THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO

There's lots to do in Breckenridge for everyone of all ages! Whether you are looking for activities that are family friendly or if you’re looking to plan a date with your significant other there is plenty to do. Let’s get started on some of my favorite things to do during the spring, besides skiing!

Getting to Breckenridge from Denver

By car - Breckenridge is a 2 hour drive from Denver, roughly 104 miles from the Denver Airport. Take I-70 West to Frisco (exit 203). Continue south on Hwy. 9 to Breckenridge.

If you’re coming east from the Eagle County Regional Airport, take I-70 East to Frisco (exit 203). Turn right onto Hwy. 9 and head South nine miles to Breckenridge.

Shuttle Service - You can book a door-to-door shared shuttle service to anywhere in Breckenridge starting at $59 with Peak One Express. They have daily scheduled shuttles to transport to and from the Denver Airport, you can book here.

Going skiing or snowboarding?

If you happen to own your own snowboard and skis go ahead and ignore this part! But if you are looking to rent either a snowboard or skis the best place I’ve seen for rentals is Rent Skis. They have 7 different convenient locations around Breckenridge, with a variety of equipment to rent. While visiting I rented a pair of performance skis for $67.50 a day with boots and helmet included. This was my first time skiing and needed some skis that would be stiffer when it came to higher speeds, since these are designed for beginners that’s what I went with. There is Demo and Sport skis for the more experienced and confident skier for a few dollars more.

Time to hit the slopes!

Depending on where you want to go, start at the base of every trail and take the ski lift up. Breckenridge is a great place for skiers of all abilities, although depending on your skill level you can choose between beginner, intermediate, and expert ski slopes. One of the best peaks for beginners is Peak 9, especifically the Quicksilver lift, which is the lift I took when I went skiing since it was my first time. The lifts open everyday at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m

*Fun Fact - The highest ski lift in North America is located in Breckenridge, The Imperial Express Superchair goes up 12,840 feet (3,914 m ) to the top of Peak 8.

Breckenridge Trail Map

Stroll through Main Street

This might seem like a no-brainer but there is so many stores to shop at, preferably in the early morning when all the stores are opening up and there isn’t a rush of people in each store.

Once you arrive downtown stop by Breckenridge Welcome Center to pick up a map with illustrations of the town’s most recommended shops and restaurants. The welcome center also happens to have a mini museum with exhibits about the town’s history, so while you’re there take a quick look. There is no public bathrooms available in the stores, but there is bathrooms available downstairs at the welcome center.

Main Street is only about a mile and a half walking, so started walking south on one side of the street and made our way back north on the opposite side of the street and we would purchase our souvenirs along the way. A few things I like to purchase when visiting a new town include postcards, magnets and souvenir pins.

Almost each store has great souvenirs such as magnets, key chains, and postcards just your regular souvenir items. Depending on what you are shopping for I would suggest going to a few different stores before purchasing since every store is different and are priced differently.

Visit a museum

Edwin Carter Discovery Center is Breckenridge’s natural history museum, packed with beautifully preserved taxidermy wildlife that Professor Edwin Carter evaluated.

Barney Ford House Museum is an incredible piece of history with an inspirational story about Barney Ford’s life. Mr. Ford was an escaped slave that went on to become a wealthy entrepreneur and an activist for African American’s civil rights. There’s a lot of interesting artifacts of Mr. Ford’s life and all his accomplishments.

Summit Ski Museum shows the history of skiing in Breckenridge along with vintage clothing and skis on a visual timeline that shows the evolution of skis and clothing.

All three museums are free admission with a $5 suggested donation and open on the weekends Friday to Sunday 10 am to 3 pm.

Go on a historic or haunted walking tour

As I post more of my travels you’ll see I love going on walking tours, I highly recommend going on the Breckenridge Haunted Tour. It was exciting and full of information about the historic past of Breckenridge. We started our walking tour by meeting at the welcome center, when we arrived we found out we were the only ones that booked a tour so we started by visiting the Barney Ford House Museum. Our tour consisted of historic information, interesting stories, and paranormal encounters among the town’s residents. He informed us about the mysterious disappearance of the largest piece of gold ever found in Colorado, and multiple paranormal stories of ghostly apparitions. Before our tour ended we did visit a number of different locations, such as The Gold Pan Saloon and the Briggle family home. So if you’re thinking about going on a thrilling ghost tour click here to book your tickets. Most tours start at 7:30 pm check their calendar to book ahead.

If you’re not a fan of haunted tours an alternative is to go on a historic tour with my recommendation of a Walk Through History Tour. Learn all about the beautiful historic buildings and cabins! To book a tour filled with history and information click here to book your tickets. You can find more on tours here.

