Winter Paradise: Ice Castles and Snow Sculptures -

It’s not easy juggling all the things that make me happy and lately I’ve noticed that my work life has run amok over my family life. The kids are always understanding when they see me race off to another meeting but after a couple of weeks of this, I wanted to plan a special mother-daughter trip to help us savor what’s really important, fun and family!

The drive from Denver to Breckenridge is only about 1 1/2 hours, when we arrived at our lodge we took some time to soak in the hot tubs and enjoyed the view of the mountains, skiers, and a curious fox who ran back into the woods upon seeing us. After we rested to ventured out to check out the Dillon Ice Castles.

I was not quite prepared for the beauty and immersive quality of the ice castles. We went on a Thursday when it was not crowded. We went right in through the majestic entrance with sheer ice walls on both sides. Once inside we entered a glowing wonderland with ice caves, glowing pools, a throne, slides, and small tunnels that provided endless entertainment for the children. We almost didn’t want to leave, even after more than an hour of exploring!

The Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships (presented by Breckenridge Brewery and Your Hometown Toyota Stores) is one of our favorite festivals. The influx of snow sculptures from India, Mexico, Italy, and China brings a global diversity to Breckenridge. We love seeing them all bring their inspiration pieces to life.

I decided to book our stay at the Skyway Lodge this year and I’m so happy I did! We loved the spacious rooms, beautiful decor, and the European touches. The hot tubs were right outside our room and the owners are thoughtful enough to provide robes and flip flops to use for the hot tub area. There is something special about snowflakes falling in snow-capped mountains while relaxing in a hot tub. I loved the two room suite we chose and it allowed me to work in the living room by the fireplace while the girls slept in the bedroom. It was the perfect walking distance to dining and downtown Breckenridge!