Wintergreen Resort Family Activities

Wintergreen puts a good deal of thought into its children's programs for both ski and non-ski seasons. In winter, most kids begin their ski day at the Treehouse, a multiroom facility, geared to youngsters 30 months to 12 years. A full day at the Treehouse runs from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a half-day, without lunch, is either 8:15 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

During ski season, generally December through March, depending on the weather, little ones younger than age 3 combine snow play and crafts at the Treehouse. Three year-olds get more instruction, learning the basics through one-hour ski lessons in the morning and in the afternoon. With Ridgely's Rippers, kids 4 to 12 can opt for a half or full day of snow instruction and indoor activities. Kids are generally divided into age-appropriate groups. The resort offers snowboarding instruction for ages 8 and older. At age 5, my daughter learned to ski at Wintergreen, gently encouraged by the caring instructors.

Half-day ski or boarding programs, Monday through Friday, cost $60 when booked more than 24 hours in advance and $70 when booked less than 24 hours in advance. It's $85 for Sunday if booked more than 24 hours in advance and $95 if not. (No half-day Saturday programs are available). Full-day programs include lunch. When booked more than 24 hours in advance, these cost $90, Monday to Friday, and $130 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. If booked less than 24 hours in advance, Monday to Friday, programs cost $100, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays cost $140.

Once kids ages 7 to 14 master the basics, they can sign up for Mountain Explorers. This advanced beginner program includes lift tickets, 2.5 hours of ski or snowboarding lessons, as well as practice time and snacks. The full day costs $115, and a half-day, $85. You must reserve in advance, as this program operates only on weekends and holidays when two or more children of similar abilities register.

Kids younger than 5 and accompanied by a paying parent always ski free. Wintergreen offers a variety of value-added ski-and-stay packages. In winter, nonskiing kids -- ages 30 months to 12 years -- create crafts, cook, play group games and listen to stories. In winter, the Treehouse works best for younger, nonskiing kids since most children 8 and older will be skiing or riding.

From June through Labor Day weekend, Wintergreen offers an imaginative array of children's programs. Kids in Action, whose facility is the Treehouse, is a nature-based supervised, activities program, for ages 30 months to 12 years, that operates from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Full-day programs cost $55, and half-day programs cost $35.

Divided into groups for toilet trained kids ages 30 months to 4 years, 5 to 8 and 9 to 12, kids romp through butterfly hunts, salamander walks, scavenger hunts and enjoy a daily swim at the pool. Over the years, my daughter has come back from camp with pressed sassafras leaves, Popsicle-stick birdcages and other crafts. In summer, the nature theme continues for older kids, ages 9 to 14, who sign up for weekend sessions of the Junior Explorers Specialty Camp. At Rocks!, for example, 'tweens and teens learn how to tie knots and rock-climb. At Survival Training, they find out how to read maps and use a compass.

In summer, on Friday and Saturday nights, Kids Night Out operates from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for ages 6 to 12. They swim in the pool, go on hikes with flashlights and watch movies. The program costs $32 for the first child and $29 for each additional child. On select summer Wednesday evenings, ages 6 to 12 enjoy an overnight campout at Lake Monocan. The cost is $64 for the first child and $58 for each additional child. In fall and spring, the Treehouse is typically open on holidays and some Saturdays; check ahead of time with the resort.

Year-round. There's much for families to do together. At Wintergreen, one of the mid-Atlantic's best ski resorts for families, ski or snowboard down 26 slopes (rated beginner to expert with 14 lit for night skiing), try tricks in the terrain park, and glide down two tubing hills. The Plunge, a teen-pleaser, zooms you down a hill as long as three football fields at speeds up to 30 mph. At Ridgely's Fun Park, geared toward ages 2 and older, little ones glide down a mini-tube hill and ride on carousel that pulls them around in snow tubes.

In spring, summer and fall, we have rock-climbed, hiked, played golf and tennis, swam at the indoor and outdoor pools (depending on the season) and simply savored the spectacular views from our rental condo's deck. In summer, you can also tackle the 7.2-mile fat tire bike trail that leads from the mountaintop to the valley. Or, fly fish, canoe, kayak and paddleboat in Lake Monocan.

In summer, on Monday nights, watch family movies; on Friday nights, gather 'round the campfire for stories and s'mores. Take your kids, ages 8 and younger, to ride the carousel at Ridgely's Fun Park. The hills come alive with music during the summer music festival. In 2009, there were more than 200 performances of classical, chamber, pop and bluegrass music. Check out the Wintergreen Performing Arts.

Year-round, take on a family challenge at the Out of Bounds Adventure Center. Gradeschoolers and teens like to find out how high they can jump on the bungee trampoline and how close to the top of the 25-foot-tall rock-climbing tower they can get. The Dome, an indoor activities center open year-round, is a good rainy day venue. Little ones play in the faux castle, and 'tweens and teens engage in Foosball, air hockey and a range of computer video games, including Nintendo Wii. Amusing yourselves at the Dome costs $12 per hour or $18 for two hours, so look for packages that include Dome passes.

What else can you and your children do? Go horseback riding in the valley, drive the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway (access is just one mile from the Wintergreen's gatehouse), and hike Crabtree Falls, one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi River.