• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Shop
  • Blog Coaching
  • Disclosures
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Amazon
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
How many of you have heard you will no longer be a How many of you have heard you will no longer be able to travel once you have kids? I find most people who say these things don’t even have kids or if they do they have never traveled with their kids!

I’m not really into counting countries and we enjoy visiting places more than once, seeing the beauty all over the US and right in our state too. You don’t have to travel far to give your kids amazing experiences but you can also take them wherever you want. Y’all know my motto, if kids live there kids can visit!! 

Where have you been that people said you were crazy for taking your kids (or your parents for taking you) but you were so glad you didn’t listen to them and went anyway.

#travellingwithkids #familytravel
Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Everything you need to know about visiting Chichen Itza, one of the 7 Wonders of the World (SAVE + SHARE this post).

Chichen Itza is 2.5 hours from Cancun, 2 hours from Playa del Carmen, and 90 minutes from both Tulum and Merida.

You can get here by renting a car, booking a private tour on Airbnb Experiences like we did, coming on a tour bus or for budget travelers taking the ADO bus. 

Most tours from Cancun are all day long, leaving as early as 7/8 am and as late as 9 pm drop off. This is because you’ll visit cenotes outside of Chichen Itza and the town of Valladolid. Since we only had 4 days in Cancun we didn’t want to spend a full day on the road but also really wanted to visit so booking private transportation allowed us to skip all the other stops and just go there and back. We were picked up at 9 and back at the hotel by 4 so we could have a relaxing evening.

Current admission is $533 Mexican pesos for adults, $80 for kids 3-12 and free for kids under 3. That’s about $30 US for adults and $5 for kids.

Once inside there is the main attraction that everyone comes to see but there are also other Mayan dwellings and a cenote. I recommend coming with a guide or hiring an official guide once on site so they can give you information on the history.

Have you been to any of the 7 Wonders? If so, which one(s)?

Hubby and I climbed the Great Wall of China together in 2007, Jordyn, James and I have been to the Colosseum in Rome, the girls and I have been to Petra and we all visited Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, Chichen Itza and the Great Pyramids of Giza together!

#chichenitza #7wondersoftheworld
Today is the last day of school and I could not be Today is the last day of school and I could not be more proud of Jordyn! Look at all those awards she racked up at her end of the year ceremony. She’s reading 3 grade levels above hers, was only 9 points away from a perfect score on her state reading test and made the Honor Roll every quarter of the year. It’s time to celebrate, let summer begin!!!
We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t v We’ve been to 34 states and while we haven’t visited them all yet these are 4 states you should consider visiting this summer. (SAVE + SHARE this list for inspo)

📍Idaho- Last year we explored Southern Idaho and it blew us away. City of Rocks National Reserve, Kayak to Shoshone Falls, white water rafting, and walking behind Perrine Coulee Waterfall are musts!

📍Alaska- We visited the South East part of Alaska, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan and WOW talk about stunning. You’ll love exploring ice caves, walking on glaciers, canoeing through ice bergs, seeing the volcano and hopefully spotting some bears!

📍Utah- From the famous national parks like Zion and Bryce to the lesser known areas like Kanab, Utah is stunning. You can’t miss sand boarding through Coral Pink Sand Dunes and ATVing through the gorgeous landscape.

📍California- Where else can you surf and ski/snowboard in the same day? California has the most national parks in any state so you know the beauty is beyond amazing. Having lived there for 3 years I’ve explored so many cities and there is something for everyone!!

Would you like me to share my website link for our itineraries for each of these trips in stories? Have you been to any of these? Which state intrigues you the most from this list? What city/state would you like to see us cover?

#visittheusa #bucketlisttrip #travellingwithkids
We have been traveling with our girls since they w We have been traveling with our girls since they were 6 weeks old. Is traveling with kids always easy? Nope! Are there added costs to traveling with kids? Yes! But having status with World of Hyatt has helped elevate our travels, making things a little easier and saving us money, here’s how (SAVE + SHARE this post).

