ok.
- Mi Casa: we totally love this Mexican cantina, and it’s an ideal spot for Apres as well. In the bar area for Apres, it’s help yourself and complimentary chips and salsa, and nachos. Massive cheap deals on drinks and apps too, always a good vibe here.
If you’re looking for Breck swag or a unique Colorado store, you’ll find multiple shops on Main Street! You could easily spend a whole day going into stores.
Breck Kidz has adorable one-of-a-kind clothing and Peak-a-Boo Toys store you’ll have to pull your kids out of as they won’t want to leave. We swore off any more stuffed animals aka “stuffies” but our kids conned us into 2 more.
Hitting the Snow
Breckenridge Ski School
Ski school was a must for our Florida kids. If you’re a skiing or snowboard newbie, just spend the money and go to school. Ski school is expensive, but worth it. While the kids were at ski school, Brandon and I got a ski date.
We purchased ski lessons through Breckenridge.com – see all their lessons & rates. Ski school was right next to our resort, Beaver Run. It made for convenient drop off.
What is ski school drop off like?
There’s 2 groups based on age: 3-6 years and 7-14 years. Drop off is simple, the instructor signs your child in, asks a few questions on their skiing level and provides a security tag you need to pick up your child. Around 9am the kids are already outside learning the basics and you can watch them. Lunch is around 11:30, and pickup is at 3pm.
How much does ski school cost?
Ski school is expensive, but worth it. It cost us around $350-$400 per kid for group lessons for 1 full day. A full day is from 9am-3pm and the price includes the ski lift ticket. If you’re an Epic passholder, it will be cheaper. We decided to pay for 1 day and see how they did, lucky they picked it up well.
Ski School Tips:
- Get to ski school drop off early. It’s like every school, the drop off lines get long quick!
- After the lesson, if your kids are ready, take them down a green hill to see how they do. Especially if they won’t be in school the next day.
- Make sure your kids are warm (obviously). Layers, hand warmers and toe warmers!
World’s Most Expensive Babysitter
Not only did ski school teach our little ones the tools to ski but my husband and I got a ski date from the world’s most expensive babysitter. While the kids learned “French fry” and “pizza” essentials, Brandon and I hit the slopes and stopped for suds between peaks.
If you’re looking for a ski break with great views, here’s great Breckenridge mountain dining stops that serve adult beverages too:
- T Bar: The legendary après hot spot at the base of Peak 8. Great views of the terrain park.
- Vista Haus: Atop the Colorado SuperChair on Peak 8, it has beautiful panoramic views of the Breck.
- Tenmile Station: Breck’s largest on-mountain patio! Enjoy breakfast, lunch, grab n’ go, and an outdoor BBQ atop the Quicksilver SuperChair on Peak 9.
- See all on-mountain dining options.
SOS Mountain Patrol
Our 2nd day out, we passed on ski school and headed out solo as a family. Being used to tank tops and flip flops, getting dressed for winter and the slopes might be the hardest part. Putting on multiple warm layers and ski boots is not fun. Don’t forget the hand and toe warmers!
By the time we finally got dressed and got to the Quicksilver Super 6 chairlift, we hit the weekend traffic and had to wait in a line for at least 30 minutes. At that point I was questioning do I really enjoy skiing this much? Would the cost of this trip equate to another week in the Bahamas at Baha Mar? Those negative thoughts melted as soon as we got on the ski lift.
The kids crushed their first run on all greens. We decided to go up a shorter line at Beaver Run Superchair lift which takes you to mostly blues. Our lift riders informed us that Bonanza is an easy family-friendly blue to ride down.
Boy was that chair lift a mistake. Here we are 13,195 feet up with our children who have had one day of skiing under their belt. We quickly realize Wynn is “pizza-ing” full speed down a steep blue with no clue how to even stop or fall properly. After about an hour of trying to side shuffle down. Nixon and I left to go find help (internet is spotty on the mountain).
Near the base we found a ski instructor with 6 little snowboarders, who gave us the non-emergency number. Nixon and I got a grabbed a table, snacks and drinks (I needed a beer stat) while we waited for them to come down. Twenty minutes later we see Wynn being pulled by sled by a Breck Mountain Patrol (thank you!) She loved her sled ride down and thankfully wasn’t shaken up by the whole thing. Greens the rest of the trip!
Breckenridge non-emergency mountain help number: (970) 496-7292.
Our Favorite “Safe” Ski Runs For Kids
These all green runs are accessible by taking the Quicksilver Superchair up:
- Haunted forest: This run is so fun. Weave in the woods with spooky music and non-scary monsters hiding among the trees.
- Silverthorn: near the base this one does have a steep hill, but you have a slower option to go down.
- Lower Sundown
- Frontier: Wide open trail that was not crowded when we were there.
- Red Rover
See the Breckenridge Trail Map
Breckenridge Ski Trip – Après Ski
Translates to “after ski”, après ski might be my favorite part of skiing! Fresh off the slopes stop at any base bar, grab a drink and listen to good music. Most locations have a fire you can warm up by too. Beaver Run actually has a great spot.
Things to do in Breckenridge, CO
Beyond skiing during you’re Breckenridge ski trip, there is so much more to explore in Breck!
The Breckenridge Troll
A short drive (or walk) from Main Street you’ll find Isak Hearthstone. The famous 15 foot wooden Breckenridge Troll. See how to find it.
Gondola is Free
The Breckenridge Gondola is a free ride all year-round! Take the ride up to peak 8 where you can purchase lift tickets, enjoy food and drinks at the popular T Bar, or even ice skate at the Grand Colorado resort.
Ice Skating
Once you’ve taken the Gondola up to peak 8, right at Grand Colorado is an ice rink! The views are beautiful and it only costs around $15 per kid.
Snow Tubing
There’s a few locations to snow tube around Breckenridge! One of the only locations in Breck is located on the south end of High Street at Carter Park near the elementary school. There’s more tubing hills nearby at Keystone Ski Resort, The Frisco Adventure Park, and Copper Mountain.
Read about the time we went ice tubing in Florida!
Dog Sledding
Looking to do dog sledding during your Breckenridge ski trip? Good Time Adventure‘s is the only spot in the area. It was on our todo list but spots filled up quick! They also offer snowmobiling excursions.
Meow Wolf in Denver
If you’re flying into Denver, make sure to add a few hours to your time before (or after) heading to Breckenridge to visit Meow Wolf. This is an out of this world interactive art experience you have to visit. My family spent 3 hours here getting lost in different rooms.
Breckenridge Events
During winter in Breckenridge there are 2 can’t miss events:
The last week of January is the International Snow Sculpture Championships. Snow artist have 5 days to transform 25-ton blocks of snow into pieces of art using no power tools.
Ullr Fest, a wild time while the locals pray to the Norse God, Ullr, for snow! This is an annual fest, where the locals do just that, get together and party in hopes of fresh powder to fall.
There’s a parade down Main Street, where partygoers dress up and make parade floats. A must see! There’s also a yearly competition between Park City and Breck on who has the longest running shot ski. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people line Main St, with countless skis connected to each other all to take the worlds longest shot ski together!
Looking for non-winter things to do in Breckenridge? Here’s some yearly events to do in the summer and fall months.
- July: 4th of July celebrations, Summer Beer Festival, and Food & Wine Festival
- August: Breck Epic (Bike race), Breckenridge International Festival of Arts, Breckenridge Wine Classic
- September: Breck Film Fest, Breckenridge Oktoberfest, and Strings Ciders, and Sours
Are you planning a Breckenridge Ski Trip? Let me know if you have any question – comment below!
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