Any tips for Steamboat?

[Jersey Fresh]

Hey everyone. I've been a bit MIA for the last season (I think I've poked my head in once or twice this season). Anyway, we are heading to Steamboat on Sunday with some friends and two 1 year old boys.

I'd love some recommendations for restaurants, bars, and non-ski things to do. We wont have a car but the shuttle stops right in front of our place and we'' have our strollers. We (and the friends were going with) love craft beer so any breweries/tap houses?

This is our first "big" trip with the baby. Hes come on smaller trips to Snowshoe and has done great and I think hubby and I have the tag teaming who gets to ski/who watches him down pretty well. Both babies will go to Steamboats daycare on Tuesday and Wednesday so all four of us can ski all day.

 

[marzNC]

some recommendations for restaurants

Good to hear from you! Here are a couple of the recent trip reports by @NewEnglandSkier from her annual trips to Steamboat.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/steamboat-jan-30-feb-9-2019.23567/

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/steamboat-feb-1-10.22464/

Have fun!

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Hi, I've been to Steamboat quite a bit--but I don't travel with kids so I'm not sure if my recs will match up with what you're looking for, but here goes.
For restaurants I really like Backdoor Grill for burgers. It's really casual, more like a bar than a restaurant but they have lots of creative burgers in addition to more traditional.
Mambo is good for Italian, but it gets super busy/crowded and kind of feels more like a scene (if there is such a thing in Steamboat). Make a reservation--it gets filled up.
I feel like Mazzola's is a bit more relaxed for Italian but probably still want to make a rez.
Mahogany Ridge has a good happy hour/beers. The happy hour has a nice selection of stuff.
The Barley is popular for beers. I haven't been but it seems popular with other people, so you may want to check that out.
For Mexican I usually go to Vaquero's--it's not the best Mexican but it's convenient and they have a lot of choices. Salt and Lime is really popular but I feel like the menu is more limited so I've never gone. It always looks packed though, so maybe check that out.
Another place I like that is not downtown but in the Holiday Inn, is Rex's. It's casual and I've liked the food I've had there (mac and cheese was really good). Depending on where you are staying though it may be a pain to get to with kids on the bus--unless you use your lodging shuttle.
At the base of the mountain I really like Los Locos for tacos. I also like the Truffle Pig at the base--they have good sandwiches/burger.
Let me know if you have any other questions--I'll try to answer.
I know @Kimmyt travels to Steamboat with 2 young kids, so she may have some tips for skiing there with kids.

 

[LKillick]

Salt and Lime was so good that we ate there two nights in a row. I never do that.

 

[Kimmyt]

Sounds like a great trip! My tips for Steamboat with kids are as follows:

A 1yo can ride the gondola for free! So, thats a fun thing to do, bring them up to the base area and then ride the gondola to mid mountain. We spent many days just riding the gondola up... and down... and up... and down.

The hot springs in town are great with kids. They also have a daycare there, if you need a break to soak for yourself, but they are a large hot spring and there is only one pot that is too hot and doesnt allow kids, so you can hang out in the big pool with him and they have a bunch of floaties and things to make your life easier.

Dining in Steamboat with kids is tricky, the other recommendations are good, wait times can be challenging so we almost always just go to one of the Mexican places in town and have had decent luck with not waiting too long. We sometimes will make a reservation at the fried chicken place, if we want a slightly fancier dinner, its family style and since we can reserve an early time it makes dining less stressful.

When we do half days with a kid swap in between generally the morning person takes the bus and then the afternoon person will load the kids into the car at naptime and drive up tto the drop off parking by resort and then we will meet and swap there so its quick and painless and sometimes the kids will nap in the car.

We almost always stay in town at the Rabbit Ears and love just walking around everywhere. Also, Howelson Hill has free skiing on Sundays and it is a really cute little chill ski lodge so we take the kids there, although if your kiddo is only one then he's probably not on skis yet.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Thanks everyone! I dont know how much we'll go out versus making dinner at home. My guess would be once over the week? Ill be sure to make reservations. Do you need reservations even during the week?

@Kimmyt thanks for the tip on the gondola! T would LOVE that.

We're staying in Bronze Tree. Not sure where that is in relation to everything but it was ski in/walk out and had an indoor pool I thought the boys would like. I will admit, I haven't put a lot of thought into this trip until this week. I've been planning two horse shows, a one year olds birthday party and a second trip out to MT with 13 friends...so this one sort of snuck up on me. Now I'm googling like crazy.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

If the restaurant you decide to go to takes reservations, I'd make one even during the week. Better to be safe than sorry and wandering around trying to find another alternative.

 

[Kimmyt]

thanks for the tip on the gondola! T would LOVE that.

IIRC you go to the pass office that is in the building next to the gondola building and they will even print you up a cute little pass with picture for the little guy, we kept my son's as a little souvenir to put in his baby box.

 

[R0ckette]

The hot springs in town are great with kids. They also have a daycare there, if you need a break to soak for yourself, but they are a large hot spring and there is only one pot that is too hot and doesnt allow kids, so you can hang out in the big pool with him and they have a bunch of floaties and things to make your life easier.

Definitely a +1 on the hot springs!

@Jersey Fresh Keep in mind if you're going to ski in along the I-70 corridor or in Aspen in the future, there are hot springs in Glenwood Springs as well.

 

[LKillick]

From your comment on the bday party, I am assuming your 1yos are young 1s, but if they're old enough to enjoy, my whole family really enjoyed taking the gondola up for the Western BBQ dinner. There's a band and dancing and entertainment and it is super fun for kids if they're old enough that they'd toddle around some.

 

[CarverJill]

I was there about 7 years ago I absolutely loved Mahogany Ridge Brewery. They have beer of course but the "dipping entrees" aka meat with varied dipping sauces is absolutely amazing.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Thanks everyone! We're back and had a great trip!

SS wasn't on my radar for "must ski" places but with the 3 for $150 passes and the rep it has for family friendliness, we decided to go on a whim. We had a great trip and I would go back with the kids again in a heartbeat.

It wasn't the most impressive skiing, but it was fun and the conditions were great for having no new snow. The convenience was amazing-we had walk out./ski in with an on call shuttle. I think the longest we waited was 5 minutes?

@Kimmyt The boys LOVED the gondola! And the little passes are so cute.

On Monday we did a lunch time swap-hubby and I skied the morning and then our friends did the afternoon. Worked out great. Tuesday we put both boys in daycare-T (my son) did great, but our friends son struggled. Wens T went back to daycare and did even better but my friend opted to not ski and stay with her son. I skied until lunch, then grabbed T from daycare and we wandered around the village for a bit. I loved the daycare workers, didnt love the manager (she gave me a hard time about him being less than 12m even though its their reservations who took him knowing he wasnt old enough..plus he's only a week short of 12 months...).

Anyway, we had dinner at Mahogany Ridge and it was delicious! Went to Salt and Lime on Taco Tuesday for their $3 tacos and they were great too. We cooked the other nights. Had happy hour at The Barley a few times too.

Anyway, I hope we can go back when the boys are on skis. I'm hoping to start T next year when he's 2. What a great family resort!

Off to Big Sky in 2 weeks with just our grown up friends T will be happy staying with grandma and grandpa.