Tubing at the Frisco Adventure Park

I finally made it out onto the tubing hill http://bit.ly/cwvvn5 at the Frisco Adventure Park  http://bit.ly/gfYzyB and had tons of fun.

My husband and I were hosting a Spanish exchange student who is living in Denver with my sister-in-law, while their family were out of town. The last thing that my sister-in-law said to Carolina was " Make sure Jane and Peter take you tubing". Years ago we had celebrated Easter with a large number of relatives at the Adventure Point tubing hill at Keystone. It is an event that is fondly remembered, particularly by the two relatives who were five and seventy-five at the time and went down with a twist in a circle of tubes.

As we now live in Frisco and this is only the second winter for the Frisco tubing hill, we decided it was time to give our local hill a try. Guests must check in about a half hour ahead of your booked time at the newly built Day Lodge to fill out the obligatory waiver (it was pretty painless), and also pay for and pick up your tickets. The Day Lodge is very nice with comfortable chairs and a snack bar for before or after your tubing. If you have folks who do not want to tube it is a great place for them to hang out. The snack bar serves pizza, hot dogs, sodas, beer, wine and Schnapps.



Inside the Day Lodge



Day Lodge from the bottom of the hill



The hill is generally open Thursdays through Mondays (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Monday and Thursday times are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and Friday through Sunday the hill is open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. Tubing times start every 15 minutes, but the hill is closed between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm for grooming. During the holidays and from 3/10/12 to 3/25/12 the hill is open seven days a week from 11:00 am to 8:00pm. A one hour tubing session is $25 and there are discounts for locals. On the second Sunday of the month there is a special called a 4 Pack. For $55 you receive 16 individual tubing tickets to use how you would like, four slices of pizza and four sodas - a great deal for a group of four people. 

Once you have received your tubing tickets you head to the yurt at the bottom of the hill to watch probably one of the best safety videos I have ever seen, especially if you like penguins. The video was produced by a local company, Mountain Graphix www.mtngraphix.com, and really gets its point across in a very fun way. Kids and parents will both love watching the video.



Yurt for Safety Video

After watching the video, we proceeded to pick up our tubes from a large pile outside the yurt and headed to the magic carpet that takes you to the top of the tubing hill. The carpet was very easy to access and there was an attendant to help you onto it and to show you how to hold your tube. Again at the top there was someone to assist with the dismount.

Once at the top you are able to choose from a number of tubing lanes, with different degrees of difficulty. A tubing attendant will instruct you on the correct way to ride in your tube. They will also ask you how fast you would like to descend and whether you want to go straight or with a twist. I chose to go straight as the hill will turn you anyway as you go down.

You are also able to go down the hill with up to three tubes hooked together. You all lay down in your own tube and then hold the safety strap of the person's tube next to you. A ride like this is totally awesome for a group and great for parents with younger children who might be nervous about going by themselves. Children do have to ride in their own tube and be 36 inches tall. Right in front of us as we filmed the following video was a father with his young child, who definitely was not sure about going down the run. When hooked to the father's tube he really enjoyed himself.  I would not be surprised if he was descending by himself by the end of the hour. By the way, the tube chutes in Frisco are really long and give you a great ride. They might not be as steep as some hills, but the length means that your ride is a truly wonderful experience. It is a blast to go at night as the runs have iced up and are faster than during the day. However it has been so sunny and warm here in Summit County, that it would also be really cool to tube on a bright bluebird day. I think you will be able to see from the video how much fun our girl from Madrid was having. What a story to tell her parents when she returns home and what an outstanding memory from her time in Summit County.



It is easiest to reach the Frisco Adventure Park by car from Highway 9, turning at the traffic light the other way from Summit Medical Center Hospital. However you are also able to take the Summit Stage http://bit.ly/zxb8tr to the Frisco County Commons and walk to the Day Lodge.

So if you are visiting Summit County, make sure that tubing at the Frisco Adventure Park is part of your plan and call High Country Activities at 970-389-8214 to book your one-of-a-kind adventure.

Dining Options on Frisco's Main Street to the Rockies

This blog is the first in a series on Summit County dining. Many of the restaurants are members of the Summit County Restaurant Association and their menus, opening times etc. can be found on http://www.summitdining.org/ and these members are highlighted in red in this article. If not listed here a dining establishment can be found in the business directory under dining on the web site for the Town of Frisco at http://business.townoffrisco.com/categories/1 and these restaurants are highlighted in blue.

Frisco's Main Street is just a mile long from Highway 9 to the exit off  I70. The dining options packed within that mile are as varied as they are enticing.

