Telluride guide - family friendly restaurants, packing list, shopping + hikes

We absolutely love Telluride! The views are incredible, we loved being here for July 4th and it is so family friendly! The feel is very relaxed, outdoorsy and low key which is very us! We rented a town house in Mountain Village and loved the location. There is a free Gondola that takes you in to the Town of Telluride in about 15 minutes and it is so much fun to ride on! Here are our favorite restaurants, hikes and shops for Summer in Telluride, Colorado! We can’t wait to visit again! 🙂

ralph lauren flag sweaters - family photos

Telluride Restaurants:

Allred’s restaurant – You can ride the free Gondola half way up to Allred’s and it has incredible views and amazing food! It also feels really cozy. They do a set menu to choose from for three courses! I loved the Berry salad, Salmon and Creme Brûlée! We did Luke’s birthday dinner at Allred’s and it was the perfect special occasion spot!

The Butcher and The Baker – Many of you recommended we go to The Butcher and The Baker and it was perfect for a local brunch!

Black Iron – We love sitting outside at this cozy / rustic restaurant inside The Madeline Hotel. The spaghetti squash is my favorite item on the menu and they have a healthy kids salmon plate with vegetables that Lakey loves.

Rustico – A pretty outdoor authentic Italian spot that is perfect for big group dinners.

Cosmopolitan – We loved the food here.

The New Sheridan Chop House – Classic dining on the historic main street! We especially love going here for brunch.

Brown Dog Pizza – This is Luke’s favorite casual thick crust Pizza in town.

Petite Maison – A cute french spot inside a cozy home turned restaurant. This is a great romantic date night spot.

Truffle – For a fun after dinner treat we loved Ice cream and chocolates at Truffle. Lakey loved the ice cream and I crave the chocolate dipped mango.

Baked in Telluride – A casual spot to grab a quick coffee and donut! They also sold gluten free bread.

The Market – We loved this grocery store and you can take the gondola straight there.

Starbucks in Mountain Village – We are Starbucks lovers lol and almost always start our day with a walk to get coffee! This was a cute setup with the Mountain Village turf and outdoor seating just outside that Lake loved running around on while we got to enjoy our caffeine. In the Winter it has a ice rink instead of the turf.

Ghost Town – For a quick and healthy to go meal or coffee I love Ghost Town! My favorites are the purple smoothie and the #1 and #7 on GF toast! This spot is very gluten free friendly! *(Unfortunately we were so sad to see that this closed down in 2022.)

Telluride Shopping:

Lucchese in Mountain Village – Quality cowboy boots.

Scarpe Telluride – You can shop for everyone in the family at Scarpe! We loved the edited selection of Men’s, Women’s and kids.

Two Skirts – They had an edited selection of great brands like Jonathan Simkhai, Ganni, Mother, Moussy, Golden Goose, SEA and new brands to discover.

Trappings and Toggery – We found great t-shirts for the whole fam and cute little sweat sets at this local gifty shop.

Cashmere Red – Classic cashmere and more!

Tweed Boutique – An interiors store with fun gifts.

Lustre Gallery – Pretty art and jewelry shop in between Patagonia and Ghost Town on W Colorado Street.

Telluride Hikes:

Bear Creek Hike – This was our favorite! We have done Bear Creek Hike several times and it is so beautiful! We always top half way for snacks and to snap a few pics! (It is just over 5 miles and gets steeper at the top – I don’t love heights so I stayed back for the part that goes all the way to the top waterfall!) Lake loves napping in the Deuter carrier (highly recommend this one) and getting out to pick up rocks along the way. This hike is very family friendly, there are a ton of hikers of all ages: kids, parents with carriers and dogs!

Bear Creek Walking Trail – This is a pretty flat trail you can hop on from the bottom of the Gondola. It has been perfect for pushing the Thule stroller and there is a great little kids play ground along the way!

Bridal Veil Falls Trail – This is a famous Telluride longer hike that you could do with a beautiful waterfall at the end! We weren’t able to get to his one, but many people in town recommended it!

Hikes from the Gondola – There are several hike options you can take down from the Gondola that were beautiful! We did the Ridge Trail.