Oh, the heat. The longer I live in Colorado, the less I love summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the long, lazy days that summer brings but I much prefer the cooler weather that comes with the fall and winter. When the weather heats up, we usually head into the mountains. We like to hike, wander the mountain towns, and find new restaurants to try. The ski towns that we love in the winter offer so much to do in summer, as well.
Why Keystone?
All of the mountain towns offer many different activities and we love them all but Keystone offers so many activities for free. That is right, free. While many activities do cost, Keystone does such a great job of providing a number of free activities for the whole family.
Daily Activities
Keystone Kidtopia offers free activities throughout the week for the whole family. Be sure to check the calendar for any changes that might have been made.
Mondays: Put on your cowboy hat and head to the Keystone Stables for Wild West Night. Play horseshoes, watch a movie, and more. This night is free and no advanced registration is necessary.
Tuesdays: Take a short family nature hike together and learn more about the local environment. Free for the family but advanced registration is required.
Wednesdays: Learn how to build your own kite and then see if it will fly. This activity is free and there is no advanced registration.
Thursday: Get in a friendly family dodge ball game at the Keystone Tennis Center. This activity is free and there is no advanced registration.
Saturday: Head to the Snake River to learn about the biological and chemical aspects of the water in Super Slimy Science. This activity is free but you must register in advance.
Both of my kids, ages 9 and 11, participated in Super Slimy Science and this was by far one of our favorite activities of the weekend. We met at Kidtopia Headquarters where we met the three people who were running the program that day. My son was excited to hear that they all work for Keystone Science School, where he participated in an Outdoor Education snow science program this past winter. Once registered, we made the short walk to the river. The first activity was a scavenger hunt where they explored the river looking for bugs, plants, and other things. The kids found tadpoles, a leech, plant life, and more. Though I think everyone could have looked for items all morning, the next activity was to check the chemical makeup of the water. The kids checked for copper, checked the PH, the oxygen level, and more. Both of my children were worried when we arrived because they were the oldest kids by several years. The Keystone Science School folks did a great job making sure that the activities were age appropriate and exciting for everyone.
Friday Afternoon Club
This is one activity that I was disappointed that we missed. We arrived an hour too late to participate but we did see all of the activities set up when we were on the mountain the next day. Every Friday, from 1pm to close, you can take the gondola up for free where you will find games, a live band, and drink and food specials. Games include horseshoes, slacklining, corn hole, ladder ball, bocce ball, and more. You do need to get a free ticket for gondola entrance.
Festivals: Bacon, Wine, and Art
I was making dreams come true this weekend with tickets to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour. My son couldn’t believe his eyes (and taste buds). He declared the day better than our recent trip to New York City and I don’t blame him. The Bacon Tour was crowded, but not too crowded. There were lines, but they weren’t too long. With our tickets, we received tasting tickets, unlimited bacon samples, and more. We had a blast walking up and down the tents trying to decide what we would try. We tried bacon mac and cheese, sliders, pork sliders, bacon cookies, and cupcakes. It was so much fun that we decided then and there to make it a yearly tradition. In addition to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour, there are a number of festivals throughout the next few months.
Summer Snow Tubing
That is right. Snow tubing. In the summer! As the weather warms, the tubing runs have shrunk to two but they are just as zippy as they are in the winter. Tubing will continue through the summer as long as the snow is there. We were told that they are hoping to get at least a few more weeks out of it. We chose to wear jeans and hiking boots. The hiking boots helped to keep us from slipping in the snow.
So Much More
Scenic chair lifts, golf, horseback riding and more make it difficult to decide exactly how to spend your day. The summer activities seem endless and made us wish that we were there for more than just a one night stay. Next time we visit Keystone? Fly fishing on a guided tour!
Jennifer Close is a teacher librarian and travel blogger. For the past four years, Jennifer and her family have been exploring all that Colorado has to offer. She likes to read, craft and look for adventures with her children and you can find her at Two Kids and a Map. Thank you to Keystone Resort for providing entrance to the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour and summer tubing to facilitate this review; all opinions and adventures are her own.
Author: Mile High Mamas
