DADE CITY, Fla. - Florida's winter forecast calls for snow in Dade City this Saturday as Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park opens its gates for the holiday season.
What to do at Snowcat Ridge?
What we know:
Snowy Slopes
The park’s premier snow tubing hill offers single, tandem, and 10-person tubes. To ride, guests must wear closed-toe secure shoes, keep their legs tucked inside the tube, and hold onto the safety handles at all times. Height and age minimums vary by tube size—starting at 32 inches tall and 2 years old for the 10-person tubes, and 42 inches tall and 6 years old for single tubes. Phones, cameras, and loose articles are strictly prohibited during the ride.
Arctic Igloo
Inside this massive snow dome, guests can play in real snow, build snowmen, and enjoy the Bunny Slope, a gentler tubing hill designed specifically for children under 42 inches tall. Inside the 30-degree Arctic Igloo, guests can explore an indoor snow play area, a snowball target area and bunny slopes, according to the website.
Crystal Ribbon
An outdoor ice skating rink with a beginner oval where guests can glide under the open sky. Visitors can bring their own skates or rent them at the park for an additional fee. The website states all-day ice skate rentals are $11.25 and rental ice skates are available in child-size 9 up through to adult-size 15.
Courtesy: Snowcat Ridge
Santa’s Christmas Lane
A festive walkthrough experience is included with general admission, adding holiday cheer to the winter landscape. Families can also visit Santa’s Christmas Lane to meet Santa at Santa’s Cozy Cabin or listen to Mrs. Claus read Christmas stories. Children 7 and younger can explore the Peppermint Play Zone, a candy-themed area with games, activities and a playground, while shoppers can browse treasures at Santa’s Gift Shoppe.
Courtesy: Snowcat Ridge
Alpine Village
A variety of outlets offering food, drinks, beer, wine and shopping. See a full list of offerings here.
Courtesy: Snowcat Ridge
Private Igloos
Private igloos at the Eskimo Outpost are also available starting at $199 for up to 25 guests, according to the website. Rentals include 2.5 hours of private indoor and outdoor seating inside a festively decorated 500-square-foot igloo, a private firepit, an unobstructed view of the Snowy Slopes music and light show, unlimited bottled water and a family-size s’mores kit containing six full-size Hershey chocolate bars, a brick of Graham crackers, a large bag of marshmallows and four roasting sticks.
Courtesy: Snowcat Ridge
Snowcat Ridge ticket prices
By the numbers:
Online tickets for Saturday start at $27.95, though the park's website notes that prices are subject to change and box office purchases cost $6 more. General admission includes a two-hour snow tube session alongside all-day access to both the Arctic Igloo and the Crystal Ribbon.
Florida's only snow park
The backstory:
Snowcat Ridge is Florida's only snow park—a one-of-a-kind experience temporarily turning the Sunshine State into a winter wonderland.
In the past, tropical storms have delayed the park's opening, and electrical issues have forced closures.
Unknown details
What we don't know:
Currently, it is unknown how many people will attend and how many tickets will be sold. For more information on tickets, attractions and opening/closing times, click here.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Snowcat Ridge Alpine Snow Park website, which detailed opening dates, ticket pricing, attraction amenities and rider safety rules.