Small Town Charm: Idaho Springs, Colorado
Idaho Springs is a little mountain town outside west of Denver Colorado where you can find one of the best breakfasts and sweet little streets lined with antique stores. Christmas week this year we spent at a friend’s lodge in Colorado doing so many fun outdoor activities like snowboarding in Winter Park and even cutting our own little Christmas tree down. I’ve visited Colorado twice before but this trip was so different from previous ones. Since we were staying with a local friend we were able to try out all of the best local places! The nearest city to his lodge is Idaho Springs so on Christmas Eve we all loaded into our car and headed there for a little breakfast before finishing our last minute shopping.
Marion’s of the Rockies was a diner that didn’t disappoint. It’s one of those places you can order coffee without frills and get a plate full of veggie loaded omelettes. It was an amazing home cooked tasting breakfast and kept us full well into the afternoon when we decided to go sledding. We ordered pancakes, omelettes and filled up on orange juice. Afterwards, we strolled for a few minutes popping in and out of antique stores and touring the little town tucked away in the mountains.
I wore this puffer jacket (this one is identical and on sale for $50) which is such a perfect winter item and really versatile. Today I paired it with grey socks and a soft gray sweater, red cardigan (an absolute favorite item and it’s on sale for $24) then added a pair of boots with red laces that pop (found this pair that’s similar with red laces!) ! I love the way the pale pink softens the reds in this outfit. Also, you may have noticed this red plaid scarf has been constantly worn over the past few weeks. I picked it up right before this trip and wore it all the way through my trip to California the following week.
Scoping out story book settings like Idaho Springs is such a passion of mine. Part of it is because I live in a big city and find the smaller towns have a sort of charm the city just doesn’t provide. People know each other, businesses have been around for years and these are the places where I find the best vintage and antique items.
Idaho Springs has a unique way of displaying Christmas lights. In Texas, most of our lights are all in white for public spaces. In Idaho Springs, the streets are lined with colorful lights that contrast against the white snow. We were lucky in the fact that throughout the trip the weather was just beautiful and we were able to spend so much time outside without fighting icy streets. I’ve traveled to Tahoe a few times and the roads are so much more narrow and the drop offs are much steeper. I like driving through (well, riding shotgun since I’m world’s worst driver) the roads in Colorado because they are built for the crazy weather that comes there way. They are much wider than in Northern California! I highly recommend renting a luxury vehicle like we did (we picked a compact BMW SUV) with heated seats. Heated seats make allllll of the difference in cold weather.
What are some ways you bear the cold weather?
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We just got back from an incredible trip over Thanksgiving and had the best time! I wanted to share a few of the outfits and activities with you in today’s post. Although a lot of our trip was business-oriented, we made time for some fun and relaxation. Toward the end of the trip, Marshall proposed! It was such a sweet surprise and I am so excited we are getting married. I’ll be sharing more about it in an upcoming blog post with the full story but wanted to round up a few looks in case you are traveling this season.
We decided to drive from College Station, TX to Denver over two days so my first few outfits were really comfy-oriented. I found that bodysuits are the perfect item to travel in since they offer support and convenience without having to layer underwear. I added cute leggings and cardigans over to stay cozy in the car. I also wore shoes that I could easily slip on and off for quick road stops. I’ve rounded all of my outfits and details for you to shop in this post! Read on…