Winter is heret, snow may cover the ground, and you will be looking for entertainment to overcome seasonal blues. Fortunately, there are many wintertime activities in the York County area that are worth checking out.
1. FestivICE
Presented by York Traditions Bank, FestivICE has become a wintertime tradition for locals. This winter extravaganza takes place each year over Martin Luther King weekend and is scheduled for Jan. 16-18, 2020. With over 10 tons of snow lining York’s streets, you can expect ice sculpting, sledding, and a kids’ 40-foot ice slide.
There will also be shopping booths, food vendors, kids’ crafting tables, and face painting available at the ice festival. Make sure you also check out the flea market during the festival, located at the nearby Central Market York. Local businesses are encouraged to sponsor an ice sculpture at the festival with proceeds going back to local charitable organizations.
2. Roundtop Mountain Resort
Whoever said that tubing was reversed for summertime? Snow tubing at the Roundtop Mountain Resort offers a mix of sledding and tubing. The mountain has 10 tubing lanes which can be accessed via the Magic Carpet lift. The larger runs offer just the right amount of excitement for children five years and older.
Younger children will enjoy the Kiddie Tubing lanes which have smaller tubes and a smaller drop. You can enjoy snow tubing throughout the entire winter, even if there isn’t snow on the ground. The snow-making machine will ensure you have a blast all winter long. The Roundtop Mountain Resort also offers skiing and snowboarding. The paintball and ropes courses are open all year long.
3. Codorus State Park
As soon as the temperatures drop and a thick enough layer of ice covers the Chapel Cove portion of the Codorus State Park, you will find many York locals enjoying ice skating. The skating rink is open until 7:30 p.m. each evening when the weather is right. Twinkling lights decorate the ice rink so you can skate until closing time, even once the sun has set.
4. Gifford Pinchot State Park
The same lake that locals enjoy boating and swimming in during the summer months becomes an exciting wintertime activity as soon as the lake freezes over. Gifford Pinchot State Park and the 340-acre Pinchot Lake is a top ice fishing destination. The lake is stocked with largemouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, and crappie.
Make sure you always practice safe ice fishing habits and make sure the ice is a minimum of four inches in thickness for one fisherman and seven inches for multiple fishermen. Renting a cozy cabin with a fireplace is also a great way to enjoy winter within the Gifford Pinchot State Park. You can enjoy hiking or cross-country skiing during the day and then relax around the warm fireplace in the evening.
The winter months can bring just as much entertainment and excitement in York County as the summer months do. Whether you want to attend the annual winter festival or go snow tubing on top of a mountain, you have a lot of great options to enjoy.
Image via Pixabay
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