Epic Discovery at Breckenridge

Take a ride on the Gondola located on 170 Watson Avenue, to the top of the mountain to enjoy a afternoon of outdoor activities. The BreckConnect Gondola is free and is available 9:00am - 6:00pm. Once you get off the Gondola head over to the ticket office located at the top of the mountain for multiple outdoor activities, here’s a list of activities you’ll find:

Go zip-lining, ride roller coasters, go down slides, get lost in a maze, get on multiple rides, go rock climbing wall, even pan for gemstones, and there’s even a bounce house and a bungee trampoline! But my favorite of all is the mini golf course, enjoy a game of mini-golf with an amazing view of the mountains! Overall it’s a great place to pass some time at. Click here for a map of activities.

Open 7 days a week from June 14 – Sept 2, 2019, and Friday-Sunday during Sept 6 – 8.

After a long day of running around town we started to feel a little run down and a little sick. We stopped by Breckenridge Market Liquor Store on Ridge Street to grab a few snacks and I was surprised to find myself laughing at how big the chip bags were. Since the elevation in Breckenridge is 9,600 feet the chip bags looked like they were about to pop!

So after we got some snacks which consisted of fruit, chocolate, and a bag of swollen chips we headed to the O2 Lounge to get a dose of oxygen to help with out our lightheadedness. Once we got there we ordered a few smoothies, strawberry banana and orange tangerine, to relax along with our hour of oxygen.

While getting oxygen you have the option of having a 15, 30, or 45 minute session or purchasing a small, medium or large can of oxygen. We opted for two 30 minute sessions for $20 a person.

There was four different types of oxygen fragrances you could choose from such as Energy which consists of a spearmint, sage and nutmeg essential oil blend. Joy which includes a blend of citrus such as lemon, grapefruit and orange. Relaxation which is a blend of tangerine, ylanq ylanq extract *helps lower blood pressure, and dark patchouli *helps reduce stress and anxiety. Lastly, Clarity which has frankincense *reduce feelings of anxiety and stimulate the immune system, wild lavender, and helichrysum italicum *anti-inflammatory. We decided to get Joy and it was quite nice, it was a light smell and not overpowering.

Once the sun went down it got even colder outside so we used our map to search for something fun to do. We headed over to Downstairs At Eric's which was humorous to me because my boyfriend’s name is Eric. While we were there we decided to order carryout because there was over an hour wait so we ordered a pepperoni pizza with jalapenos at the bar area and waited in the arcade in the meantime. They had plenty of games to keep us busy such as Mario Kart driving game, pinball machines, and even a beer-pong game such as the one Eric is playing in the picture above. Once we got our pizza we headed home for the evening.

Although our night ended with pizza, your night could end with swiss mac and cheese with a side of absinthe? Breckenridge is the first location I’ve come across where they have a absinthe bar, and it being half restaurant isn’t bad itself. If you’re looking to continue your night or have a fun time with friends I would check it out!

Where to eat + drink

Downstairs at Eric’s - one of my all time favorite places to get pizza! As I mentioned in my post earlier we got a pepperoni and jalapeno pizza, the sauce was so fresh and delicious, plus the crust was crispy! *the wings are great there too!

Giampietro Pasta & Pizzeria - although they have pizza here I would suggest getting pasta, personally the chicken alfredo is my go-to order, but I think next time I’ll try their Bolognese because that looked pretty good too! Eric on the other hand enjoys the Spaghetti with Spicy Italian Sausage or Spaghetti with Meatballs depending if he’s feeling the spice that day, but both are pretty good, I’ll admit I stole a bite or two! *Portions are decently big!

The Crown - I guarantee that this is the best place for hot chocolate! The Crown makes the most delicious cinnamon buns and even better hot chocolate, just the best trust me on this one!

Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant and Cantina - my personal favorite is the pozole verde, a hearty soup of chicken and hominy corn served with veggies such as red radish, green cabbage, cilantro and diced onion. A very colorful but delicious soup! In the cold winter this is a great option! Eric is a big fan of the enchilada trio which consisted of 3 different types of enchiladas, chicken & sour cream, Yucatán chicken, spinach & mushroom, with a side of rice and beans.

Starlight Dinners at Ten Mile Station - overall a unique dining experience, we started by arriving at The Maggie located at the base of Peak 9 and quickly got on our sleigh that would take us to the top of Peak 9. There we arrived to Ten Mile Station where we were seated and served a delicious 5 course meal of Colorado cuisine. The food was delicious and the service was excellent, it was a beautiful place to spent my 2 year anniversary date with Eric.

And if you’re looking for a place to stay in Breckenridge, here are my picks:

The Corral at Breckenridge - affordable, cozy and comfy cabin vibes all around.
The Village at Breckenridge - close to Breckenridge Ski Resort, free breakfast and delicious food, with an airport shuttle on site, and ski rental conveniently located.
The Lodge at Breckenridge - beautiful mountain lodge sits on a cliff just one mile from the center of town, pet friendly, free breakfast and restaurant onsite.
Gravity Haus - luxury hotel within a more affordable range, pet friendly, and bathhouse that features 4 hot tubs, a cold tub and a sauna.

That wraps up my visit to Breckenridge! If you happen to visit, grab a cup of hot chocolate for me!

Did I miss any spots that you think are worth visiting? - Let me know in the comments!