Starting at the junction with Highway 9 and the beautiful Town of Frisco sign, on the opposite side of the street is the Backcountry Brewpub and Pizzeria at 720 Main Street, phone 970-668-BEER (2337), serving lunch and dinner, and their own award winning beers with locallly appropriate names including Wheeler Wheat, Ptarmigan Pilsner, Switchback Amber, Telemark Ipa and Peak One Porter, with seasonal brews also available.

On the same side of the street and actually in the same building is Abbey's Coffee also at 720 Main Street, phone 970-668-8710, serving coffee and ice cream with free WiFi - the barrista will give you the code on request.

One block up and downstairs is Ollie's Pub and Grub at 620 Main Street, phone 970-668-0744. This is Frisco's sports bar with lots of big screens to watch your favorite team and a game room for the kids while enjoying inexpensive pub food, with daily lunch and dinner specials. The $2 Burger night on Wednesdays is a local favorite and there are daily drink specials.

In the same mini mall if you would like a quick take out meal is Peppino's Pizza and Subs at 610 Main Street, phone 970-668-5128.

Across the street is the Kemosabe Sushi Bar at 605 Main Street, phone 970-668-2100, focusing the freshest sashimi and nigiri along with unique, western-influenced rolls.

Right next door is the Silverheels Bar and Grill at 603 Main Street, phone 970-668-3045, serving great aged steaks, fresh seafood, rocky mountain trout and southwestern specialties. By the side of the street is the Ore House, the restaurant's stand alone bar. 

There are no restaurants on the 500 block of main, but on the NW corner of 5th and Main is The Fifth Avenue Grill (formerly Farley's Chophouse) at 423 Main Street, phone 970-668-3733, serving dinner with the finest handcut steaks and chops (lamb and pork) with prime rib, fresh seafood, ribs, vegetarian entrees and daily specials.

On the same side of the street at the front of the newly remodeled Frisco Mall is Himalayan Cuisine at 409 Main Street, phone 970-668-3330, serving an authentic Indian and Nepalese dinner menu as well as a daily lunch buffet.

Upstairs in the Frisco Mall is Upstairs at Johny G's at 409 Main Street, phone 970-668-5442, Frisco's sports and music bar, with DJs and dancing on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, serving New York style pizza and other menu items.

Across the street is a great breakfast, lunch and ice cream spot called Butterhorn Bakery and Cafe at 408 Main Street, phone 970-668-3997, with fresh baked breakfast items, homemade soups and deli sandwiches for lunch, as well as ice cream and milk shakes. 

Back across the street on the NE corner of 4th and Main is Pika Bagel at 401 Main Street, phone 970-668-0902, serving breakfast and lunch bagels and hot and cold beverages, for take out or sit down inside or on the patio in summer with a great view of Peak One and Royal Mountain.

The 300 block of Frisco Main Street has the most restaurants. On the SW corner of 4th and Main is Bagalis at 320 Main Street, phone 970-668-0601, a wine bar with seasonal Italian food, where you are able to create your own pasta dish.

Vinny's at 310 Main Street, phone 970-668-0340, with a Euro American menu based on the availability of seasonal ingredients, and was voted the best new business in Summit County in 2009. http://vinnysfriscorestaurant.com/.

The Boatyard Pizzeria and Grill at 304 Main Street, phone 970-668-4728, serving lunch and dinner and specializing in contemporary American cuisine including Mediterranean, Southwestern, Pacific Rim and Traditional American, with an excellent bar for happy hour and brunch on Sundays. Defnitely a favorite of Summit County locals.

On the north side of the 300 block is Prost at 313 Main Street, phone 970-485-0020, new for 2010 and featuring German sausages and beers in a casual dining atmosphere.

Further up on the north side of the street is Tuscato Ristorante Italiano at 307 Main Street, phone
970-668-3644, serving dinner with northern Italian cuisine with fresh seafood, steaks and pasta.

On the next block on the south side of the street is The Moosejaw at 208 Main Street, phone 970-668-3931, a locals' favorite since 1973, with late night menu, satellite TV, game room, patio seating, horseshoes & pool, with affordable pub food, including burgers, chicken sandwiches and fish & chips.

Just west is Frisco's newest restaurant, The Lost Cajun at 204 Main Street, Phone 970-668-4352, featuring Louisiana Cajun food, including gumbo and beignets. http://www.thelostcajun.com/.

Across the street is Deli Belly's at 275 Main Street, phone 970-668-9255, serving deli sandwiches and hot dogs.

On the 100 block right next to the gas station is a great breakfast and lunch spot the Log Cabin Cafe at 121 Main Street, phone 970-668-3947 featuring hearty, homestyle meals for breakfast including Huevos Rancheros and Eggs Benedic, with a great lunch menu as well.