1. Being a family of 4 standard hotel rooms can be kind of cramped. Having status with World of Hyatt means we’re eligible for free upgrades when available including suites as a Globalist.

2. Eating out for breakfast everyday on a vacation starts to add up really quickly. As a Globalist we get free breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children.

3. At hotels with club access Globalists also get free access which includes drinks and snacks, the perfect way to hold kids over until dinner without spending money.

4. I don’t know who decided 9 or 10am was a good time for check-out, hello we’re on vacation, we want to sleep in! Having status with World of Hyatt means you qualify for late check out at 2pm or 4pm depending on your level of status. So whether you sleep in, hit the pool or use the other amenities at the hotel you can enjoy a little longer. It especially helps us when we have flights later in the day.

5. After paying for our hotel room we hate having added fees. Thankfully when you have Globalist status with World of Hyatt resort fees are waived on free night awards and/or eligible rates.

6. Free hotel nights! There is nothing like booking a hotel and not paying a penny! Having joined World of Hyatt we rack up points (on more than just stays) and the higher your status, the more points you earn to get free stays faster.

7. As World of Hyatt members we even earn American Airlines miles on our Hyatt stays, getting us free flights faster to save even more money!

From being more comfortable to finding more ways to earn, you’re missing out if you haven’t joined World of Hyatt!

@hyatt #HyattPartner
4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways t 4 Ways to Redeem Points at Hyatt Hotels & 7 Ways to Earn World of Hyatt Points & (SAVE + SHARE):

Ways to Redeem
1. Redeem points for rooms at Hyatt hotels. There’s nothing like experiencing luxury without the cost, so glad I could redeem Hyatt points for this stay with one of the best views of Tokyo.

2. Redeem points to cover your meal at participating restaurants at Hyatt hotels.

3. Redeem Hyatt points to cover your spa treatment at participating spas at Hyatt hotels. 

4. Redeem points through World of Hyatt FIND experiences. With over 200 experiences like cooking classes, tastings, & walking tours there are so many activities to choose from!

Ways to Earn
1. Are you an elite member with American Airlines? If so, you can earn 1 Hyatt point for every $1 spent on AA flights. These are in addition to the normal miles you’ll earn on American, just sign into your AA account & link your World of Hyatt account.

2. Rent a car through Avis & can earn 500 Hyatt points per rental. Just provide your Hyatt membership number when making the reservation & use AWD code K817700.

3. Book a FIND experience by World of Hyatt and earn 10 points per $1 spent. Hyatt offers over 200 experiences such as culinary classes with celebrity chefs, hot air balloon ride in Arizona, guided bike tour over the Golden Gate bridge and more.

4. Even if you aren’t staying at a Hyatt property, if you eat at the hotel restaurant or book a spa treatment you can earn 5 points per $1 spent. We actually ate at a Hyatt restaurant in Kyoto & even though we weren’t staying there I gave my World of Hyatt number & received points!

5. Earn points on everyday spending with a World of Hyatt credit card: 2 points per $1 spent on restaurants, airline tickets, local transit, rideshares, & gym memberships plus earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

6. Transfer points earned on other credit cards who partner with Hyatt such like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited & Freedom Flex. 

7. Book a cruise with Lindblad Expeditions & earn 5 points per $1 spent.

Are you doing any of these?

📍Andaz Tokyo

@hyatt #HyattPartner
If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portug If you visit Lisbon or any mainland city in Portugal I highly recommend adding a trip to Madeira! It’s an island off the coast of Portugal, actually closer to Africa than Portugal. Here’s how I spent 6 days in Madeira (Save + Share this post):

🇵🇹Day 1: Pool day at my hotel (NEXT Hotel) for most of the day and then I went running up the crazy hills of Madeira to see Funchal by foot.

🇵🇹Day 2: I explored the NW part of the island visiting Seixal Beach, Ponto Moniz, Fanal Forest and Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela.

