Square State Colorado

Why Breckenridge is Colorado’s Best Mountain Town for Black Visitors

What if I told you that Black Denverites have been visiting the mountains as part of rest and recreation since the early 1900’s? Did you know about Lincoln Hills, a historic Black vacation spot located in the foothills Denver. Many African-Americans are very familiar with historic spots out East such as the Martha’s Vineyard, the Inkwell and others. African-Americans in Denver and Los Angeles had our own unique spaces as well. I bring this up to say that enjoying the mountains as a place of peace is not an usual thing for African-Americans to do. Nowadays we are, like many other folks , heading to mountain towns for skiing, hiking and just general fun and shenanigans in the mountains.

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Colorado has a ridiculous amount of mountain towns to choose from and I have visited a large number of them several times a year as part of my own explorations of the state and also for Square State Colorado (the website you’re browsing right now). After many trips, conversations and my own unscientific observations I’m going to share why Breckenridge is Colorado’s Best Mountain Town for Black visitors and why I’m completely confused by all of the Aspen and Vail love. If you’re wanting a bougie ass town, there’s a totally different town that I would recommend visiting but it’s harder to get to.

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Schedule a Tour of Breckenridge

Sometimes there’s just not enough time to explore a place on your own. Instead, schedule a tour of the Breckenridge/mountains and leave the organizing to someone else. I love that Viator Tours picks up guests at Union Station and is an easy way to experience the mountains and lets people leave the driving to someone else.

Planning Your Trip to Denver

Ideally, you’re trip to Colorado will be at least 3-7 days. Given American vacation culture, I think most people are planning shorter trips than visitors from other parts of the world. You’ll fly into Denver International Airport, one of my favorite American airports. They’ve been doing a lot of work on the facility so you still may run into some construction.

I love the patios available to patrons in each of the A, B, and C concourses. I typically fly out of the A Concourse out of DIA and have become very impressed with all of the recent restaurant and coffee shop additions in the concourse. Standout grab and go: Mercantile Provision and Design.

Once you arrive in Denver (hopefully the flight isn’t too turbulent) you can then take the train from the airport to downtown Denver’s Union Station. It costs $10.50 and is a 37 minute ride. The majority of Denver based travelers will opt to take the train because of the convenience. If there’s a delay usually there are activities to enjoy next to the train throughout the the such as ice skating, movies and other random stuff. Keep an eye on the area next to the escalators that head down to the train to get an idea of the the types of events that may be happening.

Things to Do in Denver When Black

It’s my hope that you will get a chance to enjoy Denver before heading up to the mountains. There are a number of activities to enjoy while you’re in town. But, if you’re visiting from a city with a large African-American population, adjust your expectations of what a Black experience in Denver would look like. It will be fun, but very different than if you’re in Atlanta.

I bring this up because I hear people bring up the following “I was hoping for XYZ City vibes” And I’m always like…what about Denver gave you the idea that it would have similar vibes to Atlanta LOL?! There are a ton of activities to enjoy when you’re in Denver when Black. I suggest checking out some of the events and planning on attending as part of your trip.

• Things For Black People to Do In Denver

• Things to Do in Denver for Black Couples

Why Breckenridge is The Best Mountain Town for Black Visitors

One of my favorite activities to enjoy is spending time in the mountains for a couple of days. I love to decompress, relax and just slow down when things get hectic in town. I’ve visited a large number of Colorado mountain towns numerous times and Breckenridge is the best Colorado mountain town to visit for Black visitors by an overwhelming margin. I have other towns that I love, but for visitors with shorter vacations who are coming from out of state-Breckenridge is at the top of your list of places to visit.

7 Reasons Why Breckenridge is the Best Mountain Town For Black Visitors

• Proximity to Denver-Breckenridge is 2-2.5 hours from Denver depending on traffic and time of year. Because it’s closer to Denver, it has a steady influx of visitors who live in Denver in addition to visitors outside of the state.

• Accessible by public transportation-The traffic on I-70 is PAINFUL. I often will forego driving up and take the Bustang or Pegasus service to Frisco and then the free shuttle to Breckenridge. If you’re looking to save money on transportation, hate driving, or are adventurous-this is a great way to visit the mountains. The cost: $24-$30 round trip depending on the service. The transit station in Frisco has a fireplace!

