Massanutten, Virginia is home to one of the East Coast’s most popular all-season resort destinations, Massanutten Resort.
Home to year-round, family-friendly fun indoor and outdoor adventure activities, you’ll find countless ways to enjoy your vacation stay in Massanutten, Virginia. With fast-paced attractions like Northern Lights Tubing and their outdoor/indoor water slide filled water park, Massanutten Resort is especially fun for the adventure seeking traveler. And, if you’ve got tweens and teens in your party, Massanutten, Virginia offers the perfect action-packed getaway to keep your family moving and entertained for your entire stay.
We were invited down for a weekend media trip recently to experience the winter fun to be had at the resort. With just 48 hours to spend on site we were able to pack in a full weekend of fun that the 12 year old travelers I had with me are sure to remember for years to come.
Massanutten Virginia Weekend Getaway: Massanutten Resort with Kids
Friday, 9 PM: Arrival
Check-ins happen at the main resort building.
You will receive your keys and, if you’re staying at a villa, your garage door opener as well. You will also receive other resort information and have an opportunity to buy passes, book experiences if you haven’t done so, and find out about other activities and nearby attractions courtesy of the concierge desk that is located in this building as well.
FYI: If you want to enjoy a large indoor pool without all of the action of the waterpark, the Woodstone Meadows Recreation Pool is a great place to swim in the winter months when the outdoor pools are closed up. In addition to the pool, you’ll also find a fitness room, a game room, hot tub, co-ed steam and sauna rooms, locker rooms, and two of the Escape Rooms.
Massanutten Virginia: Where to Stay
If you’re a larger family that prefers to spread out a bit like us, booking at the Regal Vistas villas at Massanutten is a great choice. We love the luxury of the villas with their full kitchens, double rooms, two bathrooms and spacious living areas. The garage parking makes unloading in nippy weather nice too.
They’re also a great choice if you’re traveling with relatives or friends because you can have adjoining houses.
We’ve also stayed at other locations on the property that are roomy and comfortable for a family of five or more. We truly appreciate that Massanutten Resort has tons of great accommodations for larger families, and that’s tough to find at many resorts.
Saturday, 10AM: Massanutten Water Park, Arcade, and Lunch
We started the day off with Massanutten’s indoor water park where the water is a toasty 84 degrees and the kids can enjoy the water fortress, inflatable adventures, body slides, pools, lazy river floats, and the FlowRider® Endless Wave while mom just chills in the hot tub.
The doors open at 10 AM and based on the line that can form, especially on rainy days like ours, you want to make sure you’re there no later than 9:45 unless your kids enjoy waiting.
When you’re ready for lunch and a break from being wet, grab something to eat at the Snack Shack in the water park for a fast meal. If you want a little something more, or a few grown up drinks for mom and dad, you can enjoy Hideaway Lounge. The full service bar is located just beside Diamond Jim’s Arcade where you can send the kids for a little dry entertainment while you sit at the bar.
Waterpark Notes:
- You can no take your own food and drink into the water park, so be prepared to buy there.
- The Chill Grill, located outside, and The Blue Ridge Buffet, located upstairs where you enter the water park complex are seasonal and only open in the warm season.
- It gets super crowded at the park on rainy days, be prepared for that and maybe schedule a different indoor activity on those days.
- DON’T FORGET TOWELS! The water park does not supply them and you’ll be out a couple of twenties if you have to buy them from the gift shop
Saturday, 5 PM: Dinner
We headed to Campfire Grill for dinner. The casual dining venue pays homage to the outdoors and the spirit of adventure with both their camp ground style decor (we got to sit in the “tent”) and their menu featuring hand-crafted pizza, camp stove chili, chicken dumplings, beer can burgers, and skillets.
I had the steak and it was seriously good as was the service.
Pro tip: save room for dessert! We overdid it at dinner and didn’t get to enjoy the S’mores but I’ve heard great things!
