Winter Activities in Central Minnesota

There’s no more beautiful place to spend a winter than in Minnesota. Whether you explore the Lake Superior Shore or the St. Paul Winter Carnival, there’s always a place to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa with some loved ones. Even without a trip to the shore or downtown St. Paul, there’s plenty of exciting snow activities around central Minnesota.

Sledding and Snow Tubing

Central Minnesota has a plethora of hangouts and parks for some classic sledding and snow tubing.  Families can choose from a variety of parks including Hester Park, Riverside Park, Sauk Rapids High School Park, and Wilson Park for their fill of sledding and snow tubing. Just make sure to seek out smooth hills, avoid trees, and always travel with friends.

Ice Skating

There’s no more picturesque outdoor winter image than ice skating at a park under a light snowfall. Lake George’s beautiful outdoor rink located downtown St. Cloud. Skate rental is free, and the warming shelter is there for you to rest if you need to. The Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC) offers indoor ice skating, rentals, skate sharpening, and concession each under $10 per person. For other rinks around the area, check out the city of St. Cloud’s list of area rinks.  

Take Advantage of Power Ridge

Powder Ridge has been a longtime winter recreation staple in Central Minnesota. With renting and amenities for skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing, (and lessons for all activities) people of all ages can enjoy the area. Whether you travel up for a day, purchase a season pass, or wish to plan a special event, Powder Ridge  has all for winter sport enthusiasts in Central Minnesota.

Explore Quarry Park

Quarry Park and Nature Preserve in Waite Park is open all-year round for visitors. After a snowfall of four or more inches, the ski trails are open for cross country skiing. In fact, on January 9, they’ll be hosting a Moonlight Ski at Quarry Park where skiers can enjoy 4.2 miles of lighted ski trails, campfire, drawing for prizes, and hot chocolate. There’s also a variety of hiking and snowshoeing trails for the family to enjoy.

Central Minnesota has a host of fun recreational winter activities, Christmas light shows, hockey games and holiday shows to name just a few. Check out stcloudfun4kids.com for more family fun this winter!

Snow Activities

Shoveling snow has been a chore in Minnesota for as long as any of us can remember. In order to get cars out of the driveway after a night-time snowfall, we must bundle up and grab our shovels. The piles of snow of the side of your driveway are a reminder of the early mornings and long hours spent walking with your shovel, but those piles can also be the staple for fun, family activities.

Build a Fort

With the sides of your driveway housing the most snow in your yard, it is the perfect place for you, along with your friends and family, to build a snow fort. Snow forts can range for as little as digging a trench, to as in-depth as creating a snow castle.

Check out these elaborate snow castles!

Have a Snowball Fight
A snowball fight is a fun event for people of all ages. You don’t need a lot of snow, or a lot of people, to have a snowball fight. You can spontaneously throw the first snowball towards one of your friends or loved ones, or take the time to plan teams and organize a full event with your friends and neighbors. You can also utilize the fort you may have created on the side of your driveway!

Use as a Blank Canvas

Snow paint is easy and inexpensive. A squirt bottle, some food coloring, and water are the only things you need to send your kids out for some artistic fun. Here are the full instructions!

Now that you know the snow of the side of your driveway is not just a reminder of your time shoveling, but also a place for fun with your family and friends, take advantage of it! You can also let us do the work for you! Visit our website to see what we can do to take your shoveling time down to zero!