Ah to be a kid again! That’s what I thought, in amazement, as I saw the myriad offerings of the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. YMCA doesn’t exactly scream of relaxing weekends in picturesque locales, but during a recent visit to the organization’s Snow Mountain Ranch (located near Winter Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Lake), I was astounded at the center’s offerings. This 5,000-acre ranch presents affordable “family friendly” options all year round. From Fallfest to Winterfest, Valentine’s Weekend and Craft Weekends in the spring, the YMCA works diligently to provide family-oriented fun for parents and kids alike. The next such weekend, Winterfest, is so popular that it’s presented twice: December 2 – 4, and again December 9-11 at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch location.
The weekend consists of all manner of kid-type fun: Cardboard sled races, crafts, gingerbread house decorating, tubing, ghost stories with s’mores around the campfire, ice skating, rock wall-climbing and more (if you can believe there’s more).
“It’s such a nice family oriented weekend, there’s so much to do – crafts, games, swimming, hiking,” said Jen Jasinowski of Centennial, Colo. The entire Jasinowski family has attended three of the YMCA family weekends in the last two years. “The first one was so great, we had to come back,” she added, explaining why she and husband Paul brought daughters Lily, age 6; Abbey, age 4; and two year old page to the mountainous get-away.
“And it’s child friendly. How many restaurants can you go where kids can run around like that,” she queried, as we watched several youngsters play tag then form a conga line in the middle of the dining hall. Her mother-in-law, Linda Reininger, chimes in: “C’mon. How many places have a conga line in a restaurant,” she asked with a knowing grin.
Jasinowski continued, “And I notice the thing that they don’t have is the TV. And if they had it, they [the children] might be sitting in front of it, but instead they’re playing. The kids ask to come back, they say ‘when are we going to the mountains again?”
The Wilcott family—daughter Madeleina, age 9, and son Grant, age 7, had a similar story. “We did a craft weekend in the spring and it was really fun,” said mom Kerri. “We came up with a bunch of friends…took up a few tables here,” she gestured around the dining hall—the same one where the conga line had just dispersed.
But a sweet smile on little Emily’s face really punctuated the wealth that can be packed into a quick family weekend. An only child and the youngest of those I’d seen, she was awash with amazement and, no doubt, joy at the many new faces and friendships that awaited. “It was our first time doing the family thing,” said her mother, Grace Johnson. “We came for Emily and she had a great time. And it’s a pretty good deal.”
Rates for the upcoming Winterfest include two nights lodging, five buffet-style meals and a weekend full of activities. Cost for non-YMCA members is $100 per adult, and $70 per child. Children under five years of age are free and YMCA members receive a ten-dollar discount per person. All Winter Festival Weekends include a free Nordic ski lesson and trail pass with equipment rental from the on-site Nordic Center.
In short, Snow Mountain Ranch can help adults regain their youth, and children live life to the fullest – all for an affordable price that will keep the whole family smiling.
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Doni Luckutt is a lifestyle expert who believes by enhancing interpersonal connection, we can stop simply living, and become Simply Alive! If you have a suggestion on what brings you to life, connect with her on Twitter @SimplyAlive, via e-mail
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