Get Out of Town: Whitefield and North Woodstock, New Hampshire
Stay at the action-packed Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa and plan skiing/snowboarding at nearby Attitash mountain, followed by a visit to the Ice Castles.
Snow tubing at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa.
It may feel like spring is starting here in Rhode Island, but if you are still craving hitting the powdery slopes or action-packed sledding, it is still very much a winter wonderland in New Hampshire. It has been cold here all season long, but we haven’t gotten much snow. Hoping for a final taste of winter, my family headed north for a few days of school vacation.
I wanted to take the family skiing/snowboarding for the first time, and my sister and cousin were already up at Attitash Mountain, so we decided to book a last-minute getaway at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, New Hampshire. The resort itself has plenty to do without leaving the grounds, including snow tubing on its vast hills, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing (all equipment is available complimentary to hotel guests). They also have an on-site farm with beautiful llamas, alpacas, donkeys, chickens, sheep, goats and more. In the morning, you can sign up for ax throwing and children’s activities, or spend the evening at the resort for movie night. Hit up the vast indoor pool up until 9 p.m., or return in warmer weather for the outdoor pool. There is also an onsite restaurant, The Harvest Tavern, with terrific food for breakfast, including an all-you-can-eat buffet with everything from french toast with fresh fruit compote and whipped cream to French cooked eggs, plus a full lunch and dinner menu with comfort food classics, Wagyu burgers and pizza. A sprawling spa is located on the top floor of the hotel with services including massages and facials. Right now the resort has a deal where you can book two nights, and get the third for free, and it’s already a reasonable nightly rate.
Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa.
Even though we could have arrived and never left Mountain View Grand for two days, we wanted to hit the slopes. Attitash is an affordable and approachable family ski resort where you can purchase “novice” passes for the kids. The cost for each “novice” child was $68 versus the full cost for a pass ($119-$144). Just keep that in mind, to wait until you get to the mountain to purchase kid passes. The novice pass only allows rides on the partial lift, and not the summit, but in the cases of my children, that was more than enough. In fact, my daughter only stuck to the bunny slope. It was the perfect mountain for her to learn how to ski, while my son worked on improving his snowboarding skills.
Skiing at Attitash.
Then it was off to the Ice Castles for our final day. It was snow much fun exploring this frozen wonder in North Woodstock, New Hampshire. We bought tickets online for a specific time frame, then showed up, bundled up, and checked in. Even though we were ten minutes late for our scheduled time, it wasn’t a problem, and they said we could stay as long as we liked.
The kids arrived dressed in full snow pants, snow boots, hats and gloves, with me in my diva faux fur coat, then we set off to explore the winding paths of the frozen castle. There were all kinds of cool things to do this time, which is much different from six years ago when we last visited. We flew down the ice slide (there are two! One for little kids), we went snow tubing, and took photos on the ice throne and with dragon ice sculptures. There is a 1/4-mile illuminated trail for a walk through the woods, and a snack bar serving hot cocoa and treats for the kids, plus a whole Polar Pub bar with cocktails, like boozy hot cocoa and cider for adults. There are several fire pits for warming up along the way. It’s definitely worth the trip and admission if you enjoy all of these amenities. You can even book a horse-drawn sleigh ride around the property!
Ice Castles.
Pro tip: Arrive before sunset around 4:30 p.m. and stay until nightfall to see the whole place lit up in purple, blue and pink. There are only portapotties available outdoors, so keep that in mind before you arrive, because you’ll have to disrobe. It’s cold!
After the ice castles, we went for lunch and brews at nearby the Woodstock Inn Brewery, where I sipped a s’mores stout and ate a steak and brie flatbread, while the kids had short rib tacos and a chicken quesadilla. It was a great getaway!
