Add a dash of adrenaline to your holiday with an afternoon of snow tubing. You don’t have to leave the District to go sledding; when snow hits the hills of DC, Battery Kemble Park, Book Hill Park and the National Monument offer some of the best places to wipe out in the city. No snow? No problem. If you’re willing to put some miles on the ol’ SUV, you can slip and slide in the real-deal fluffy stuff at these resorts near the DMV.
Liberty Mountain Resort
Liberty Mountain is one of the closest slopes to DC, and the lodge provides shuttle buses straight from the parking lot to the tube track so you don't have to waste energy trekking to the mountain. The Boulder Ridge Tubing area has 15 lanes available for visitors to shoot down. Translation? Long lines are non-existent. And if you're lucky, you and the fam will have a slide all to yourselves! Younger families can head over to the Pebble Ridge Kiddie Tubing area where minis ages 2-4 can enjoy unlimited rides for $9.
Safety regulations: Masks are required indoors and when standing in outdoor lines.
78 Country Club Trail, Carroll Valley, PA
717-642-8211
Online: libertymountainresort.com
Massanutten Resort
Looking to head south of the district to get your tube on? Massanutten Resort is Virginia’s first snow tubing park and, with their 900 foot hill (that's not a typo), they are one of the most popular tubing destinations in the area. So popular, in fact, that it’s been known to sell out on weekends and holidays. Your best bet is to go during the week when you can score tickets for $25 and make a full day of it.
Safety regulations: Masks are required indoors and suggested when a social distance of 6 ft. can not be maintained outdoors.
1822 Resort Dr., McGaheysville, VA
540-289-9442
Whitetail Resort
Located just over the border in Pennsylvania, Whitetail Resort is a great place for first time snow tubing adventures. Families with children over five-years-old can make the runs down the hill together, and for those with littler tubers, Whitetail’s kiddie section is smaller and less scary than the big hill. Sessions are first-come, first served and sold in two hour time slots.
Safety regulations: Face coverings are required in outdoor ques, indoors and whenever a social distance of 6 ft. can not be maintained.
13805 Blairs Valley Rd., Mercersburg, PA
717-328-9400
Online: skiwhitetail.com
Bryce Resort
Just a two hour drive from downtown DC can have you and your family on the Bryce Resort tubing track for some fast paced fun. Tubers over 4-years-can spend 90 minutes zipping down these slopes for $29. Fun fact: Bryce lets kids over 8 hit the tubing track alone, while mom and dad catch some quality time by the fire at the resorts Copper Kettle or the Fireside Grill restaurants.
Safety regulations: Masks are required at all times for guests 5 & up. Sessions are limited to 40 guests per 90-minute block.
1982 Fairway Dr., Basye, VA
540-856-2121
Online: bryceresort.com
Worth-the-Drive: Blue Mountain Resort
If you're looking for a change of scenery, head to the PA for winter thrills. There are over 10 resorts to tube (and ski) in the Pocono Mountains. and Blue Mountain offers the fastest and longest lanes in the region—and the state! This resort has 34 lanes, so you never have to wait long for another run. And 3 running lifts means you spend more time sledding than toting that airtube back up the hill (and with over 1,000 feet of sledding, you're not going to want to walk). Tickets start at $20/person. Stay at near-by Woodloch Resort and snow tubing—while not as "extreme" as the Blue Mountain experience—is complimentary with your stay.
Safety regulations: Face coverings must be worn in lift lines and when loading chairlifts. Full face helmets do not qualify as proper facial coverings.
1660 Blue Mountain Dr., Palmerton, PA
610-826-7700
Online: skibluemt.com
—Meghan Yudes Meyers, Ayren Jackson-Cannady and Amanda Rodriguez
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