🇵🇹Day 3: I went on a sidecar adventure where I explored Valley of the Nuns, the Cabo Girão Skywalk, and the fishing town of São Pedro with @madeirasidecartours.

🇵🇹Day 4: Whale and dolphin watching tour but we only saw dolphins. In the evening I did an Airbnb Experience at a locals farm house where he cooked a great dinner where 90% of the items were picked directly from his gardens that day. He also taught us how to make poncha, a favorite local drink. The tour should already be linked in my Maderia story highlights.

🇵🇹Day 5: I toured the SE part of the island visiting Ponta do Garajau, Monte Palace, and ended the day at the most beautiful views from Pico do Arieiro (the shots of me on the clouds).

🇵🇹Day 6: I watched the sunrise from Miradouro Ponto do Rosto and then did an 8 mile hike of Levado do Caldeirão Verde. After the hike I relaxed at the pool!

If you want photos taken in Madeira I recommend @robframing.

Honestly Madeira was everything and I don’t see it dropping out of my top 5 international destinations anytime soon.

The Traveling Child

If kids live there, kids can visit!

  • Affording Travel
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Kenya
      • Morocco
    • Asia
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
    • Australia
    • Caribbean
      • Aruba
      • The Bahamas
      • Barbados
      • Cuba
      • Grand Cayman
      • Jamaica
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad
    • Central America
      • Costa Rica
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • The Netherlands
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Kansas
      • Louisiana
      • Mexico
      • Nevada
      • New York
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
  • Travel Tips
    • Tips on Traveling with Kids
    • Trip Planning Tips
  • Reviews
    • Airline Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Product Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Buy Our Book
  • Blog Coaching

Winter Weekend in Denver with Kids

March 2, 2022      Colorado, Destinations, North America

Living in Miami we don’t experience real winters. Whenever we’re craving a bit of winter, Colorado is our go to. We’ve spent many winters here skiing but admittedly we always skipped Denver and went straight to the mountains. This winter we decided to do things a little different, spending a winter weekend in Denver with kids.

How to Get to Denver with Kids

We absolutely love planning trips around flight deals and there are always great deals to Denver. If you don’t have specific dates you have to travel you can always find great Denver deals on Scott’s Cheap Flights or Skyscanner.

How to Spend A Winter Weekend in Denver with Kids

Meow Wolf

If you have kids with big imaginations you definitely want to visit Meow Wolf. We previously visited the Las Vegas location and loved it so much we had to go again on our trip to Denver with kids. This interactive multi-floor exhibit had the kids so engaged, they loved going from room to room seeing what they would find next. Plan to spend at least two hours here.

Hammonds Candies

I don’t know any kids that don’t like candy. Your family can take a free tour of the Hammond’s Candies factory. They make all of their products here and you can see them in action. Each tour comes with a sweet treat at the end. The tour lasts about 45 minutes.

Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

I didn’t think the kids could have a better time than they did at Meow Wolf but I think Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum was a close second or tie. Here my daughters were able to learn about what it’s like living at the International Space Station. They were also able to do a simulated flight in the type of plane the Wright Brothers first flew in. They learned about Morse code, and played in the dedicated kids area. There are so many military jets in the museum as well and we got to take a ladder up to the top of one and look into the cockpit.

Butterfly Pavilion

We’ve been to a few Butterfly World’s but nothing like the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. I’m actually not sure why they call it Butterfly Pavilion because there is so much more to do. In the first room you enter it’s filled with colorful frogs and a variety of tarantulas. You can even hold a tarantula and I still can’t believe the girls were brave enough to do it.

The next room is a mini aquarium with every kid’s favorite fish, Dori! This room even has two touch tanks, one with starfish and one with crabs you can touch. After this room you get to the outdoor area with the butterflies and you can walk through

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Red Rocks Amphitheater is one of the most visited places in Denver and for good reason. Even if you can’t make it here for a concert to take in the amazing acoustics it’s worth stopping by. The red rocks are gorgeous and there are a few short hikes you can do.

