Winter feels like freeeeeedom, childhood and smells like home. So it’s no wonder that you’d want to share this wonderful feeling with your kids, taking them to some amazing places where you can all enjoy a bubbly-fun time, some rest and great weather. But if you don’t know exactly where your perfect holiday will be set up, read on, we have some great suggestions.
Skaneateles, New York
What could feel more Christmasy the Dickens, with all his wonderful fairy-tales that are completely influenced by the magical winter seasons? The truth is that A Christmas Carol will never get old, even if we do, so it’s an amazing experience for children to see all the costumed actors in the Dickens’ Christmas festival.
You will all feel like you’ve stepped into a real winter Wonderland, delighting your kids with stories and settings from the Belle Époque. They can even get to see the timeless Father Christmas or the characters from Mother Goose, which the little ones will particularly love. And all that clean fun starts right from Thanksgiving, ending on Christmas Eve with a wonderful caroling session.
But these carols can also be heard throughout the festival, as there are plenty of carolers at every street corner. The actors will perform skits throughout the town, and everyone’s taking part in this, including merchants.You can get a free costume from the costume shop yourself, and get into the atmosphere, but you should know this starts around 11 a.m. and it doesn’t go past 4 p.m.
There are other activities for all of you to enjoy in the afternoon, though, like walking to the Skaneateles Lake and around it, even enjoying a cruise on the crystal clear water. The kids can actually swim in the lake, there’s a water park nearby as well as the Buttermilk Falls about 30 minutes away. You can also visit the quaint shops where you’ll find plenty of souvenirs.
Lapland
If you want to travel North to offer your kids a winter experience they’ll never forget, you can certainly visit Lapland. This magical destination promises unforgetful experiences like meeting Santa Claus or roaming through his villages and meeting all the elves that help manufacture the toys. This is particularly enchanting if you have younger kids.
There are plenty of other fun activities you can do here if you have older kids who prefer more adrenaline rushes. That can include dog sledding which takes you back to a time when this was the primary means of locomotion, snowmobiling, or the more relaxed reindeer sleighing.
You can also try some ice fishing if your children are interested in how this works, but whale watching and safaris in the land of polar bears will certainly leave you all in awe. You can even incorporate cross-country skiing into your family vacation, along with the all-time popular snowshoeing.
The frozen Lapland is home to an unforgettable scenery that includes a vast wilderness, so you’d better get the best cold weather tent for the money, and offer your kids the unique opportunity to sleep in the Ice hotel. Just imagine that you can all fall asleep with the mesmerizing Northern Lights dancing over your eyes in the Aurora Bubble in this hotel.
But you can also sleep in a makeshift UFO that’s been hung in a tree, in a warm log cabin or in a campsite. All these places offer you an unforgettable view of the Northern Lights, along with a true experience of the freezing cold tundra.
Greece
Another option is to travel to the south, where you can enjoy a milder winter in a Mediterranean country like Greece. There are plenty of bright days, though you can’t simply through away your warm clothes, particularly if you’re taking your kids to the bucolic Peloponnese mountain villages. The people there are extremely friendly, and you can all enjoy a terrific hike, which may also include great snowboarding and sleighing opportunities.
This country is great for smaller kids who will fall in love with the stories of the Ancient Gods and Goddesses that are said to have roamed through this land disguised as humans. You’ll get plenty of chances to tell them these stories if you visit imposing monuments like the Acropolis.
Mysticism has shaped this country, giving it a strong sense of spirituality. The Eastern-Orthodox monasteries at Meteora are bound to induce some heart-throbbing feelings, and your kids will adore climbing on top of the abrupt cliffs, admiring the snowy peaks in the distance. There are plenty of places where you can hike through the snow-covered forests, ski, or go horse riding and mountain biking.
The traditions you’ll love include the Patras Carnival and the Ragoutsaria, which can’t be missed. And what’s better to end a day full of terrific journeys, filled with stories and walks, than some aromatic chestnuts cooked on fire for the gang, and a glass of ouzo for the grown-ups?
Tortola, BVI
And if all the above locations are too cold for your preferences, you can always take your children to a warmer place where you can all escape the cold. Since Tortolla is located in the British Virgin Islands, being the largest of them all, you’ll enjoy crystal-clear waters, white sandy beaches and a weather that’s coveted around the globe.
This is the perfect place to relax if you have an infant or a toddler who is eager to be initiated in the all-time favorite pastime of swimming. Kids will also love playing with their sand toys on the beach, building sand castles or running around careless.
And there are also plenty of opportunities for hiking in Sage Mountain National Park thanks to the volcanic landscape and intriguing sites that can’t wait to be explored. Apart from that, there are the ferry-rides you can go on, as well as safaris, swimming with the dolphins or exploring the caves of The Baths on Virgin Gorda.
With all these terrific places in mind, we’re curious where you’ll go and why. Where have you taken your kids til now? What do you guys enjoy doing for family fun? Leave us a comment below.