I absolutely love to spend time with my parents.
Since my older brothers left the nest when I was entering middle school, I’ve spent lots of one-on-one time with my parents—from long road trips to sporting events to exciting vacations as I got older, and everything in between.
These days, my husband and I are very fortunate to live only an hour and a half away from my parents. They are a ton of fun, and we all get along famously. We’ve had plenty of adventures together, filled with a wide spectrum of activities.
Recently, my parents packed up their beautifully posh and chic Airstream, and chose our neck of the woods as a glamping spot. We treated the weekend as a staycation, and spent our time together exploring, trying new things, and getting to know our area—Glenwood Springs, Colorado—a little better.
Day 1: Thursday
In search of a satisfying veggie burger, my parents decided to take us to the Glenwood Springs Brew Pub. Here we enjoyed delicious brews (I had a guest sour, my husband went with the Anticline Altbier, my dad had the Kid Curry Kolsch, and my mom had a nice Cabernet.
Our meals were delicious. I ordered my go-to pulled pork sandwich while the rest of the group enjoyed their burgers. At the end of the night, my parents dropped us off before heading to the Silt KOA, their home for the night.
Side note: the Silt KOA is a gorgeous camping site with great mountainous views overlooking the Colorado River, with amenities like a dog park and pool.
Day 2: Friday
My mom and I got together early for a workout, while our husbands were off at work. We did a workout from 21 Day Fix in my living room, making it through cardio without any causalities.
Next, we went to Silt’s Misty’s Coffee Shop for a quick chai latte fix; I tried mine with coconut milk, while my mom had almond milk as her main mixing agent. The shop is modern and delightful, with friendly staff and a convenient location. Their events board is filled with flyers, making it a community-centered gathering space. It’s also the closest coffee shop for New Castle residents, unless you count the Kum-and-Go gas station.
After our small dose of caffeine, my mom and I met up with a friend and took advantage of the gorgeous, albeit hot, day. We stopped by New Castle’s Speckled Feather Mercantile, admired the nearby pickleball courts, and wandered into Osage Gardens.
We made our way into Glenwood Springs, stopping at Local on Cooper for some delicious and fresh food. This new restaurant has a wide variety of health-conscious and diet-friendly choices, with gluten-free and vegan-friendly options available. It’s counter-service, with foods like pizza, bowls, sandwiches, and ice cream.
My mom and I both ordered the Miso Bowl—filled with tempeh, brown rice, arugula, sweet potatoes, and grilled pineapple, topped with a spicy Korean BBQ sauce. It was delicious, and I ate every last bite.
Nearby shops called our names, so we began perusing through local galleries, boutique clothing stores, and even an apothecary.
We took a brief break, allowing for my parents to move their Airstream from the Silt Campsite to Glenwood Canyon Resort—a campsite located two miles into Glenwood Canyon, renowned for the surrounding scenery, access to the Colorado River, and zip lining option. We met them at the resort and enjoyed a quick meal together, sharing stories from our day.
The night was capped by a three-hour swim at Glenwood Hot Springs. The pool, a personal favorite, was a special treat after a busy day. We caught the evening rush, and stayed up until the closing at 10 p.m. This is a golden time to come, as peak season crowds lesson and the temperature cools to a perfect soaking atmosphere. The four of us splashed, back floated, and admired the stars peaking through the clouds.
Day 3: Saturday
The four of us met in the morning and made our way to Rifle Falls. My husband and I were excited to show my parents this underrated oasis, and ready to use our newly purchased state parks pass.
At the falls, we admired the triple waterfalls dropping 70-feet, loved the mist spraying back at us, and enjoyed doing two separate small hikes. These totaled about 2 miles, and looped up and around the falls and along the East Rifle Creek.
The area is lush and green and absolutely gorgeous, not to mention accessible, campsite-ready, and dog-friendly. (Read more about our visit to Rifle Falls here.) On the way home, we drove past Harvey Gap and praised its turquoise water.
Our next stop was lunch. We feasted at Glenwood Springs’ Masala and Curry, a charming Indian restaurant with a wide ranch of options to satisfy any palate, and spice tolerance. My saag paneer and naan really hit the spot, and made for a tasty leftover plate the next day.
After our delicious meal, we ventured up to Carbondale for their annual Mountain Fair celebration. This festival spans back about 47 years, and was booming with personality and flair. Top attractions included a drum circle, live music, a beer tent, wood splitting and limbo competitions, tantalizing food trucks, and at least a hundred vendors with hand-crafted items for sale. There was a lot going on, between all the tie-die, artists, and kids running around, it was almost difficult to stand on steady ground. We ended our visit with juicy mangoes on sticks, topped with lime juice, salt, and chili pepper.
We headed back to Glenwood Canyon Resort for drinks and dinner. While there, we met up with my parents’ neighbors, and enjoyed a visit in their camper. At dinner, amid drinks and merriment, we sat through a child’s karaoke rendition of Frozen‘s “Let it Go.” Little did we know, our friends also signed us up to sing.
The night ended with me singing a very cringe-worthy version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” (joined by my gracious parents who ran up to save the day, rather than let me suffer through a solo) while my husband brought me to tears (via laughter) with John Denver’s “Annie’s Song.” My anxiety—mixed with my inability to sing anything at all—was nearly the death of me. And even though I’ll likely never show my face in that establishment again, it will always be a fond and hilarious memory.
Day 4: Sunday
Before parting ways and wishing my parents a successful rest of their glamping journey, the four of us met at a local Glenwood Springs coffee shop. Deja Brew—enticing by name alone, though its parking lot is haphazard—brought us together one last time. My mom and I had tasty soy chai lattes, my dad had a steamy cup of black coffee, and my husband tested the waters with iced coffee. They had breakfast burritos, vegan, and gluten-free options, which paired well with our liquid refreshments. I recommend the gluten-free banana bread, which was a guilt-free, delicious treat to start off my morning.
Glenwood Springs proved to be a wonderful spot for a summer time staycation. We packed a lot in and made the most of our time together, and left with a great appreciation of the area.
Cheers to a fantastic time spent with family!
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