Redstone is a charming small town located within the mountains of Colorado. It takes about 3.5 hours to get to Redstone from Boulder, barring any of the usual traffic you see on I-70, and is a great place for a relaxing, quiet weekend getaway.

Where To Stay

Even though Redstone is a small town (there’s only around 200 residents!), there are several options for lodging during your weekend stay. There are vacation rentals and rooms at the historic Redstone Inn. There are also very cozy rooms at Crystal River Villas, which is where we stayed during our few days in town! The Villas had a variety of room configurations, but we stayed in one with two double beds and a small kitchenette area, which was nice to have for making breakfast before heading out on our adventures.

The Villas are also located right along their namesake Crystal River, and listening to the sound of the river in the evening was really relaxing. There’s a nice sitting area outside back with a firepit, which was the perfect place for us to make s’mores one evening!

I loved seeing all of the different flowers that they had around the property too.

To Eat

There are several good places to check out for food during your time in Redstone. The General Store is a cute building that is full of different gift items, grocery supplies, and some prepared food items as well. We tried breakfast burritos here one morning that came with some tasty hot sauces. They also had awesome baked goods - including a chocolate chip cookie that was about the size of my face!

Another place we visited on this trip that we were pleasantly surprised by was the Redstone Inn. This historic inn, which was built in 1902, has an exterior that reminded me of something from the Swiss Alps. Inside there are two restaurants, which anyone can stop in to enjoy. There is a fancier, fine-dining section and a more relaxed grill section although both seem to serve essentially the same menu. We enjoyed their burger, meatloaf, and french onion soup!

We didn’t make it to Propaganda Pie, a pizza restaurant, during this weekend visit but have enjoyed it in the past. They serve Detroit style pizza that has a thick crust and lots of cheese! Their restaurant also has some arcade games which can be fun for families!

One thing to take note of when dining in Redstone is that the restaurants may close earlier than you’re used to in larger vacation towns, so be sure to check the operating hours when making your plan for the day!

Things To Do

Redstone can be your gateway to lots of mountain activities, or it can be your destination for a relaxing few days! There’s no shortage of things to do no matter what your interests are.

No visit to Redstone would be complete without taking a stroll through the town. You can walk along the Crystal River, enjoying the views of the surrounding mountains and the sound of the rushing water. The area is actually a historic district - there is a historical museum near one of the town parks and coke ovens across the street, which were used to carbonize coal from the mines in the area. There are also several cute shops in town, I really liked looking at Joy and Wylde and the Redstone Art Gallery.

You can also continue on down the road to the town of Marble. There you can see lots of marble sculptures and learn about the history of the area. There’s also a good BBQ restaurant there! From Marble, you can off-road to Crystal Mill. This is a popular destination in the fall because of all of the aspen trees in the area, but it is still beautiful to see in the summer! There are some other more challenging off-roading routes in the area if you are interested in exploring more of the wilderness.

There several other nearby towns that are worth exploring if you have time while you’re in the area. You are likely to pass through both Carbondale and Glenwood Springs on your way to Redstone, and both are great places to stop. We always enjoy stopping in Glenwood Springs for some tasty food at places like Daily Bread, Slope & Hatch, and Sundae. And it’s hard to beat a soak in one of the hot springs! New pools at both the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort and Iron Mountain Hot Springs give you many options of water temps (and crowd levels!) to enjoy. They are especially romantic in the evening!