Winter & Christmas Holiday Experiences in New England

Less than half an hour from Hartford, Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort in Middletown kicks off a Connecticut winter adventure with skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing, and the fast-growing sport of “ski biking,” which has thrill seekers zooming downhill on bicycle frames attached to skis… Hang on to your bobble hats!

In New Hampshire, visitors can take a sleigh ride tour of The Rocks, a forest reservation and Christmas tree farm set on a 1,400-acre historic estate in Bethlehem or unleash the excitement of dogsledding at Muddy Paw Sled Dog Kennel in Jefferson. For a double dash of sugar and ski, Appleton Farms in Massachusetts is a working farm that welcomes winter visitors with snowshoe rentals and miles of cross-country ski trails. On maple season weekends, there are syrup-making demos and tastings at the property’s Sugar Shack.

Keen photographers will enjoy the setting of Portland Head Light in winter, whether settled in the snow, or during a wild Atlantic storm. Visitors can drive right up to the Lighthouse to catch the perfect shot, then head for a hearty and thawing seafood lunch in the Old Port district just fifteen minutes away.