Before multigenerational travel was the top travel trend for 2018, our family was ziplining at Barahona, finding paradise in Punta Rucia, “roughing” it at a local spot in Mexico, and exploring serious charm in Charleston + Savannah. This summer we added vacationing in Colorado (Steamboat Springs), a road trip, and my Cuban aunt to our multigenerational travel’s repertoire.
That’s not to say we don’t totally annoy each other. My mom’s anxiety drives me bonkers and my limited patience makes her crazy. My dad’s aloofness and ability to get lost like a 4-year old is astounding and everyone just loooooooves Husband… which is so totally 🤮. And that doesn’t even include the kids, which Holy Mary, Mother of… But all in all, we’d all say that the memories outweigh the grievances.
Today we’re taking a look at some whole family fun in Steamboat Springs and giving you tips on how to do it right!
Before I go any further, here’s tip #1: If you are staying at a hotel with a concierge, I highly suggest you use that resource! They are experts to the area and know all. the. things. This was the first time we did this because Husband wanted to make sure we did our first visit to Colorado right. We sat down with Lisa Suzanski, our concierge at the Sheraton Resort, and told her we were looking for high fun, affordable, and things we could do with our whole travel group — two small kids, three older family members (one of which might need the occasional wheelchair) and a partridge.. you get it. Lisa helped us live our best life — like the Oprah of Steamboat Springs.
T U B I N G t h e y a m p a
My parents skipped this one to stay with out elderly aunt, but considering they’ve gone zip-lining with us, I know they’d have loved it. We could have gone at it with a tour but with Lisa’s help we planned to jump in at Mt. Werner and hop out at Hippie Hot Springs (not it’s actual name but how locals know it).
“When you pass a railroad track and go under a bridge — you’re close,” she said. (Husband loves these kinds of directions.) This dropped us off a 5 minute walk to town which was where we headed afterwards for Happy Hour tacos and margs. In total, tubing took an hour and a half and was, for me, the best thing we did while vacationing in Colorado!
T i p s:
- By suggestion of our concierge Oprah friend, we went to Walmart and bought our own river tubes to save money.
- If you have small kids, consider having them sit on your lap instead of getting them their own tube. The tubes are one size and while the river was super kid-friendly, our 5 and 6 year old would not have been able to navigate it alone and I would have been stressed trying to keep them next to me. It also saved money buying 2 less tubes.
- Water shoes. Trust me when I say, no one hates water shoes like this gal – because fashion – but what a lifesaver they would have been when we got stuck in low water and had to walk across river rocks holding an over-sized tube and a kid.
- And, duh. Next time — a cooler of beer!
F i s h C r e e k F a l l s
Fish Creek Falls was a great way to spend part of our day and only $5 per car to park. My aunt needed a wheelchair for this adventure, so we opted not to hike the trails and go straight to the falls. The kids loved climbing rocks and meeting chipmunk friends (Daughter really hoped to take one home) and I, of course, held their hands tight near every edge, turn, and danger point (which for me is everywhere because #icannothelpit)
If getting down the hill with a wheelchair was hard…
My family managed to do most the heavy lifting but some volunteers from the Fire Department came to our aid at the last leg. Gotta love helpful (and cute) Colorado boys.
T i p s:
- Even if you’re not hiking the trails, wear closed toed shoes.
- The chipmunks are friendly. One jumped into my aunt’s purse. Probably best not to feed them.
H o t S p r i n g s
The words natural hot springs sounds like something out of a spa brochure so Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs was a hell yes for me. Other than the grouchy attendant who told us we wouldn’t be able to get there with a wheelchair (he obviously didn’t see us at Fish Creek Falls), our time here was glorious. There are different pools of varying temperature, an available massage therapist, and onsite lodging that we discovered later while exploring the grounds with the kids. There are areas to sit back and unwind and food is only allowed in picnic areas.
T i p s:
- Hot springs are, wait for it… hot — so get there early in the morning or later afternoon/evening when it’s cool.
R o d e o
Every Friday night the rodeo comes to town. Well, actually, the rode is always in town but this Friday night we attended. There’s bull riding, bareback riding, barrel racing, and roping. My mom and aunt grew up on a tobacco farm in Cuba so they were looking forward to checking out the rodeo.
But if I’m honest…
I came for the BBQ: the Rib Plate, the BBQ Beef Plate, the Chicken Plate, the Combo Plate. The beer.
My favorite part though was watching our Second Little run in the “Ram Scramble” where they tie a ribbon to a lamb and let it loose and all the little kids run around the arena trying to grab the ribbon. Don’t worry, the lamb was fine as it’s faster than all the kids; it was a riot to watch. Eventually the rodeo workers cornered the lamb and let one of the kids grab the ribbon but between you and me — my kid was the fastest and would have taken the prize had they not intervened. 😉
T i p s:
1. For BBQ and music before the rodeo, get there when the doors open at 5:30.
2. Bring something warm to wear. We went at the end of June – summer – and it was frigid af after the sun went down, hence my fleece.
3. Be prepared to talk to your kids about it. Daughter wasn’t particularly a fan of all the roping and I can’t say I blamed her.
Coming soon: Keep your eyes peeled for more about our multigenerational travels this summer including the road trip from Colorado back to NJ and why our stay at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort was amazeballs!
P.S. West Village playground food tour that’ll delight parents & kids and Breathtaking Photos from Playa Rincón
