For those of us born and raised in the northern latitudes, snowstorms always brought long, happy days spent making angels, sledding and tossing snowballs. Sure, we're grownups now, but we can still get outside and play.
Winter poses a variety of exhilarating activities for adults of all ages — from bobsledding to ballooning — and here are eight great activities you might like to try before the snow melts.
1. Explore Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
America's first national park becomes a winter wonderland with steaming geysers, abundant wildlife and a snowy solitude that summer visitors don't enjoy. Two of the park's best lodging facilities — Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel — are open during winter to serve as home base for a variety of recreational, sightseeing and educational vacation packages.
Some activities to consider: cross-country ski or snowshoe through the thermal basins (gear can be rented at Old Faithful Snow Lodge), join a snowcoach tour to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Falls, rent a snowmobile for a guided tour along the park's scenic trails, or take a "Wake up to Wildlife" tour to Lamar Valley — home to Yellowstone’s wolves.
Concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts offers these and other packages that include lodging and selected activities. 866-439-7375, .
2. Take a sleigh ride in Jackson, Wyoming
Not far from Yellowstone, Jackson is best known as a ski destination, but there's a less publicized (and less strenuous) activity here that will take you by horse-drawn sleigh into the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge. With the Grand Tetons as a backdrop, it's a scenic ride that gets you up close to the thousands of elk that winter in the refuge.
Tours are offered daily from December to early April by local outfitter Bar T5. 800-772-5386.
3. Ride a snowcat in Park City, Utah
Park City is home to three major resorts and some of the country's finest skiing, but the best way to explore the area's spectacular winter landscape is on a snowcat.
Park City Powder Cats will take you to Thousand Peaks Ranch in the wilderness of the Unita Mountains for touring through quiet bowls and glades untouched by skiers. 435-649-6596.
4. Hot air ballooning in Winter Park, Colorado
Watching the sun rising over the Continental Divide while drifting above Winter Park and the Fraser Valley in a hot air balloon is an unforgettable experience. Anticipation builds as
Grand Adventure Balloon Company's professional crew inflates the multicolored nine-story-tall balloon for a 60-minute flight that lifts you up for a 100-mile view of snow-covered mountain ranges and the winding Fraser River below. Back on earth, you'll raise a glass to your adventure with a traditional Champagne toast. 970-887-1340.
5. Snowshoe the Ice Age Trail in New Auburn, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Ice Age National Scenic Trail encompasses almost 620 miles of marked pathways featuring landscapes left behind when glacial ice carved the area some 12,000 to 15,000 years ago.
During the winter, a relatively flat 6.5-mile section of the trail is open to snowshoers at Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area. Rent snowshoes at the visitor center and set out on the trail, dotted with kettle lakes and giant boulders. 715-967-2800.
6. Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid has hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice — in 1932 and 1980 — and many of its venues now cater to visitors seeking to compete in their own Winter Games. You can zoom down the bobsled run (in the company of a professional driver and brakeman), or imagine you're Apolo Ohno while speed skating at the Olympic Center.
The center offers activities for visitors of all ages, including snowboard races and hockey slap shot contests. Skiers, of course, can take to the Olympic slopes of nearby Whiteface Mountain. 518-946-2223.
7. Ice sculpting, mushing and Aurora viewing in Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a veritable paradise for winter activities. Thanks to its extreme northern latitude, the city is a great place to take in the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). These colorful ribbons of light are caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the Earth's atmosphere. Fairbanks also hosts one of the world's largest ice-sculpting events and an amazing array of dog-mushing experiences.
Visitors will find plenty more outdoor action, such as skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing, curling and ice hockey. 800-327-5774.
8. Sip a drink at Minus5 Ice Bar in New York, New York
For those not up to outdoor activities, a visit to one of Manhattan's coolest bars — Minus5 Ice Bar — might be in order. At minus-5 degrees, it's definitely cool, but you'll be given a jacket and gloves to fend off the chill.
Everything in this bar, located inside the Hilton Midtown Hotel, is made of ice, including your drink glass. Similar ice bars are located in Boston, Orlando and Las Vegas. 212-757-4610.
