Need suggestions for a "snowy" winter vacation

[Jenn D]

Ok, so I'm looking for a little help from the very diverse population of members we have here.



My mom is 52 years old and has never seen snow. My parents are not well off and I can't say she's ever been on a vacation. I would love to give her the experience of seeing snow next year, but I'm looking for the best location. I am not rich by any means, but I can afford to make this a nice trip. So, what I'm looking for is the best location to take her to fulfill her every "snow" wish.



My plan is to purchase all aspects of the trip, which I would like to set for Jan/Feb of '11, and give her an itinerary as a Christmas present. It will be just me and her, as a mom and daughter trip.



Here's a few things I'm looking to take into account:



- she likes to walk around and window shop, so a small town would be nice

- I'd prefer wherever we stay to have transportation available since being from FL, my snow driving is non-existent

- I'd like there to be plenty of snow on the ground for her to "play" in (make a snow man, snow angel, throw snowballs, etc.)

- she's not going to want to ski, but I could possibly talk her into tubing

- I'd like to take her on a sleigh ride, or snowmobile ride



All-in-all, I'm sort of looking for a quaint town/location to take her for her first, and possibly only experience with snow. I want it to be unforgettable.



Any suggestions?

 

[Bill Barber]

well, lake tahoe is slated to get 10 ft of snow this comming week, on top of a ton of snow.

want snow? kali has it, fly into reno, rent a car and have at it, Me, i hate snow.

my bad, just saw this is for 2011.

 

[CobraXP]

Park City, Utah. Everything you are looking for. You can fly into a Salt Lake City (central hub airport, so it makes tickets cheaper a lot of times) and drive from there. Park City is a small town with the 'mountain' town feel to it - great for walking or shopping. Out by the interstate is even an outlet shopping area also. You are only about 30 minutes from Salt Lake, so if you wanted to drive into a larger city for a day, it is close. Skiing, tubing, a train ride through the mountains, etc, etc - everything you listed.



I would Google Park City and see what you think... :smile0006:



If you need any info on it, let me know. We go up there on the weekends sometime just to hang out...





David

 

[Jim parnell]

suggest you look at the new england states as well, they usually have snow about this time of year

 

[Jacob Dryer]

Whistler, BC (it's a little pricey though)

Has a peak to peak gondola ride, 1/4 mile off the canyon floor

Lots of small shops and such all in walking distance of the hotels

Has a tubing park

Its the location of the 2010 Winter Olympic skiing/snowboarding events



It's out of the US without being crazy so it makes it more vacationy (is that a word?)

You can take a bus from the Vancouver airport and never have to drive in the snow as everything else you need is right in the village.

 

[Gerry Mac]

IMO



The most beautiful city in Canada is Quebec City. It is rich in history and the only Canadian city that is guaranteed a white Christmas every year. It is a walled city and really just too beautiful to describe. I have included a link to Quebec City Tourism.



If snow is your goal, this is a great choice.



Gerry Mac

 

[A K]

Since you're starting in FL, a flight to Lake Placid, NY, would be an easy flight based on time and to a place where snow is plentiful.

 

[Les]

Steamboat Springs, Colorado, has everything you want and you can fly in...

 

[Mike Dziubina]

i agree with the above suggestions of Utah and Colorado. truly amazing places with plenty of snow. Im in CT and we have it as well, in fact its snowing now, not much though. but i would also look into Vermont. i love it up there. just came back from my 4th trip there this winter. I also would suggest Wyoming. i went to Jackson Hole wyoming and it was beautiful. plenty of snow too. and you can fly right into Jackson hole as well.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

You could also try Cripple Creek, Colorado. It isn't far from Denver and Colorado Springs.

 

[Clay Campbell]

I used to take a similar trip every year. So far my favorite was Lake Tahoe. I also liked Heavenly Colorado. And Steamboat Springs Colorado. Park City was all dirty snow. But that could be just when I was there. I have been to several more and enjoyed them all but these are my favorites.

 

[Robert Caffyn]

I much prefer Aspen, having been there many times. It can be a bit pricey, but if you know what to look for it can make an awesome vacation. New England has much to offer but not really that "town center" kind of feeling, things can get a bit spread out. North Lake Tahoe is nice but again kind of spread out. Park City, Steamboat Springs typify that western mountain town feeling. I would reccomend a bit of research before you make any decisions. This will give you a chance to look for values and to find the activities you desire. Remember that wintertime is peak season out west, so things are going to cost a little more. BC

 

[Todd Z]

How about a simple ski lodge ??



Todd Z

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Ski lodges are a pretty good option.



For example, Holiday Valley New York is a very nice ski resort. They have tubing, skiing and boarding there. I know you said she won't ski, just making a point on the lodge.



A 15 person lodge, (which is HUGE) is $750 for the week. a 6 person lodge is only $295. for the week.



If you want to tube, I believe it is $25.00 for the day or something like $10 bucks for 2 hours. They get plenty of snow there, I have read about snow mobile rentals but have never looked into them off hand.



Soooo, the lodge mentality may be nice and you have your own place and it is in the snow,,,,



Good luck..

 

[Jenn D]

Thanks for all of the suggestions thus far, they are all the type of ideas I am looking for. I am not working on researching almost all of these options to see what will fit the best.



Thanks and, and once I figure out exactly what I'm going to do, I'll let you all know, if you want.

 

[Shaun Tucker]

St. Jacob's is a beautiful small-town setting with a bunch of window shopping and various things to do for a more mature-aged crowd. My brother's wedding was there in the summer, and I can just imagine it would be gorgeous in the winter time.



I guess you'd have to have your passports ready, since it is in Ontario

 

[Bud Williams]

After seeing the earlier post. definately Switzerland...:smile0006:



North Carolina has a ski resort as well, not as popular as Colorado or Utah but alot of people in the south make a nice weekend getaway there. Asheville is also a pretty place to go.