Why You Should Take Your Family to Golden, CO

I’m hesitant to post this blog because Golden is such a gem! I kinda want to keep it our secret. But I love you all too much not to share.

About 15 miles west of Denver is the gorgeous Golden, CO — the closest mountain town to Denver, but it feels like a world away. It has a small town vibe with beautiful scenery, but Golden also if full of so many fun things to do for the whole family.

The first time I visited Golden was when I flew to Colorado for a work retreat. It was the perfect place for team building and brainstorms. But I craved to get to know this town better because it seemed so cool and unique. One of my coworkers at the time even talked about tubing down the creek. I also learned a lot about their reputation for the best craft beer and brewery tours. We took our young kids on this trip so we didn’t get to dive into that experience. But just know it’s there if you’re interested.

I’m so lucky to live in Colorado now. I get to visit Golden whenever I want.

Now, that might sound like I’m biased, but we’ve only lived in Colorado for 3 years so we still have fresh eyes. Also, we’ve traveled all over the state and visited many mountain towns and all of Colorado’s national parks. So when I tell you Golden is a gem, believe me, you need to experience it.

Where to Stay
When you bring your family to Golden, a perfect place to stay is The Eddy Taproom and Hotel.

Our family loved this hotel. We stayed in the Haystack Jr. Suite. This fit our family of 6 perfectly well. It had two sets of bunk beds with a twin on top and a queen bed on the bottom. It also had a pull out couch. Matt and I slept on the couch while the kids had so much fun on the bunk beds.

I loved how close The Eddy was to everything and the beautiful views. My kids loved the bunk beds in our suite and the swing in the lobby. And my hubby loved the taproom and the fire pits.

The rooftop deck was also a nice place to hang out. And I almost forgot to mention the coffee and tea self serve bar on every floor. It was fully stocked with great options. The hotel also offers a free continental breakfast. When we were there they had banana bread, cereal, bagels, toast, juice etc. They could also make a hot breakfast sandwich by request.

The hotel maintains a low key feel during the day. On the weekends in the evenings, the tap room is more vibrant and active.

What to eat

We had breakfast at the Golden Diner. It was the perfect way to start a day in Golden. The diner is right in historic downtown Golden. I highly recommend the French Toast and hash browns. They were yummy and filling. We ordered an adult of order of french toast and a couple of orders of the hashbrowns for our youngest three to share, but they also have a kids menu. The adult order of french toast provided the perfect amount of food for our youngest three to share. They didn’t even eat all of their food, which was perfect because they snacked on it throughout the rest of the day.

A great option for lunch and dinner is The Golden Mill. My first time visiting this restaurant was when they invited me for a hosted meal. I have been back over and over again on my own because I love it that much. The Golden Mill has five different restaurants inside and a tap wall of over 50+ drinks. It’s great for families because the restaurants inside offer of variety of different foods to eat so even if everyone has a different craving, everyone can find something they want. Here are some of our favorites:

For cocktails, I love the margarita and the golden mule

• For cocktails, I love the margarita and the golden mule
• Sushi Sora has good suchi. It’s what I order every time I go.
• Tacos Al Chile has yummy churros and the kids enjoy their tacos
• Happy Cones has great ice cream. They also have 4 different vegan flavors along with several dairy options.

If you can go on a Thursday, you’ll catch some live music from local bands. Sit out on a huge patio with fire pits and beautiful views.

What to do
When you first get to Golden, go to the visitor’s center. It’s located at 1010 Washington Ave, Golden, CO 80401. There have a map of Golden that’s really helpful and tons of other information to help enhance your stay. They can also provide a very inclusive snapshot of the different activities and events they have going on.

Here’s a snapshot into what we did.

Golden is one of those towns where you could park in the historic downtown area and just walk around. They have fun shops to browse. Whether you’re looking for great outdoor gear for your adventures or unique boutiques to browse through, you will enjoy it. YoColorado is one of my favorite stores for Colorado hats and apparel. It’s located on 12th street.

If you want a dose of nature, Clear Creek Trail is accessible for downtown. It’s an easy, scenic hike with rocks to climb and water to play in. It’s also close to Lion’s Park Playground, which is fun for the kids and has public bathrooms.

If you want to do some hiking, Windy Saddle Trailhead has one of the best views in Colorado! The picture above is during the sunsets there. Also, here’s a reel we recorded there as well. Definitely check it out. The cool thing is the views are less than a minute from the parking. But you can also enjoy the 4.4 out and back hike!

Golden Gate State Park also has gorgeous views. For family friendly hikes, check out the Raccoon Loop Trail (2.5 miles) or the Blue Grouse Trail (1.6 miles).

The Mines Museum is also located in Golden, CO scavenger hunt at the is a must, especially if you have rock enthusiasts and collectors like I do — my kids are obsessed with rocks. It took us about an hour to complete the scavenger hunt. Once the kids were done, they got to pick out a stone to keep!

Golden is a true treasure! Add it to your Colorado bucket list.

To see video from our trip, check out this reel.