As beach dwelling folk, we are decidedly jaded when it comes to selecting summer travel destinations. Hawaii? The Caribbean? The South Pacific? Meh. I can walk across the street and play in the ocean for free. After our recent trip to the Colorado Rockies, I’m sold: for my money, the mountains are the place to go during the summer months. And no place epitomizes this more than the resort town of Breckenridge.

Breckenridge, Colorado: a different kind of paradise.

We spent a day exploring the town and the ski resort; we could have easily spent a week there. During the summer months, the mountain is host to a number of great warm-weather activities. Guests can ride a gondola or take a shuttle to the base of the mountain; the lodge area has a minature golf course, rock climbing tower, and access to hiking/mountain biking trails. The highlight, though, is the SuperSlide – kind of like a real-life version of Disneyland’s Matterhorn ride, except that the cars slide freely down the length of a bobsled-like track, and riders control their own speed and braking (or not, as a few bloodied and bruised passengers will attest). After briefing my five-year-old son Lucas on the do’s and don’ts of boarding and riding a chairlift (“When it hits you in the butt, sit down”, “Don’t fall off, you’ll die”, etc.), we rode up to the top of the slide. Riding tandem (due to age and height restrictions), we were tentative at first; I rode the brake most of the way down, feeling out the course, hoping to avoid a re-enactment of the Jamaican bobsled team’s most famous performance. The second run (for of course we wanted to go again, because it was awesome) was much faster, per Lucas’ request; it’s a thrill, banking turns so that you’re parallel to the track.

Lucas and I, in third place on the SuperSlide.

The town of Breckenridge has lots to offer as well; along with a ton of shops, there’s great dining (despite the name, the Motherloaded Tavern is a great place for families, serving comfort food that everyone will enjoy at very reasonable prices). The Blue River runs right through the town, and those brave enough to get wet can dip their feet in the chilly water at a small park located in the center of town. (Be warned: the rocks are slippery and the current moves at a quick pace, so keep your eyes on your kids if they decide to go wading.)

Lucas, contemplating a dip in the icy river.

Colorado had more in store for us, but we came away from Breckenridge with a keen desire to return. Unlike so many of Colorado’s mountain “towns” (coughvailcoughnothingbutaglorifiedstripmallcough), “Breck” has depth and character – a great place to visit, and ya know, I would want to live there.