We just got back from Crested Butte,Co and it was amazingly beautiful. Our kids had never seen the snow being from Texas so we decided Colorado was our best bet. We decided to go the week before Spring Break to avoid crowds. We flew into Gunnison airport which was only about 35 minutes from Crested Butte which was perfect for us. When we landed in Gunnison we had a few hours to kill so we decided to try The Gunnisack for lunch. This place was so kid friendly which we loved. They brought out boxes of legos for the kids to play with and as soon as the kids food was ready they brought it out. I hate when places leave the kids food sitting while they prepare the adults meals. Just bring the kids food out. It helps the parents. Trust me. Anyway kudos to the Gunnisack for being so kid friendly and for serving us a great lunch. I told Chase I would have eaten there everyday because the kids stayed happy the entire meal and the food was good. After lunch the kids just could not wait to play in the snow so we snuck off and made a few snowballs so we could sneak attack dad when he came outside. The kids that it was hilarious to get Chase.
After we dusted off all the snow we made the drive to Crested Butte. It was a fairly easy drive but the road conditions weren’t great so we just took it nice and easy. I could tell we weren’t in Texas anymore with the climb up the mountain. My vision got a bit blurry and our tempers got a bit short.
We stopped off at the Clark’s grocery store before we made our way to the house we rented. Pro Tip: If you are picky about brands and products make sure you bring it with you. This was a cute little store but did not carry everything we were looking for. IE: Chicken Nuggets.
I’m so glad we rented a little townhouse. It made our stay so much more enjoyable and wasn’t cramped like being in a hotel. Plus we could just walk right outside to play in the snow. It really made for a great time. The kids just loved the snow. We made snow angels, had snow ball fights, and even made a little snowman. I brought a little snowman face kit from home that I bought at target like 8 years ago. The kids were so excited to have a hat and eyes and nose for frosty.
We decided to try out the Wooden Nickel the first night for dinner. The food did not disappoint. Chase got the Elk Tenderloin which I snuck a bite of. It was soooooo juicy and really good. I went with my standard filet which was also really good. The wooden nickel was a really cute place. It’s a bar and restaurant and was a really great atmosphere. The kids could be a little louder than normal without any worries.
After dinner we headed back to the townhouse. We were all really exhausted and feeling the effects of the change in altitude so we decided bed time would come early.
The kids were up nice and early the next morning so we headed straight outside to play in the snow. Emma loved to climbed the little snow hill in front of the townhouse and John was all about making snowballs. We headed into town for lunch and found THE BEST pizza place called The Secret Stash Pizzeria. Literally the best pizza and a great atmosphere. I highly suggested it if you ever visit Crested Butte.
The one thing that Emma consistently asked to do before we left was to Ice Skate. We decided to give it a go. There was a cute little inclosed ice rink at the CB Nordic center so we were able to rent skates there. We were the only ones on the ice which is a blessing. Emma really enjoyed it but John wasn’t big enough to hold himself up on the skates yet, His poor ankle kept rolling over.
While we were in town we found the sweetest little toy store called Poohs Corner. We wanted to find an indoor activity to keep us entertained, we settled on Lego Sets. It did the job and helped the kids rest so they could acclimate to the Altitude a bit.
After legos it was more play time in the snow and then dinner at Coal Creek Grill. I had the BEST Hummus appetizer and Herb Crusted Trout. The chef apparently was asked to be a chef at The White House. It really showed because everything was amazing and the wine was great too.
Our last day is Crested Butte was super Sunny which was not ideal to play in the snow. Emma’s eyes are very sensitive. So we headed back to Elk Ave to do some shopping. Our townhouse was close enough to drive to Elk Ave but with the kids it was easier to drive and not have to carry them through the snow. We stopped at Mountain Top T-Shirts and found several shirts that made their way back to Texas. Since the sun was out we thought Ice cream sounded nice so we stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory. How I made it out of that store without Chocolate is nothing short of a miracle. The kids enjoyed their ice-cream and thought it was funny to eat ice-cream while it was snowing outside. I really loved the town of Crested Butte. Elk Ave looked like it was straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie.
It snowed 10 inches on our last day so our afternoon play session was in blizzard like conditions. Emma and John loved it. We got a snow ball maker and John thought it was the best thing. Overall we had a great trip. We did end up spending 5 hours at the airport with delays but the kids were so amazing that it wasn’t as stressful as you would think. I think next time we will Ski when we visit. The skiing is supposed to be amazing. We wanted to wait another year for the kids to be older but it was a great introduction to the snow for our Texas Babies. We will be back to visit for sure.
