I have lived in three different states Florida, Tennessee and Virgina so I know a little bit about each of the three states. Winter is here and people are steady asking themselves what can I do to get out of the house and have a little fun? Well why not go to a ski resort? Winter fun at its peak, skiing and snowboarding during the day and a warm fireplace at night, doesn’t that sound like a dream? Naturally with Florida being the sunshine state you won’t really find any places to ski around but, in Tennessee and Virginia there are some pretty great ones so I am going to highlight some of the best ski resorts in those two states.
Tennessee is a beautiful state with much to offer. Nashville is the music city, in Memphis you will find the home of Elvis and in Gatlinburg you will find Ober Gatlinburg, named one of the top ten ski destinations in the country. Gatlinburg is located in the North Eastern region of Tennessee, in the majestic Smokey mountains. There are many features that make Ober Gatlinburg a resort worth visiting.There is an Aerial tramway which is a 2 mile ride over the mountains giving you a breath taking overhead view of the mountains, Riding this will cost adults $10.00, children $8.50 and if your child is under 6 they can ride for free. How about indoor ice skating? The rink is located inside the Ober Gatlinburg mall, the cost is $9.00 for 3 hours of skating fun and yes that does include skate rentals.
You can encounter the local wildlife for around $4.00 per person with children under 6 enjoying the experience for free. If you have small children you could always take them to Kiddie Land where $7.00 gets you in for the whole day. So you may be asking yourself this all sounds great but what about the slopes, that’s what it is really all about right? Well you have your pick of when you want to go skiing or snowboarding, day sessions and twilight sessions are $30.00 for adults and $20.00 for children Monday through Friday and $47.00 for adults and $37.00 for children on the weekends. What if you are more of a night person? Night sessions are available as well, night sessions are $15.00 per person but the session is little over half what you would have if you wen during the day, night sessions are only 4 hours long where as day and twilight sessions are 7 hours long. The price of the ticket does include unlimited access to the lifts as well as the aerial tramway. What if you do not have your own equipment? Ob er gatlinburg offers equipment for rent the price to rent skis is between $15.00 and $22.00 depending upon when you would like to ski. Snowboard rental is $30.00 no matter when you want to rent them, please remember though that there is a deposit required, the cash deposit is $300.00 and all major credit cards are accepted. Ober Gatlinburg has much to offer to its visitors, but always remember when planning your vacation to take all things into account, call around and find the nicest hotel in your price range, and plan for everything that you and your family are going to want to do.
Virginia is another great state with another great resort, Wintergreen has many things for Mom, Dad, and the kids, this is defiantly a family friendly place, The kids can enjoy ski lessons in at the kids Tree House, a fun place where kids can learn to ski or enhance their skills, with programs from beginner to expert your child can have some time with other children visiting the resort and can have a blast hitting the slopes at the same time, how much does this cost you may be asking? These programs vary based on the age of your child and their level of experience the prices are between $50.00 and $150.00. wintergreen offers whole day experiences as well as half day experiences. What about Mom? Wintergreen has a spa offering massages, facials, manicures and pedicures and wraps Wintergreens website offers a list of services the spa offers as well as prices and durations of the massages the web site is www.wintergreenresort.com. No one can forget about Dad right? Wintergreen has two different golf ranges Stoney creek and Devil’s Knob, although Devil’s Knob is not open during the winter months it is open in the spring summer and fall. Rates to gold at wintergreen vary between $60.00 and $80.00 this price includes 18 holes, a cart, range balls and use of practice facilities before you start your game.
Wintergreen also has tennis courts there are are indoor and outdoor facilities and the price to play is $12.00 for the outdoor court and $36.00 for the indoor court. Tennis players under 12 as well as registered guests can enjoy free tennis on the outdoor court. Wintergreen has a lodge and offers package rates for their lifts and lodge allowing guests to enjoy their stay in the lodge and hit the slopes all with one reasonable price. Once again lodge prices are listed on wintergreens website. www.wintergreenresort.,com.
No matter where you choose to go on your winter vacation always remember to plan well in advance, and research your preferred location well. Look around and see if you can find any sort of discounts or coupons to lessen the expense of your trip and stay and most of all have fun and enjoy what you are doing. Happy Skiing.
