In the last few years, our family has truly embraced the power of a staycation (a vacation where you stay in your state). Whether it’s been a hotel in town or a couple hour drive to the mountains, we have learned that you don’t need a plane ticket to get to a place of solace, relaxation and some rejuvenation.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed with life and feel that our family is all going in different directions and in dire need of some together time, I dream about a vacation. Dreaming about vacation time is my way of temporarily checking out mentally and imagining the possibilities of a break from it all.
My son has been doing sports back to back to back since the end of summer. Soccer, football and then basketball. As fun as those things are for us to participate in, they can take a toll on our family life, and the cohesivity it takes to make a household run well. So, awhile back, my husband and I decided to plan a staycation as soon as basketball was done.
Here’s a little staycation list of the places we’ve recently visited and the fun things we have found to do there with kids of all ages:
- Lake Granby, CO. This place is gorgeous. We absolutely were in awe of the beauty that makes up this town. Of course there is the gorgeous lake and mountain views, but there is a peacefulness and solace in this place that you just don’t get in other mountain towns. We have kids ranging from 2-12 and we found a VRBO home that caters to us all. Going when there was a lot of snow was fun because we had sledding hills right outside our front door and a hot tub to soak our sore muscles afterwards. There are plenty of hiking trails ranging from all different skill levels. We tried the Monarch Lake trail which I would say is appropriate for hikers ages 10 and above. Only 20 minutes away are the Hot Sulphur Springs which are always a hit with the whole family.
- Keystone, CO. This is another gorgeous ski town that truly knows how to show a family a good time. One way we maximized our time there was by going with some close friends and their kids. We rented a very large home through Airbnb which had an amazing hot tub on a deck, a fully finished basement with pool tables, large screen TVs, game consoles and a full wet bar. Bringing other families with kids is always great because they feel like it’s a huge sleepover/playdate and they give you more time to relax and visit with adults. While in Keystone, we enjoyed some of their beautiful hiking trails, rented bikes and took long rides on their paved trails. We decided to treat ourselves on the last day there and rented a boat to take the family on beautiful Lake Dillon.
- Divide, CO. We love to staycate here because it is a quick drive up through the mountains. From our house, it only took about 45 minutes to get to our rental house. So you get the feel of being in the mountains and away from it all, but you don’t have to drive far to get there. Although we didn’t explore to much of the town, renting a nice, comfortable home is important when you plan on staying in most of the time. This specific home came with a hot tub, a beautiful big kitchen, a sauna and a massage chair! We had the time with family we needed to regroup and relax so that when we went back home, we were all ready to tackle school and work.
We have visited many other places in Colorado including Breckenridge a couple of times and had a true staycation by visiting hotels in town. No matter where you decide to go for your staycation, make sure to make family a priority. Don’t plan too many activities if what you need is down time and reconnection with your spouse and/or kids. I’d much rather save some money and take a quick weekend trip to the mountains, then spend it on clothes or eating out. Realizing your priorities in life will make it easy to book that next adventure!
Need more staycation ideas? Check out Colorado Springs Moms Blog “Travel Colorado” series here.
