In less than a week, my wife and I, along with our three kids, will embark on an eagerly awaited week-long vacation to the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for over three months now, and the excitement is building every day. This trip is especially significant as it’s our first big adventure with Maximo, who just turned one. It will be his first time out of state and his first airplane ride!

Our older boys, Joseph and Dominic, are excited too, but they’re kept busy with their daily activities, like swimming lessons, which help pass the time. Dominic, our three-year-old, has been asking almost daily if we’re ‘going to a hotel’ ever since we mentioned the trip months ago. He loves everything about staying in a hotel—the new environment, eating breakfast there each morning, and especially swimming in the indoor pool. He doesn’t yet realize that not all hotels have these amenities, but we made sure our chosen hotel checks all the boxes to meet our family’s needs.

As any parent knows, being on vacation with kids means acting as a quasi-tour guide, so having a well-structured place to stay is crucial. We’ve found that a hotel offering on-site breakfast is incredibly valuable. This trip, we’re trying out a two-bedroom setup at a Residence Inn for the first time. We’ve stayed in studio and one-bedroom configurations before, but we’re hopeful the extra space will better accommodate our kids’ needs. An indoor pool was a must-have on our list, considering Colorado’s variable weather. Our kids love swimming, and it’s a great way to burn off energy and keep them entertained in the evenings.

While in Colorado, we’ll visit my sister-in-law, Annie, which we’re looking forward to. One of our main highlights will be attending Cheyenne Frontier Days, one of the largest annual rodeos in the West. We also have plans to catch a Rockies game at Coors Field as they take on the Red Sox. In between, we’ll explore towns like Fort Collins, Boulder, and Golden. It promises to be a fun and enriching experience for everyone.

Interestingly, despite these exciting plans, we’ve intentionally kept our itinerary relatively open. We have a few key areas to visit, but we don’t have a long checklist of things to see and do. This approach should make for a more relaxing and spontaneous trip. Although Molly and I have both been to Colorado before, we’re not particularly familiar with its various cities, towns, and sights. This trip to relatively uncharted territory brings a sense of adventure and newness that we’re all looking forward to.

Here’s to a great summer family adventure in the Rocky Mountain state!