A Long Weekend in Telluride, Colorado

September 19, 2020

It’s still a covid world. So this Fall is all about exploring our surroundings. I feel grateful that Colorado has a ton of awesome road trip adventures just a car ride away from Denver. We got together with two other couples and booked a big Airbnb for a long weekend in Telluride, Colorado.

Telluride is one of the most talked about places in Colorado, yet, I had no idea what to do there. The town is famous for its celeb-filled Film Festival that usually happens the first weekend of September. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen this year due to Covid.

After some Google research and recommendations from friends, I was surprised at the top things to do in Telluride. (But honestly, they worked out great for me being 6 months pregnant!) The historic mining town is spectacular to marvel at but also spectacularly small. Here’s what we did on our long weekend in Telluride, a scenic 6 hour drive from Denver.

Friday

Checked in to our Airbnb. This didn’t go smoothly, but that’s a story for another time. We walked into town (the whole town is walkable in about 15 min) and stopped at long standing Last Dollar Saloon for a drink to quench our thirst. We decided to order the Internationally famous Detroit style Brown Dog Pizza for dinner and take it back to our place for a game night. Brown Dog is not open for in-person dining during covid, but you can order for contactless pickup. (Conveniently located next door to the Last Dollar.)

Saturday

As soon as we rounded up the gang we headed into town for breakfast and coffee at The Butcher and the Baker. No need to go anywhere else for an espresso drink, they have fantastic coffee. I enjoyed a dirty golden milk latte. For breakfast I tried a few things including the breakfast burrito, granola and yogurt and The Day Maker breakfast sandwich. All of these were great and I highly recommend!

After breakfast, we walked up and down the main street, Colorado Ave, for some window shopping. It is truly remarkable how small and pristine this mountain town is. Every lawn and store front is in immaculate condition despite its historic beginnings.

We then rode the free Telluride Station gondola that takes you up to Mountain Village. Yup, you can easily walk to the gondola station as it sits in the heart of town. The ride is breathtaking and you won’t be able to resist some photos! Fun fact: you can see the mountain skyline from the Coors Light can on this ride. Mountain Village is not large but we lounged for a few drinks in the plaza and listened to live music.

Sunday

We caffeined up at The Cowboy Coffee, an adorable green coffee airstream on Colorado Ave, and nibbled on some of their delicious banana bread. Then we drove a couple miles to Pandora Mill and parked our car to hike up to Bridal Veil Falls. I heard from many people that this is a must-do hike in Telluride. It was about 1.8 miles up to the waterfall and well worth it. The hike was easy-moderate and the reward was fantastic. The falls are stunning as are the views!

We spent the afternoon looking for a place to watch NFL…and it was a challenge. Note of warning: this is not a sports town. Not that I expected it to be. We ended up at the The Cornerhouse Grille where they had some small TVs playing the games.

We never made it to the rooftop at the New Sheridan Hotel but I’ve heard this a great place for some views and a swanky drink! There are also fantastic fine dining in town if you’re interested.

Enjoy the eye candy that is Telluride and treat yourself to some rooftop drinks and fine mountain grub!