Take a look at this list of fun outdoor winter activities to take part in this year with your family and friends! The colder weather and the holidays come with plenty of enjoyable activities including skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ice skating, and holiday light shows! This page will overview these activities and also give some recommendations and information on some of the locations throughout New York along with Pennsylvania that offer these outdoor them throughout the winter time!
Skiing and Snowboarding
Skiing and snowboarding are especially fun activities throughout the winter, as it is something you can spend a day doing alongside your friends and family or you can also make a trip out of it as well. Being able to ski and snowboard down the snow covered mountains on a cool day with your loved ones is a perfect and relaxing outing. Cross country skiing is always an option as well and all of these involves getting some exercise in too!!
Some great ski resorts in New York where you can go to take part in these outdoor activities include The Inn At Holiday Valley, High peaks Resort, Ledge Rock at Whiteface, Crowne Plaza Lake Placid, and Edelweiss Lodge! You can enjoy the thrill of hitting the slopes and then the relaxation and coziness of the resorts after.
Holiday Valley
Holiday valley is one of the popular resorts in New York and is located in Ellicottville. In the winter, there are several different activities offered, two of them being day and night skiing and snowboarding. Information on winter and seasonal packages are offered, along with lessons, kids activities, the tickets and hours, along with so much more is all listed on the website. Yourself along with your family and friends can enjoy a relaxing lodging experience at the Inn at Holiday Valley after a beautiful day on the slopes as well.
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Tubing
Tubing is another extremely fun outside winter activity! You don’t need too much skill to have fun at this activity, you just need to sit in the tube and to be able to hold on for the ride! Going tubing is similar to skiing, snowboarding, and sledding, as tubing still involves riding downhill on snow, but in this activity the person is not only on an inner tube, but they are riding down a lane of snow that could be compared to the winter version of a water slide. This is another outdoor activity that involves the snow and is a great way to spend a chilly day in New York. Tubing is also fairly cheap and doesn’t take too much planning! Some different Tubing Parks to visit in New York and Pennsylvania include Holiday Valley Tubing Park, Tubing Park in Windham, and Blue Mountain Snow Tubing.
Ski Blue Mountain Resort
Ski Blue Mountain Tubing Park is the largest in the US, and it has 46 different lanes to utilize. The park is located in Palermation, Pennsylvania. You will be sure to have a blast at this resort taking part in this exhilarating activity. It’s always a vibe and can be a fun day trip or vacation to get away for some fun! There is even a spot to sit and relax outside and get warm by the fire, while enjoying the view of the beautiful mountains in the background.
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Ice Skating
Ice skating is the perfect activity for the winter and holiday season .Whether you are a strong ice skater or not it is a great bonding time to spend with family and friends. Whether it is during the day or in the evening, it is something different to do and is a pretty chill and relaxed activity. Have fun skating or learning how to skate while spending time with people you love and soaking in the holiday spirit! Although ice skating is the main attraction, some locations offer other exciting outdoor activities people can take part in on the rink as well! Some different ice skating rinks located across New York are Wollman Rink, The Rink At Rockefeller Center, The Ice At Canalside, LeFrak Center At Lakeside, The Rink At Manhattan West, The Clinton Square Public Ice Skating Rink, and the list goes on!
The Ice at Canalside
Located in Buffalo, The Ice at Canalside is the largest outdoor rink the the state of New York. It opens towards the end of November all the way through the first day of March. The ice rink is presented by BlueCross BlueShield of WNY and along with ice skating on the rink, there are other activities that are offered to enjoy the winter months outdoors as well! For example, if you want to do something other than skating but still spend some time on the rink, you can have some fun with curling, use the ice bikes, and the bumper cars too! The Ice at Canalside provides outdoor activities that everyone can enjoy throughout the winter months in Buffalo!
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Holiday Light Shows
Holiday light shows are light displays that people are able to observe and either walk or drive through to really admire the incredible exhibits. This is a fun night time activity and there are so many different locations around New York that you can be sure to find one close to you to enjoy this upcoming winter. Here is a list of some of the best holiday light displays located in upstate New York, Festival of Trees, Holiday Lighted Nights, A Frosty Fest, Santa’s Playland Holiday Lights Display, Village of Lights, and Lake George’s Shepards Park.
Village of Lights
This particular outdoor light display is open during multiple dates in December, and is a great family activity to get in the holiday spirit! There are also rides and shows located at the park as well. Admission prices to Village of Lights can be found on the website along with all of the events that are offered. Don’t miss out on visiting this entertaining park and getting to experience the incredible lights this upcoming winter!
Photo by Chris Ainsworth on Unsplash
