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The 6 year old was determined to set herself apart from her older brother and sister on vacation.

My youngest daughter, Mel, declared she was a "big girl" and could decide for herself what fun she would have in the snow that week in Crested Butte, Colorado. If her brother and sister were strutting their stuff on skis, she would learn to snowboard, all the better that no one in the family knew one end of a snowboard from the other.

As all parents know, it's important to take the kids' wishes into consideration on vacation when possible -- even when they are only six -- because unhappy kids can derail even the most perfectly planned family trip.

In this case, it wasn't that difficult. We sent Mel to snowboard school rather than ski school and she was a happy camper, very proud that she was learning something her brother and sister couldn't do. In those years, we liked Crested Butte for the reasons families visit today:

"Everyone is so friendly and it's not too fancy or too crowded," explained Judy Levin, here recently from Chicago with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. In fact, Crested Butte prides itself on its down-home attitude. You won't see furs or fancy ski clothes here.

Laura Blackman, here with her husband and four sons from Austin, Texas, opined that "People have been super helpful," which has allowed her to enjoy the trip, not always easy for moms heading to the snow.

Even better, the ski school classes are typically small without the upcharge you pay to guarantee small class size at other resorts, promises ski school director Nick Herrin. Much of the 200-member ski school staff return year after year. "They are here because they are part of the community and because we're small," Herrin said.

There is also the well-regarded Adaptive Sports Center that promises plenty of outdoor adventures (and scholarships for those who need them) for those adults and kids with special challenges. "Like other families, they are looking for a shared outdoor experience, but they can't do it without help," explains Chris Read, director of the program.

Another plus: The plethora of great restaurants to choose from in such a tiny town (population 1,500) -- places like the recently opened Bonez for a not-so-traditional take on Mexican food and Coal Creek Grill in the Forest Queen Hotel that has been a fixture here since 1881. They're famous for their elk burgers and Buffalo steaks. The owners opted to open a restaurant here because they thought it was a good place to raise kids. Crested Butte, located in the southwestern part of the state, incidentally boasts one of Colorado's largest national historic districts and is that rare place, local parents say, where it is completely safe to let teens and even tweens wander on their own, taking the free bus for the five-minute ride from the mountain village. Even the family-owned Montanya Rum distillery is kid-friendly with mocktails and a kids' play area.

"This is the last great ski town!" says Oklahoman Terry Toole who loves it here so much he now spends half the year here, hosting grown children and grandchildren on their vacations.

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