Traveling with Kids
Every year we travel with friends to Winter Park, CO. Our friends have a family home there and we are lucky enough to get invited! š We always have the best time visiting with friends surrounded by snow and beautiful mountain views. In the past Blake and I have traveled solo. (leaving the kids with grandparents.) However, this year we decided to bing them along for the ride. Everyone attending the trip had their kids traveling with them this year – so we decided we would bring them too!)
Having kids there totally changed our winter wonderland experience. (not in a bad way… it just included more nap times and different activities.) I covered our trip last year (HERE) which includes a spa overview etc.
This post will focus more on the activities/tips I would recommend for kids visiting Winter Park, CO!
Here we go…
First and for most… the gear! Going into this trip I leaned on others for cold weather clothing advice. I would recommend a good shoe and lots of layers! Socks are also key to staying warm. I like the brand a lot! Socks for kids/toddlers linked HERE (Luke size) and HERE (Scarlett size). I wear the women size linked HERE. This sock brand is a popular one for heavy winter temps and I like that they aren’t too thick but still do the job!
For snow shoes you also don’t want to skimp! I purchased my kids snow boots that were on sale from HERE and HERE! These boots were so cozy, their feet stayed dry, and were super easy to get on and off.
I also found out the hard way that mittens can be a total B to keep on your kids! LOL If you want to save yourself the struggle- I suggest buying mittens with a Velcro strap around the wrist!!
I purchased a brand with only a zipper up the side and those were a serious pain to get on my kids. Not to mention they were also constantly falling off! This was the awful pair we used for both kids.
This pair HERE I tried on my kids (borrowed from a friend) and it went on like butter and STAYED ON.. talk about major regrets not spending a little extra for convince.
Activities
Jen, the hostess of the trip, organized a list of events for us to attend. She recommended/we did:
- Take the kids sledding in town (sleds provided)
- bowling/ pizza for the kid’s dinner at the Foundry
- Sleigh ride/smores/hot chocolate at Devils Thumb
- Rec Center for family gymnastics day. (Family gymnastics day requires you need to reserve a spot ahead of time – it’s a excellent indoor activity for all ages.. TONS to do!)
AND OF COURSE…. SNOWBALL FIGHTS
There were other activity ideas we didn’t complete that were also recommended:
- dog sledding
- skiing (we didn’t take the kids this year)
- tubing (must be 36″ tall)
- snowshoeing at Devils Thumb.
Travel Day
For travel packing tips check out one of my older organization posts HERE.
For kids entertainment during travel I highly recommend this reusable, screen free, no mess activity! My kids are hooked and can’t get enough of it! I’ll link it below + other travel favs for kids!
Favorite kid suitcases and packing cubes:
Our Ski Gear