Planning a small-town mountain getaway
Sometimes the best vacations are the ones no one knows about. Grand Lake, a small mountain town in Colorado, is our favorite off-the-beaten-path mountain getaway for this fall.
But shhh. Half the charm is the quaint, non-touristy atmosphere.
If you’re planning a trip to Grand Lake, book your tickets through Hotwire.com to save a ton of money. Hotwire.com offers a handful of coupons (like 40 percent off last-minute fares), plus you can get 3 percent Cash Back from ShopAtHome.com and a whopping 10 ShopGold Rewards, which translate into gift cards.
Save money on your other travel expenses with these travel coupons. Here, you’ll find discounts on everything from rental cars to hotels to even entertainment.
The best place to stay in Grand Lake is in a private house or room on the lake. The hotels in the area are nice, but you can’t beat the lake view, or the prices when you book a private vacation rental by owner. This cabin, which sleeps six, on the lake is just $90 a night through AirBNB.
Dedicate a day to browsing the shops in downtown Grand Lake, where you can find delicious, locally made taffy, plenty of bear paraphernalia, jewelry, locally crafted soaps and candles and more. Downtown is quirky and peaceful, with wood-front shops that look like they’re from another time period.
See a show by the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre in the new, state-of-the-art theater right in downtown. You will be surprised by the level of professional theater that you can experience in such a small town.
Go horseback riding at the Winding River Resort. Kids will love the animal farm (with donkeys, pigs, ducks, you name it), fishing and the old-fashioned carriage and sleigh museum. In the winter, you can book a backcountry snowmobile or ATV tour, making the Winding River Resort an ideal activity in Grand Lake year-round.