If you’re looking for a taste of winter in the Sunshine State, you’re in luck.
Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park is about a 90-minute drive from Orlando, at 27839 St. Joe Road in Dade City, and the attraction is bringing snow to Florida again this year.
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The park produces tons of snow each day to keep the Arctic Igloo Indoor Play Dome icy for visitors. You can throw snowballs, make snow angels and kids can slide down snowy bunny slopes.
“It’s a lot of technology and a little bit of magic. We’re able to have real wet, real cold freezing snow,” said Snowcat Ridge spokesperson Winston McDaniel.
The park also installed a new Crystal Ribbon ice skating rink that lights up at night.
“The best advice is to layer up, which is a foreign concept to Floridians. You’ll need a jacket inside the Arctic Igloo and the Crystal Ribbon ice skating rink, but you might want to take it off in other parts of the park and sliding down the slopes.
What Snowcat Ridge is known for is its 60-foot-tall snowy slopes. It’s not actual snow on the slopes, but it gives you the feel of sliding down an Alpine snow hill. You start at the bottom, grabbing a tube. Then the moving sidewalk transports you to the top of the slopes. You’re assigned a lane and then you slide down 400 feet.
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“We have single-rider tubes and tandem tubes so you can ride with your friends. It’s actually faster when you ride tandem with someone (as) the weight distribution is just perfect. We also have family tubes where you can fit seven or eight people on a tube.”
Snowcat Ridge also has a food truck village, bar with drinks and private igloos you can rent at the Eskimo Outpost overlooking the snowy slopes.
Tickets vary by day and start at about $27. The snow park is expected to stay open through March, weather permitting.
INSIDER TIP: Wear layers and bring gloves for the Igloo Indoor Play Dome. It is freezing inside, but warmer outdoors.