DADE CITY, Fla. – It may not feel like the holidays when it comes to the Florida weather, but 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 Saint Joe Road in Dade City, and the attraction is bringing snow to Florida again this year.
“When people say, ‘You can’t find snow in Florida’, what do you (call) them? ‘Big liars, there’s snow right behind me,’” said Marketing Manager Winston McDaniel.
Snowcat Ridge is open for its third season in Dade City.
[TRENDING: New video shows man missing since Thanksgiving | Scantily clad Jacksonville Jaguars mascot causes social media stir during game | Become a News 6 Insider]
“We’ve expanded on everything we’ve been doing in the past. We took feedback from visitors from past years and put more money into the park to make it better,” McDaniel said.
The park has increased snow production by 50% for more snowballs and icy fun in the Arctic Igloo Indoor Play Dome. If you’re a true Floridian, you may slip a few times before you find your footing.
“The best advice we have is to layer up which may be a foreign concept to a lot of Floridians,” McDaniel said.
While it’s below freezing inside the Igloo, outside it’s warmer with a 100% chance of snowy slopes.
Snowcat Ridge is known for its 60-foot tall snowy hill. You can ride alone, tandem with a partner or on a ten-person tube.
“We added more lifts to it, we’ve added more ice and snow on the actual hill to make it faster and make it more fun and you’ll be spending less time in line and more time going down the slopes,” McDaniel said.
You start at the bottom with a tube, the moving sidewalk transports you to the top of the slope. You’re assigned to a lane and then slide down 400 feet of snowy slopes.
The park also has a Crystal Ribbon ice skating rink, an expanded food truck village and private party spaces slope-side at the Eskimo Outpost.
Snowcat Ridge is open through February. Tickets vary daily and start at about $27 and include the snowy slopes, ice skating and igloo so there’s plenty to do.
INSIDER TIP: Wear layers and bring gloves for the Igloo Indoor Play Dome. It is freezing inside, but warmer outdoors.
You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: