Winter can be long, so you might as well enjoy it and take a vacation. There are so many cities that really celebrate the season in a way you and your whole family will love.
Winter Family Getaway in Stowe, Vermont
Stowe is a beautiful quaint town in the heart of Vermont. It is a ski town, with the local ski hill Mount Mansfield or Smuggler’s Notch a few miles away, but if you are not a skier there are still lots of other great winter activities to participate in. You can go sledding and tubing at Marshall Hill, ride a dog sled at Eden Mountain Lodge, or rent snow shoes and trek through the Wiessner Woods. There are also unique shops and art galleries to visit throughout the main street.
In the third week of January, there is Stowe’s winter festival. Here you can watch ice carving competitions, have your children participate in the Kids Carnival Kaos, and everyone will have fun at the Village Night Block Party. Your family will love staying at the famous Trapp Family Lodge, or try the Stoweflake Mountain Resort if you want to stay in the village.
Winter Vacation in Sugarloaf, Maine
Sugarloaf is a ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, but it offers so much more. It has a Turbo Tubing park with its own lift and four 1,000-foot chutes to slide down. Other winter activities you can partake in include dog sledding, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowmobiling, ice fishing and skating on their outdoor rink. During their children’s festival in mid January, all children ages 4 to 12 receive free ski passes, ski lessons and equipment rentals with a three night midweek stay.
When you want to move indoors, at the foot of the mountain is the Carrabassett Valley Antigravity Complex, where you will find Maine’s largest indoor skate bowl, state of the art trampolines, an rock climbing wall and a full fitness center. You can stay at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel or rent one of the many condominiums in the area.
Winter Weekend in North Conway, New Hampshire
North Conway is located in the beautiful scenic valley of Mount Washington and offers so much in the way of winter fun. You can go tubing at the Pine Meadows tubing park, take a winter horse back ride, or snowshoe through the 788,000 acres of White Mountain National Forest. If you do want to ski, there are several ski resorts close by including Mount Cranmore, Attitash, and Wildcat Mountain. You can also take a scenic one hour tour up Mount Washington in the customized SnowCoach, a 9-passenger van on treads.
In late February you can partake in the Mount Washington Valley Winter Carnival which is ten days of festivities throughout North Conway. The activities include snow sculptures, a snowmobile rally, ice skating, snow tubing, fireworks and dog sled rides. There is also a Snow Princess Fantasy event for girls ages 4 to 10. When your family wants to enjoy some fun inside, try the Kahuna Laguna indoor water park, located at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort, it has four high speed tubes, a wave pool, activity pool, shallow kiddy pool and a 70 gallon tipping bucket, and a family fun center. Plus, there is great outlet shopping at the Settlers’ Green, right in town.
