The Best Kid-Friendly Winter Activities to enjoy in the Snow
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My family is always looking for activities to do in the winter that does not involve skiing. Skiing can be expensive for the entire family and sometimes frustrating when learning. Here are some other great winter family activities that will get your family out in the snow and having fun.
Ice Castles
Image courtesy of Ice Castles
Ice Castles is a newer attraction in the United States. They currently have five locations, New Hampshire, Utah, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin. According to their website, “Ice Castles is an awe-inspiring, must-see winter phenomenon built with hundreds of thousands of icicles that brings fairy tales to life”.
They light up the ice castles at night and also have ice slides! This will truly be a magical experience for your kids! Check out their website and see which location is closest to you. Or if you’re like my family, base your vacation around visiting one! If you visit the Midway, Utah location, you can also do many other fun activities on this list. Read our post below on our winter road trip to Utah. We did a long road trip where we used points and miles to stay for nearly free in all of the hotels.
Related: Budget-Friendly Utah Road Trip
Another ice palace just opened in Idaho, called La Bell Lake Ice Palace. Along with ice castles, they have entertainment, which includes, fire shows and dancing, character meet and greets, and ice slides!
Related: Come follow our adventures on Instagram.
2. Tubing (Magic Carpet)
Winter Tubing is one of my family’s favorite activities. Of course, you can go the old-school way of bringing your own sled or tube and finding a hill to play on. But if you really want to have fun, you can pay for winter tubing that includes the tubes and magic carpet so that you don’t have to carry you and your kid’s tubes up the hill. The lanes are machine groomed for the best and fastest ride. You will be able to spend much more time having fun and with a lot less work.
We have experienced winter tubing in both Midway, Utah at Soldier Hollow and at Seven Springs Resort in Pennsylvania. This is such a fun activity for your whole family and even small children can participate. Depending on the location and their rules, you may be able to go down as a group of two or three or with your entire family. The tubes are designed to be linked together. These winter tubing locations have been popping up everywhere and you can find winter tubing in most states with snow. My own state of Arizona will be getting one in Williams next year!
Here are some great locations for Winter Tubing:
Utah: Soldier Hollow
Pennsylvania: Seven Spring Resort
California: Lake Tahoe at Heavenly Mountain Resort
3. Mini Snowmobiling
Did you know your kids can go snowmobiling? A lot of places in the United States offer kids’ rides or joint rides. My kids were able to go snowmobiling in Midway, Utah. The required age at this location was 4-12. My girls loved riding on kid-sized snowmobiles at their own pace. It was such a cool experience for them and one they still talk about.
Here is the link to the one in Midway, Utah.
4. Outdoor Ice Skating
Outdoor Ice Skating is so fun for kids. The best part about it is that almost any child can participate if they can walk. Most ice rinks offer ice walkers for young children or first-timers. Ice Skating during the Holiday season is so magical! There are so many fun ice skating rinks in great locations with great views. Did you know Yosemite National Park has an ice skating rink?
We just got back from ice skating in Curry Village at Yosemite National Park, where the backdrop is Half Dome. The views are incredible and you can warm up at the cozy bonfire. They have smores kits, hot chocolate, and other miscellaneous treats for purchase.
Last year, my family ice skated at the outdoor rink in Park City. We were surrounded by snowy mountains and a cute village, all while it snowed on us and they played Christmas music. It definitely gets you in the Christmas spirit.
You can find Outdoor Ice Skating in almost any state.
Here are some of our favorites:
Curry Village at Yosemite National Park
Fairmont Scottsdale Rink- Local choice
Rockefeller Center- New York City
5. Dog Sledding
This past November, we took our kids’ dog sledding in Alaska. Our kids are 10, 7 & 5. This was quite the experience and it’s definitely something to add to your bucket list!
We went dog sledding in Willow, Alaska with Alaskan Husky Adventures. This group is so friendly and makes you feel right at home. However, don’t be surprised when you fall off at some point during the ride. This is a very authentic Alaskan experience and you are right there mushing with the professional mushers. Our ride was extra fun because the temperature was negative 20! However, we survived, even had fun, and can cross that off our bucket list. The tour ends with hot chocolate and cookies, which may have been my kid’s favorite part.
There is also dog sledding in Minnesota, Wyoming, Michigan, Maine, Montana, & New York, just to name a few.
I hope you can try out some of these activities this winter! Have you taken your kids on any of these activities? Let me know in the comments!
