Trip motivation
In May 2019, one of our friends received a company benefit of a week at a cabin in Colorado with bedrooms to spare, so we flew to Denver and enjoyed this mostly low-key holiday weekend with friends
Flight: BNA to DEN
Getting There: Nashville (BNA) to Denver (DEN) Fri 2:20-4:15p (2h 55m)
Coming Back: DEN to BNA Tue 5:30p-9p (2h 30m)
Using Southwest Points
Ben + Jenn: 12k points/person RT
Carter + Ellie: Companion pass for Carter! Ellie was a free lap-baby at the time.
We transferred our Chase points to Southwest. We love flying Southwest Airlines. At this point in time, we had a Companion Pass so Carter could fly for free. Companion Passes are a perk of getting a ton of Southwest miles in a year from flying or from Credit Card sign-ups . This is an amazing perk and we took advantage of the kids flying for free when we had the pass. You can earn Southwest points from Southwest Credit Cards or by transferring Chase points using the Chase portal.
Airport Lounges and Other Perks
When traveling with layovers or to new cities, we always check the website of the airport and the Priority Pass Lounge website prior to the trip (link here). The Chase Sapphire Reserve card (in addition to others) comes with Priority Pass, which gives you access to lounges at various airports. Often, it is more common internationally. Although no longer available, at the time of our visit, we visited a steakhouse on the pass where we got fancy steak dinners with drinks, kids meals, and desserts all for free.
Another perk we get from several credit cards is Global Entry/PreCheck. PreCheck is a program that offers faster TSA lines at airports. There are separate lines for PreCheck travelers, and you don’t have to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, etc. It is amazing and has saved us so much time and makes it SO much easier to travel with kids. For more on this benefit and how to use a credit card to receive it for free, see here.
SUV Rental
We rented an SUV through Costco travel for $250 for the weekend. A little pricey, but it was a holiday weekend. We ended up getting a budget rental Large SUV. Now Carter wants a Nissan Pathfinder too… For more info on car rentals and the best credit card to use, see this post.
Denver Hotel
We arrived late and stayed at the Hyatt Place near the airport for 8k pts. Even though it wasn’t the most magnificent value for points, it was worth it for us to be a little cash conscious. We had earned a ton of Hyatt points from our Jamaica trip. Hyatt place hotels have free breakfast, a nice suite area with a pull-out for the kids, and a good location. You can earn Hyatt points from Hyatt stays, the Hyatt credit card and Chase points, which can be transferred to Hyatt. Learn more about points here.
Activities in Denver
Denver Zoo
When we arrived in Denver, we spent just a little bit of time in the city. We enjoyed a trip to the zoo. Not reciprocal to the Nashville Zoo, but I’m glad we took time to do a kid-focused activity since the majority of the trip was more adult-centered. Also, the zoo had beer stands! Win!
Denver Restaurants
After our morning at the zoo, we met up with our friends at Rino Beer garden. They had sandwiches, burgers, and some other elevated pub food options. The restaurant had a nice outdoor space. We love exploring beer gardens in cities we visit. (See Huntsville, AL, Asheville, NC, Louisville, KY and New Orleans, LA)
Denver, CO To Silverthorne, CO
Vacation Rental in Silverthorne with Friends
One of our friends received a week-long stay at a gorgeous home with 6(!) bedrooms in Silverthorne, CO. It had beautiful views, a hot tub, and was near some fun cities. Housing in this area on AirBnb looks like it ranges from $300 to $600 for similar sized houses. Could be a great friend group trip or multi-generational hang. We had 2 bedrooms for the 4 of us with Carter in his own room, and the adults plus Ellie in another. We decided not to bring a pack-n-play on this trip (Ellie was 2), so we pulled a mattress on the floor for Ellie. The town of Silverthorne is near Breckinridge a few hours west of Denver. We enjoyed time with friends, cooking and eating big breakfasts, watching food network, and playing games at the house. We also found a nearby playground to walk to and play while Ben did a few long runs. Always important for everyone to have their own personal time on vacation (I use my downtime for romantic k-dramas and blogging for y’all!)
Breckinridge Activities
We adventured from our group house to wander the town of Breckinridge. Even though this trip was in May, a few of the ski resorts were still open. We don’t know how to ski and didn’t think the kids were ready at the time. We did do an escape room that was themed as a snowed-in resort. We had a fun time with it, and we escaped! They let us bring our kids in for free, but they were not overly interested in the puzzle solving and an adult had to continuously tag out of helping with the clues.
We ate lunch at the Breckinridge Brewery and walked around town for some window shopping and ice cream! This was a cute town that would be fun to return to one day. In the afternoon and evening, we took it easy at the house and also made a quick trip to Target and the Nike Outlet for an extra set of clothes, pacis, and new shoes.
Lily Pad Trail Hike
The following morning, we did a gorgeous hike that was rated “easy” but was not actually very easy with two kids and lots of snow! The Lily Pad Trail Hike was beautiful but tricky. Ellie did most of the hike from Ben’s shoulders as she was too big for her regular carrier, and we hadn’t purchased an upgraded size yet.
After our hike, we ate a late lunch at Dillon Dam Brewery in Silverthorne, close to the house. Pretty typical brewpub food with a kids menu options and root beer for the non-beer drinkers.
Final Thoughts
Breckingridge was a beautiful area with pretty views of mountains. Ben had a little altitude sickness but the kids and I were okay. I assume most people who head to Breckinridge are heading there for the skiing. I did find out there is a Hyatt Residence Club in Breckinridge if I ever convince Ben to let me buy a timeshare. I think when we return, it’ll be when the kids are old enough for skiing. Maybe next year!