Where to Ski During A Winter Weekend in Denver with Kids

After a fun filled two days in Denver it was time to hit the slopes. The closest and easiest mountain to ski from Denver is Winter Park. There is actually an Amtrak train that leaves from Union Station and drops you right at the base of the mountain. Literally hop off the train and you’re skiing in 5 minutes. If you don’t want to take the train it’s just 90 minutes to two hours from Denver depending on traffic you can drive here.

Things to do at Winter Park with Kids

Snow Tubing: Right at Winter Park Resort is their Coca-Cola Tube Park. Passes are sold in 1 hour increments and only a certain amount of tickets are sold for each session. This allows the lines to be manageable and for you to get to go down the hill multiple times in your session.

Take snowboard or ski lessons: Winter Park Resort offers both ski and snowboard lessons for all levels. This was our 4th year skiing with the girls and they were rusty at first but they picked it up again quickly. Kids as young as 3 years old can take lessons here.

Snowcat Tour: Want to explore the mountain without doing any work? Take a snowcat tour, we did a sunset one and it was so beautiful. The slopes are completely empty by this time and you get to go up the slopes in this cool snow cat. At the top your tour guide makes a fire so you can roast marshmallows or make s’mores and sip on hot chocolate.

Where to Eat in Denver with Kids

I never imagined Denver as a foodie city but I stand corrected. We obviously couldn’t eat everywhere on our short trip but we had great food everywhere we ate.

Denver Biscuit Co.: If you’re craving biscuits this is your place! I love the chicken biscuits with their fresh honey and the grits here are good too!

Denver Milk Market: Traveling with picky eaters or a family where everyone wants to eat something different? This is the place to go. It was connected to one of the hotels we stayed in and the perfect food hall. From Asian to Italian to seafood to American it has it all and the best part is you can sit at one table and order from any of the establishments all on one bill! 

Quality Italian: If you like Italian food you will enjoy Quality Italian. With freshly made pasta on the menu not only was the food excellent but the service was excellent!

The Original: Honestly if you came here and only ate the brussel sprouts it would be worth it! 

Snooze AM Eatery: Admittedly I am usually a french toast girl but the pancakes here are so good. We tried the pineapple upside down ones and well I’ve been craving them ever since.

Where to Stay in Denver with Kids

There are so many accommodations in Denver it can be overwhelming. Whether you prefer vacation rentals or hotels the options are endless. For this trip we chose a hotel and stayed in two different areas to get a feel for the city. 

We first stayed at The Maven, located a few blocks from Union Station. There are tons of restaurants within walking distance. It’s a cute boutique hotel with lots of space to hang out in the lobby, play games and listen to music.

Later on in our trip we moved to The Halcyon located in the Cherry Creek neighborhood. We absolutely loved this boutique hotel. The service here was impeccable and the rooms were beautifully decorated with gorgeous bathrooms. The hotel has a restaurant on site as well as a restaurant connected to its lobby, Quality Italian. 

We had the best winter weekend in Denver with kids. After so many years of visiting Colorado but landing and immediately leaving Denver it was great to see what Denver has to offer. If you found this article helpful, please share it!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Email
Share

Newsletter Subscribtion

 
Join Our Mailing List
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Primary Sidebar

  • Amazon
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

Newsletter

Subscribe to Our Newsletter
You'll get tips on affordable travel, flight deals and detailed itineraries for every trip we've been on (family, girlfriends getaway, baecations and solo) to make your planning process easier.
Thank you for subscribing!

Recent Posts

  • The Best Christmas Markets in Europe
  • The Best Christmas Markets in the USA
  • The 11 Best Eiffel Tower Photo Spots
  • The Best Places to Go for Halloween
  • Things to Do in Southern Idaho

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK

Facebook

FOLLOW US ON PINTEREST

Copyright © 2023 The Traveling Child, LLC.