• Variety of accommodation-There are both budget and high end accommodation options in Breckenridge. I often stay at a bougie hostel hybrid called “The Bivvi” (it was in Architectural Digest) I love the vibes, locations and overall experience. But, I’ve also stayed in a ski-in-ski out condo (around $4k+ for the week-with friends) other unique hotels and Gravity Haus which is part of outdoor enthusiast/fitness membership that I used to have (non-members can stay at these facilities)

• Historic downtown-Fortunately, Colorado mountain towns are pretty well-preserved. I love how cute Breckenridge’s Main Street is with a wide variety of stores, restaurants and random spots to check out. The view of Breckenridge Ski Mountain is stunning.

• Activities throughout the year-Most people think about visiting during ski season. But, I visit the mountains all year long. Activities include:
  • Hiking
  • Skiing
  • Festivals such as the International Ice Sculpture Competition
  • Live music
  • Beer Festivals
  • Film festivals

• Places to eat-Some mountain towns have limited options of things to eat or lack variety in options. Breckenridge has restaurants serving vegan food to steaks. There are decent range of food varieties to enjoy as well.

• Public art-My favorite piece of art in Breckenridge is “Isaac Heartstone” a massive troll that you can find at the end of a hiking path close to the ice skating rink. There are also other pieces of public art throughout town.

There are other things to do that I haven’t listed. It’s always good to do your own research as things change from year to year.

Visiting the Mountains

Things to consider as you begin planning your visit to the mountains.

• Transportation-I brought up that I tend to take public transportation to the mountains when I don’t feel like driving. But, that’s not practical for everyone especially if you’re with a larger group or need to bring stuff with you. You’ll likely need to rent a car. If that’s the case, I recommend using the following service: Discover Cars.
  • Discover Cars helps travelers find the best rental car prices by sharing what it would cost to rent a car from different rental companies in the town that you’re visiting.

• Adjusting to the ALTITUDE-Once you land in Denver you’re dealing with a high altitude location. When you travel to the mountains, the altitude is significantly higher. It’s really important to understand what altitude sickness is and to recognize the symptoms. If you have any medical issues-consult your doctor.

• Time of year-Mountain towns in Colorado tend to be pretty busy throughout the year, but summer and winter are the high seasons.
  • Winter Season: mid-November through mid-April
  • Summer Season: June- Early September
  • You will likely need to book for accommodation earlier, may experience higher pricing, some challenges booking camp grounds if you’re camping, etc.

• Cost-Mountain towns can be expensive. I always pick up snacks, etc. before heading up. Things almost always cost more and I like to plan for that before visiting. I also try to stay at places with a kitchen. What to plan for:
  • McBride Sisters Wine (pick it up at Target on Colorado Blvd)
  • Snacks
  • Cost of gas: Fill up on gas before heading up

• In town transportation-I tend to walk a lot while I’m in town. But, I also end up taking the in-town shuttle service and the Gondola quite a bit as well.

Why Are So Many Black People Going to Vail and Aspen

I’ve spent the last 5+ years trying to figure out why so many Black people outside of Colorado are so excited about Vail and Aspen. Is it because Mariah Carey goes there all the time? Could someone tell me? There are so many other towns that are more welcoming, accessible and fun than Vail and Aspen.

While these towns are incredibly beautiful and do have wonderful teams that work at the resorts…the other guests are consistently problematic. I’ve visited these places for years and consistently-the other guests have a stank attitude that I haven’t encountered in other Colorado mountain towns. Great skiing, overall experience is lacking compared to other towns.

I’m not saying that Vail and Aspen suck…I’m just saying that there are other towns that are better.

What are the Vibes in Breckenridge

Overall, people are very chill in Breckenridge. I’ve noticed that every time I visit (which is about 5-6 times a year for up to a week)

I almost always see the following:

• Black families-NOT just single travelers.

• Black people who actually live and work in town. Not a ton of people, but we are here.

• Black people on the slopes. Again, not a ton of people but consistently I’m not the only person of color that I see in town. Also, there are ski groups out of Denver that are skiing/snowboarding weekly that you could connect with prior to your trip to Breckenridge.

• There are A LOT of Texans that come up to visit Breckenridge and other Colorado mountain towns. Do with that what you will.

• Any opportunity to have fun is embraced wholeheartedly

When I’m in town I also do a lot of the things that local residents do. I visit the library when I have work to do, I pop by the grocery store and hang out at my favorite coffee shop(s) Every time I’m up there I also make a point of get fresh churros from Mimi and Pin and I always get fried chicken in Frisco at Bird Craft which is located inside of Outer Range Brewery before. I enjoy a good lunch before transferring onto the free shuttle to Breckenridge.

I highly recommend visiting Breckenridge, it’s a good time and I’ve visited for years. There are other mountain towns that I really enjoy but are a much further from Denver. I’ll share those in future posts.