Disclosure: Man Cave Meats sent some products in exchange for my honest review.
Steamboat Springs (or Steamboat for short) is a place in Colorado I had yet to travel. It is about a 4 hour drive from where I live – yet I’d never been! I’ve heard amazing things about the ski hill, the quaint town and the hikes. People say Steamboat is gorgeous in every season – Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. We decided to check it out in the winter!
After talking with our neighbors, we decided to make the trip to Steamboat to see what the hype is about! Shortly after deciding to go to Steamboat, we booked an adorable house from AirBnB that looked like it was the perfect fit for our needs PLUS it was at the base of the ski mountain – YES! We got together with the neighbors a few times before the trip to plan out our adventures and driving times – and our menu.
We took the liberty to cook all the morning breakfasts and one dinner, while our neighbors brought all the snack items, dessert and one dinner. On the last night we were going to treat ourselves and find a place to go out to eat in town. Perfect! – lets go!
Getting There
Travel To Steamboat – Steamboat isn’t exactly near any big cities, but it is a good middle ground for Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. It is about a 4 hour drive from Denver International Airport and a 3 hour drive from Cheyenne, WY. For less driving time, you could fly into the closest airport which is Hayden, CO (HDN).
Travel Within Steamboat – Steamboat Springs Transit has a free bus service that takes you to the ski hill and around town. It runs often and it pretty much stops anywhere you need for restaurants, shopping, and entertaining. The town is small enough that you could be fine to walk around or bike too – they’ve got great trails!
Accommodations
Rent A Place – As I mentioned, we booked a AirBnB, which we were so happy with. It was comfortable and was a home-away-from-home. Our host rented her full-time house to us. We enjoyed the comforts of large and dog-friendly space! She even left little baskets of goodies for us with notes on them. There was a basket for our dog needs – filled with towels, leashes, dog biskets, and dog clean up spray (just in case). She also had a basket in the closet with a note that said, “take what you need” and it was filled with shampoo, toothbrushes, razors and more. She was a very considerate and detailed host!
After this wonderful experience with AirBnB, I will always recommend it!
Hotel or Motel – Of course if you are looking for amenities like a pool or a gym, you will want to stay in a hotel, which Steamboat has plenty of. Some of the big names are Hampton Inn &Suites, Sheraton Steamboat Resort, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Steamboat Springs, Quality Inn & Suites, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, and La Quinta Inn Steamboat Springs.
Some local stays are Hotel Bristol, Rabbit Ears Motel, The Inn at Steamboat, Steamboat Mountain Lodge, Nordic Lodge of Steamboat Springs and The Steamboat Grand. This is just the short list of the hotels and motels, but these are some of the higher rated places!
Food
The greatest benefit to renting a real place (not a hotel) is that you have the comforts of a real place – like a kitchen and living spaces! This meant we were able to save money by cooking our own meals and not going out to eat every time we got hungry!
Eating In – My husband is pretty much a professional breakfast cook! He cooks me breakfast frequently on the weekends, I am kind of spoiled like that. Since his skills are breakfasts, we were responsible for all the morning meals. Earlier that week, I got a fun package of Man Cave Meats which we included in our meal planning. We made breakfast sausage, eggs, and potatoes. Another morning we did an egg, bacon, sausage scramble.
{A little more about Man Cave Foods} They make craft meats out of the finest quality meat. There meat movement includes chicken sausage, breakfast sausage, angus beef patties, turkey patties, chicken breasts, pork chops, and pork sausage. They have grown from a small farmers market stand in Minneapolis to now being sold in Safeway stores nationwide! Check them out at ManCaveFoods.com! This was my first time trying Man Cave Foods, and MAN were they delicious!
Eating Out – We got a recommendation from a local to check out the Mexican Food from Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant & Taqueria. After looking online, we noticed that this restaurant was partners with Fiesta Jalisco, which was a little closer to where we were staying (they also had great reviews on Yelp). We enjoyed HUGE plates of Mexican food and filled our bellies to the brim (and beyond).
The local that recommended this restaurant, also recommended O’Neils Tavern & Grill and Carl’s Tavern. She said of course it depends on what we were craving, and that “Really you can’t go wrong with food in Steamboat. We do food right.” I thought that was pretty cute.
We saw moose on the river trail!
Activities
Winter – Of course the big draw to Steamboat in the Winter is the AMAZING skiing. We were so impressed with the snowfall and the skiing! We are (fairly) local so we were able to bring our own gear, however if you are not, there are lots of ski rental companies in town. There are a number of winter-themed activities in Steamboat – Snowboarding, Skiing, Snowmobiling, Sledding, Snowshoeing, Cross Country Skiing, Riding Fat Bikes, Steamboat Gondola, Howelsen Ski Area or visiting the Strawberry Hot Springs.
Summer – There is just as many things to do in the Summer in Steamboat as there is in the Winter in Steamboat. Here are some ideas: Grab a coffee and browse the fun bookstore. Spend the afternoon window shopping downtown – they have some adorable shops! Steamboat also hosts the Steamboat Pro Rodeo in the Summer. Some outdoor activities could include a visit to the Fish Creek Falls, walking through the Yampa River Botanic Park, going on a wildlife tour or simply hiking the many trails around town!
