Massanutten Resort: A Winter Paradise

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I had the pleasure of being hosted by Massanutten Resort last weekend to experience all that they offer guests in the winter months. Located in the beautiful heart of the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia it is just a short drive from Baltimore and Washington DC. Offering an indoor waterpark, rec centers, spa, ice skating rink, tubing, zip lines, and 14 ski slopes there is no shortage of fun to be had whether you visit for a weekend or an entire week you will love it!

Upon arrival, we checked in at the Woodstone Center, a hub for all owners and renters. This houses the front desk (open 24 hours), concierge, Woodstone Deli and Grill, indoor pool and recreation activities and more. Directly behind this building is the Spa at Massanutten (unfortunately I had no time to visit, but maybe when I return I will set up a little R&R). The spa offers many massages, facials, body treatments, beauty packages and more. Be sure to make time for this during your visit, I know I needed a massage after a day on the slopes!

Accommodations at Massanutten Resort

I was given a beautiful 2 bedroom Woodstone condo for the weekend, a short drive (less than 5 minutes) from the slopes, waterpark and more it was very convenient. These condos are located on one of the golf courses at Massanutten, I think sitting on the porch and watching golfers could prove to be a really fun way to spend an afternoon in the spring and summer.  We didn’t have a lot of downtime in our condo as we were only visiting for two nights, but we really enjoyed the accommodations. I could easily spend a week in this unit with my family of four.

Once we were settled in it didn’t take the kids long to pack up their bathing suits so we could head to the indoor waterpark (it was 20 degrees outside). Kept at 84 degrees year-round it was comfortable in the waterpark, with ample seating, and with many slides, hot tubs, pools, and kids play areas we weren’t going to be very bored. The waterpark has ample lockers for storage and many changing rooms. There is also a large video arcade, snack bar and restaurant located in the waterpark. We dined at the Hideaway Lounge for lunch and enjoyed our “pub” food. In the summer months, this also has an entire outdoor park as well.  After a long day of travel and waterpark fun, we headed into the local town for some dinner.

Saturday morning we awoke to beautiful sunny skies, it was time to hit the slopes and more! I made a pancake breakfast and we were off to the Ice Rink first thing. The Rink is located at the Le Club Recreation Center, it is 4,250 sq feet and can accommodate up to 132 skaters at a time. My family will not be entering any Olympic skating events anytime soon, but we enjoyed the experience. We went inside the recreation center and played ping pong and video games until it was time to head to the Tubing Park.

Thankfully it wasn’t too crowded yet at the Family Adventure Park for tubing, we had an absolute blast and felt it was really well run and easy to get up and down the hill for as many runs as possible. Despite the frigid temps we actually saw people zip-lining while we were riding the ramp up the hill!

Skiing at Massanutten Resort

Now it was time for the real event, Skiing! Oh my goodness I have not been on ski’s in years. My husband and oldest daughter were pros, the little one and I stuck with the bunny hills. That was until she decided to go on the “Nutten to It” slope with Daddy! I got schooled by my 6-year-old. That’s fine, I really enjoyed watching her ski she loved it. They offer lessons for all ages and from what I saw do a great job with them. I would recommend a lesson if you have never been on a ski in your life, it really will help.

I stayed with the little one while my husband and oldest enjoyed the larger hills, including the black diamond that they mistakenly went to because they forgot to get off the lift! Stay aware when you are skiing, the only way down is by ski or snowboard there is no round-trip lift ticket. During our time on the mountain, a freak snowstorm literally came out of nowhere! That was when it was time to put the ski’s up for the day, considering we went from sunny and nice to whiteout conditions. Since we were trapped on the mountain because of an accident we found our way to the Fareway’s Restaurant, and I am so glad we did. The service and meal were excellent and I would certainly dine here again.

Overall we really enjoyed our experience at Massanutten, we didn’t even scratch the surface of everything they offer if you are staying for a longer amount of time at the resort. They have craft activities, group fitness, movie nights, 21 and over events, family bingo, karaoke and so much more! Next time you are thinking of a family getaway for winter definitely visit Massanutten Resort in Virginia you will not be disappointed. I can’t wait to visit in the summer and experience even more of Massanutten!

If you are interested in a visit you can call the resort at 540-289-9441 and they can help you set up a wonderful family vacation!

Published Feb 19, 2015