Tucked back from Main Street a little and across 1st avenue from the Summit Daily is the Blue Spruce Inn at 20 Main Street, phone 970-668-5900, featuring class Colorado dining in two settings. The historic saloon has nightly specials, live music and pub food. The dining room features great steaks, fresh seafood, pasta and wild game specials, with an extensive wine list.

A little further up Main Street and closer to I70 is The Frisco Depot at 311 West Main Street, phone
970-668-0585, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with homestyle cooking.

Look for the next blog that will feature the Frisco restaurants on Summit Boulevard, south of Exit 203 from I70 located on Highway 9.

The Haunted House in Frisco, Colorado

Last night it was really fun to attend a reception and preview of the Town of Frisco's Haunted House hosted by the excellent marketing team of the town. The Haunted House http://bit.ly/dc8z89 is open from 6:30 to 10:00 pm Friday October 29 through Sunday 31.
The reception in the Frisco Information Center was really nice, and my neighbor Carol Bartoletti and I met some great people. The staff members attending were very informative and we even signed a petition to allow the Day Lodge at the new Frisco Adventure Park http://bit.ly/acrP7X to have a liquor license. The park will have a tubing and jib hill opening in December, and the lodge has a great room with WiFi, perfect for parents to hang out while their kids are up on the hill. Wouldn't you want a nice hot chocolate with something in it, a beer or a wine, as you sit in front of the fireplace catching up on your e-mails? Seems like a no brainer to me.
Carol and I enjoyed chatting with Simone Belz, manager of the Historic Park and Museum http://bit.ly/c6v5S2. Carol had just been to a bread baking class and they discussed the idea of adding historic interactive cooking classes to Frisco's Founders Day http://bit.ly/9mUbZ6, the celebration during the 4th July holiday weekend of the history of the town.
We also met Brittany and Brain Anderson of Footprints Adventures http://footprintsadventures.org. Their story was profiled back in April in the Summit Daily http://bit.ly/dqqJ58. Brian sustained a severe hiking accident and could have lost his foot due to the severity of the injury to his ankle. In the winter they work for the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center http://www.boec.org/ that provides outdoor adventure for those with disabilities. This coming summer they will hold their first summer camp for teens 16-18 who have limb difference and limb loss. Brian had been the main volunteer helping the students with the construction of the Haunted House. With my connections to the disabled community in my previous role as Executive Director of the Colorado Wheelchair Tennis Foundation http://www.cwtf.net/, we had a great deal to talk about and a lot of networking to share, and I look forward to helping them any way I can in the future. As a former special education teacher, Carol has some experience in grant writing, so she offered to help proof any of their efforts in this direction.
The networking at your local town events brings up many opportunities you might not have thought possible. So I encourage each of you to become involved with your local community if you have some time to give. The rewards will far outweigh the effort. But I digress - back to the events.
At 7:15 we all went outside to watch a Flash Mob. Now I had seen Frisco's Special Events & Marketing Coordinator Jaime Harmon's tweets during the day about this event and was luckily able to find her at the reception to find out what this was. I may have figured out how to blog and use bit.ly, do Facebook and Twitter, but this one was over the head of this 55 year old. So a Flash Mob is when the social media networks give a call for everyone to gather in a certain place and then a dance or some other activity is performed http://bit.ly/157x2v. This has been happening in large cities but this was to be the first one in a small town. Student dancers performed a great monster dance in the middle of 3rd Avenue to the Monster Mash tune and they were joined by all of the students from the Haunted House and some of the town's staff. I could not quite figure out the dance moves or I would have joined in.
Then it was our turn to be led to visit the Haunted House located behind the Information Center by Frisco Events Manager Suzanne Lifgren. The stars of this project are the students from the Mountain Mentors http://bit.ly/bhtYj1 activity program as part of the Summit Cares program http://summitcares.org/, that allows students to explore work opportunities.  They were amazing - they truly scared the ****** out of me. Their costumes are great and their acting suberb. Carol and I particularly liked the student having the fit chained to the operating table with cut off fingers in the surgical tray and the guy with the chain saw as you exit - but I do not want to give too much away and spoil the surpise or the scare factor. The Haunted House is $7 a person, $5 with a student ID, and there is a great deal - only $20 for a family of four. It is open to ages seven and up, any younger I think they might have nightmares - luckily I didn't last night! Proceeds from the house go to the Mountain Mentors program.
So come on out one and all - have fun and help a great program. Maybe make two trips to Frisco Main Street. Go to the Haunted House on a night other than Halloween and then come see High Country Activities http://bit.ly/cyaN5o in the Woods Cabin at the Frisco Historic Park on Halloween night for some candy.
Congratulations to the Town of Frisco and their staff and the students from Mountain Mentors for setting up a great event for the kids of Summit County and this one very scared baby boomer.
LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING ALL THOSE GHOULS, GOBLINS & WITCHES THERE.