family fun
By Claire Dougherty Kovacs
THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO HIT THE SLOPES! Area ski resorts offer a lot more than skiing and snowboarding these days .
I
have a confession: I have never taken my kids skiing. Why? I’m not very good at it. When balancing on a slippery, snowy slope I fear my only path to the bottom will play out like a cartoon character plowing down the mountain in a giant snowball with only my arms and legs sticking out. So, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that ski resorts, many just a few hours away from the Baltimore/D.C. area, offer a lot more than skiing and snowboarding. Resorts these days have snow tubing and zip lines, and others that take you horseback riding or have a deluxe spa for a day of pampering. There are ski resorts with mountain coasters, escape rooms, golf courses, and even an indoor water park. Many of the resorts offer hotel accommodations on site or have partnered with nearby hotels for lodging and all have a variety of food and dining options. With so many family-friendly activities available, I think I’ll revisit my view on what it means to ‘hit the slopes!’
Roundtop Mountain Resort Lewisberry, Pa. skiroundtop.com Roundtop Mountain Resort has 14 large tubing lanes for ages 5 and up, as well as a special Kiddie Tubing area for kids 4 and under. Roundtop also features a year-round outdoor paintball course that is the largest paintball field in Central Pa., and kids as young as 7 can play! If you have a group of 12 people or more, Roundtop has a challenging set of ropes courses perfect for team building activities.
Liberty Mountain Resort at Boulder Ridge Carroll Valley, Pa. libertymountainresort.com Winter highlights at Liberty include a 15-lane snow tubing course, complete with a ‘moving carpet’ that brings you and your tube back to the hill to Boulder Ridge Lodge. The lodge is the perfect place to warm-up, featuring party rooms, a snack bar, arcade, and a wrap-around deck to “watch the action on the hill.” Large groups can book Liberty’s Challenge Course, which has ropes courses, and a climbing wall great for teamwork exercises. Liberty also features an ice-skating rink at its main location; shuttle buses run between Liberty and Boulder Ridge regularly.
JANUARY 2019
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