Wine, Women & Winter Park, Part I

Happy Hour at Smokin Moes in Winter Park, Colorado.  Heiditown.com

A girlfriend getaway to Winter Park, Colorado

With the back of my Toyota stuffed with suitcases and coolers full of wine and other sweet treats, we were off. This was our long awaited girls-only weekend to be spent stuffing our faces with delicious cheese and washing it down with wine at The Village Uncorked at Winter Park Resort.

My cohorts were Christine and Susan, longtime friends who are also my longtime wine-drinking buddies, so it was the ideal group for this getaway.

We chatted nonstop on the quick, two-hour drive to Winter Park.  We watched my outdoor temperature gauge fall as we climbed Berthoud Pass, and we were thankful for the cool down. After all, it’s been a hot summer on the Front Range.

We cruised into Winter Park at 3 p.m. and checked into The Vintage Hotel. Judging by the amount of luggage we rolled in, it probably looked as if we were staying for a month, but we were only checking in for two nights.

After settling into our hotel room that featured a full kitchenette that we utilized for the entire stay and a fireplace that we did not, we changed out of our comfy traveling clothes and into cute happy hour attire.

Cooper Creek Square. HeidiTown.comOur goal was to do some shopping at Cooper Creek Square in downtown Winter Park and to find a place for happy hour. We loaded back into the car and made the quick 5 minute drive to town. The square is a large, multistory, beautifully landscaped shopping complex featuring both retail and restaurants. There’s also a free parking garage.

I’m not much of a shopper, but I know it’s something a lot of people do while on vacation, and if you take a holiday in Winter Park, Cooper Creek Square is definitely the place to shop. I liked Peezie Marie, a store for the girly girl in all of us; I found the perfect pair of $10 turquoise sunglasses there. My friend Susan found several great items at Revolve, the new consignment clothing boutique at Cooper Creek.

Peezie Marie in Winter Park. HeidiTown.com

Revolve Consignment Boutique in Winter Park. HeidiTown.com

After shopping we got a table on the Smokin’ Moe’s Rib House & Saloon patio, where we could hear the tinkle of the square’s water fountain and Music on the Mall. Every Friday evening, during the summer, a band takes the stage at Cooper Creek from 6 to 8 p.m. See the entire schedule here. In fact, events take place on the square throughout the summer, including free horse and carriage rides. In the winter there’s a skating rink and fire pit.

Smokin’ Moe’s has a smokin’ deal on wine during happy hour; it’s just $3. We sipped our wine and admired the flowers on the patio. It had been a long time since I had visited Winter Park during the summer and I was simply amazed at how many flowers were all over town and the resort.

Fountain in Cooper Creek Square in Winter Park. HeidiTown.com

After happy hour, we headed back to our hotel and as soon as we hit the lobby a powerful rain started coming down. Instead of taking the gondola to the village for dinner we decided to order a pizza from the Five Mountain Tavern, the Vintage’s restaurant, and eat in our spacious room. While we waited for our pizza, we were blessed with a full rainbow just outside the restaurant’s huge windows. We thought this was a very good omen for great weekend to come.

Note: This is part one of a multiple part series on Winter Park in the summertime.

Read Part Two.

Read Part Three.

This trip sponsored in part by the Grand County Tourism Board..

5 Comments


  1. Hi Heidi! I love Winter Park! If you’re open to new faces, I’d love to share in one of your adventures! I enjoy your posts! Thanks for sharing! Jodi 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Jodi,

      Thanks for stopping by HeidiTown!

      I just checked out your blog and photography. The Wild Animal Sanctuary has long been on my radar. Love, love the sunset shot.

      We should have coffee sometime! You can email me at TheMayor@HeidiTown.com.

      ~Heidi, the Mayor

      Reply

  2. This looks like fun! Definitely on my must visit list in Colorado!

    Reply


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