experiencing snow without skiing
 

My husband grew up in the south but has always wanted to experience the snow. He does not ski or skate or snow mobile. We live in South Carolina and need some recommendations and how far in advance to make plans for a location, if possible not crowded, and accommodations.

Rose G

I don't really like skiing, but I really enjoyed Breckenridge. We did a sleigh ride, shopped, ate at great restaurants, went in the hot tub, etc. It's a beautiful area.

Are you looking for a small town near ski resorts that offers non-skiing activities?

Or are you just looking for places that has snow?

If the latter, you can certainly visit cities like Quebec or Montreal which gets lots of snow but plenty of indoor activites you can do.

For something nearby, check out Beech Mountain, N.C. Most of that area's ski resorts offer snow tubing if you want a snow activity without skiing. There are few hotels, but many condos or vacation homes for rent.

I would be more than happy to send him any snow we may get this year or next for that matter.
If he wants the thrill of driving on it go to the closest icerink and ask them if he can take a spin ( pun intended ).

Durango CO; Santa Fe NM; Taos NM. They would all work for you.

Lots of options in each place re: food, accomodations, activities etc.

All would require flying into Albuquerque. Check out southwest for deals.

Deb

If you don’t ski, you might want to avoid ski locations just to keep costs and crowds down. Also avoid holiday weeks (spring breaks) or weekends if you can. You might consider something like small towns in New England (although snow can’t be guaranteed there !!). I like the Montréal and New Mexico suggestions. Or Vancouver and then take a day trip up into the mountains to see the snow. Or no kidding someplace like Minneapolis or environs which certainly has snow! The American Club in Kohler Wisconsin (see http://www.destinationkohler.com/hot...inn_index.html)
would be another place with lots of activities in a non-ski environment and a quite nice hotel: I am certain you could find nice lodges/inns in Minn as well, see shl.com or lhw.com or karebrown.com for New England. Or try vrbo.com and rent your own house/condo. No mountains in either Wisconsin or Minn, but certainly snow would almost be guaranteed.

I have lived in northern Minnesota for 56 years. In that time I have never seen a Christmas without snow. I have seen snow falling in April, May, June, August, September and of course November through March, but not every year. Last year we had over 4 feet of snow fall in April. There is snow on the ground now and some of that may still be here in early March. I'd sometime like to experience winter without snow. :^)

The White Mountains of Vermont must have some great places. mybe we have posters here from Vermont who can help.
I know Lake Placid in NY would be great but it is a ski resort town - so might be more expensive.

How about Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and maybe even Toronto for some international flair. Niagara Falls is beautiful in the winter. Casinos on both US and Canadian side if you like, wineries in NIagara COunty and Canada. Buffalo has wonderful architecture, just opened a great art musuem featuring local artists, in addition to our already existing and terrific Albright Knox Art musuem, wonderful theatre and restaurants and we know how to deal with snow. there is a lovely ski resort town, Ellicottville, less than 60 minutes away which has cute shops, restaurants, etc. You can pretty much count on snow anytime in Janaury and February. We get lots of snow. as the joke goes, we have 4 seasons...almost winter, winter, pot hole season, and summer.

It's the Green Mountains that are in Vermont and yes, they are a great winter destination, skiing or not. Check out Stowe or Woodstock. Both nice towns. I'd give the edge to Stowe though - great recreation path for snowshoing, x-country skiing,etc. Also you can rent snowmobiles in the area. www.gostowe.com

Vardon,

If your husband wants to experience snow without skiing, skating or snowmobiling, he can come over and shovel my driveway and walk. It will squelch his curiosity permanently. ;-)

As an alternative, I second the Québec suggestion. The Carnival de Québec runs Jan 30 through Feb 15. Check http://tinyurl.com/324mqz.

Winterlude, Ottawa's winter carnival, is Feb 6-22. http://tinyurl.com/2ltsra.

Both feature snow and ice sculpture competitions, dog sled races, concerts, ice skating shows and family activities. In addition, both cities have museums, historic sites and lots of other indoor activities.

I lived in Vermont and New Hampshire for years & never once ski, skate, or snow mobiled!! It's easy enough to enjoy the snow just walking around (if you have decent boots and coat) or sitting by the fire inside!

Vermont is a stunningly gorgeous state. I'd recommend going there.

White Mountains = NH
Green Mountains = VT

Yes. Green Mountains in Vermont. My mistake. I've been to both the White and Green Mountains and I just mixed them up by mistake.

Do not know if you are familiar with snow, but some other things to consider. First, transportation. While in the south a dusting of snow is cause for everything to shut down, if you are driving you will likely encounter some situations where snow is falling and you are driving. You will need to either plan for delays if you are not comfortable driving or be prepared mentally for this. If you fly, a big snowstorm will cause flight delays - even if it is not snowing in the immediate area. So if you plan for a week and absolutely must be back at work on a Monday, don't plan a Sunday afternoon flight.

I might pick a more urban location - Montreal, Burlington, VT are 2 possibilities with opportunities to get the snow experience with outher things to do as well - you could get a car for all or part of the time.

Have a good trip. My dtr (we are from Boston) is in college in NC and thought it was hysterical that schools were closed in central NC a few weeks ago for what we would consider a non-event. Here schools need about 6 inches of cnow before they close.

If you're willing to take a slightly longer trip, you can't beat Anchorage for the Fur Rendezvous and start of the Iditarod at the end of February. There's a carnival, Grand Prix race, dogsled races, the Miners and Trappers Ball, ice sculpture, snowshoe baseball games and races... tons of fun, plus, if you want to get to some bona fide wilderness, that's close by too. Check out www.furrondy.net.

Yellowstone is a good place to see winter without skiing. you will need to ride a snowcoach or snowmobile.