Saturday, 6:30 PM: Rec Center Fun
Because my kids can’t miss shooting a ball for more than 24 hours, we spent an hour burning off our dinner at the rec center near Campfire Grill. The Massanutten Fitness & Rec Club features a game room, indoor basketball court, racquetball courts, ping pong, and much more. They even have indoor swimming options, including a kiddie pool.
We weren’t able to fit it in this trip, but you’re feeling super wintry, located just outside of the Massanutten Fitness & Rec Club is The Rink, the resort’s outdoor ice skating rink. You can rent skates and helmets on site, and novices can even book ice skating lessons.
Just be sure to buy tickets in advance, skate times have been known to sale out, especially around the holidays.
Saturday, 8 PM: Northern Lights Tubing
First, let me just say that this is not my idea of fun. But, if you enjoy neon lights, fun music, and hurling yourself down the side of a mountain in a plastic tube at super fast rates like my kids do, then Massanutten’s Northern Lights Tubing is definitely for you.
I survived one trip down the mountain and decided not to tempt fate, but the tweens went several times, happily racing each other down and right back up again.
Tubing Tips:
- Northern Lights Tubing happens at night, you can also enjoy tubing during the day.
- Younger kids can tube too – just have to link their tube to yours to go down.
- You don’t have to walk up the hill to tube or ride the lift. They have a handy dandy conveyor belt to take you right back to the top.
- Northern Lights Tubing sells out! Buy your tickets in advance if you want to make sure you get your preferred time.
Sunday, 8 AM: Snowboarding Lessons and Slope Time
Since it was Dude 3’s first time on the slopes, a snowboarding class seemed like the best bet.
After a quick treat and some coffee for mom at The General Store coffee shop, we headed to get fitted for equipment.
All of the kids were outfitted with helmets, boots, and boards before they joined their instructor for an hour and a half of training.
Then, they hit the slopes solo to test out their new skills.
What to Know About Snowboarding Lessons at Massanutten
- Massanutten Resort offers terrain based learning in their ski and snowboarding schools which makes learning easier and more fun by using specifically shaped snow features to naturally control your speed and body position. It’s a pretty innovative and neat concept and I think it definitely made the experience more comfortable for my new rider.
- They also teach you how to get on and off the lift correctly.
- You have to be at least seven for their beginner group lessons.
- Kids as young as four can participate in Mountain Cruisers which is a half day program including skiing lessons (snowboarders still must be at least 7), equipment rental, supervised instruction, and lunch. It’s a great way for mom and dad to hit the slopes for a few hours alone.
- If you purchase a lesson package it includes Slope-Use Ticket, Equipment Rentals, and your 1.5 hour lesson.
- They also offer a Mini Riders program (for 4-6 year olds to learn to snowboard) and private lessons for those who want/need a little more attention.
Sunday, Noon: Lunch
If you’re on the slopes, there are a number of places to take a break and grab a bite.
We ate at Encounter’s Lounge, a seasonal bar and grill located on the second floor of the ski lodge.
You can also grab a meal at Base Camp and the Ski Lodge Cafeteria.
Sunday 2:00 PM: Ice Cream at the Fun Factory
Located near the main entrance of the resort,the Fun Factory is a tiny candy and gift shop where you can stop and grab a quick scoop of ice cream.
Sunday, 2:30 PM: Virtual Reality
Located just across the parking lot from the Fun Factory, you’ll find Real Escapes Virtual Reality.
If you’ve never experienced VR before, let me just tell you, it is an immersive, engaging experience unlike anything else. It’s more than just playing a video game, it’s like actually being IN a video game.
Personally, I got car sick on the driving one in the first 3 minutes, but the kids found both the racing simulators and the VR stations to be seriously fun.
Sunday, 3:30 PM: The Lost Jewel of Zanzibar Escape Room
Located in the same building as the VR experience is The Lost Jewel of Zanzibar Escape Room. We joined another family to attempt to figure our way through the puzzle and, without giving you any spoilers, we failed. It was super challenging (or maybe we aren’t as smart as we think!), so be prepared to use your thinking caps on that one.
Planning to visit Massanutten Virginia this summer? Check out our post about things to do at Massanutten Resort in the Summer before you go!