25 Ways to Keep Sane This Winter in New England

1. Day and Night Skiing

Make the best of all the snowfall by strapping on your skis or snowboard. With over 25 trails open, Wachusett also lights up 18 of these trails until 10pm for night skiing. Wachusett has rentals and lessons for beginners and terrain parks and even an air bag for advanced skiers and boarders. Night tubing is an option during speical events, too!

Wachusett Mountain Ski Area
Princeton, MA

2. Indoor Rock Climbing

If your New Year's resolution was to join a gym and you haven't yet, try one of New England's indoor rock climbing gyms. Whether you choose Rock Spot Climbing in Rhode Island, Carabiner's in Massachusetts, or Vertical Dreams in New Hampshire, rock climbing is a fun and challenging way to get some exercise without running on treadmills.

Rock Climbing gyms can be found here.

Photo: Chris March/Flickr

3. Trampoline Parks

With dodgeball, basketball, foam pits and more, indoor trampoline parks have something to offer people of all ages. Whether you want to bring a group of children for the day, or sign up a group of adults for some "xtreme" dodgeball, trampoline parks can be a great change of pace and a fun way to try something new.

Launch and Skyzone have parks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

4. Indoor Wave Pool

What better way to beat the winter slump than to go for a swim? While it may be too cold for traditional water parks and beaches, the Cape Codder Resort and Spa's 8,200 square foot wave pool is making two foot waves! Complete with 80 and 50 foot slides and a 24 person whirlpool, the Cape Codder is a great reason to wear your bathing suit under those snow pants.

Cape Codder Resort and Spa
Hyannis, MA

Photo: Alpha/Flickr

5. Winter Skating

If skating on ponds and lakes isn't your thing, try one of New England's outdoor skating rinks.  You can either bring your own skates or rent skates for any size feet. Hours of operation vary so check out these websites for times and special events!

Alex and Ani Center
Providence, RI

Patriot Place Rink
Foxborough, MA

Worcester Commons Oval

Worcester, MA

Boston Common Frog Pond

Boston, MA

6. Hockey Games

Check out some action on the ice! The Boston Bruins will be playing home games at TD Garden in Boston until late Spring. For semi-professional hockey, New England is home to the Providence Bruins, Worcester Sharks, Hartford Wolfpack, and Manchester Monarchs. Watch some hockey and try to pick up a trick or two for next time you're on skates!

7. Basketball Games

The Boston Celtics play at TD Garden in Boston and have a lot of home games left in their schedule. If cost is a problem, the Providence Sky Chiefs are the newest semi-professional basketball team in the region and play home games at Brown University's Pizzitola Center.

8. New England Zoos

Don't forget that the snow leopards, moon bears, and polar bears at Rhode Island's Roger Williams Zoo thrive in a winter habitat. Roger Williams Park Zoo is open from 10am until 4pm and offers half-price admission for January and February. With learning programs for school-age children and even paint nights with "age-appropriate" refreshments for adults, Roger Williams Zoo has something for everyone this winter. You can also check out Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA.

Roger Williams Zoo
Providence, RI

Zoo New England

Massachusetts

Photo: Tambako/Flickr

9. Dog Sled Tours

Embrace the call of the wind and head to New England Dog Sledding for some dog sled tours. Tours are pulled by trained and "very friendly" Alaskan Husky sled dogs and are offered throughout the Bethel, Maine and North Conway,New Hampshire areas. You can also enjoy skijoring, which is nordic skiing pulled by a dog, so you can bring your own or rent one of theirs!

New England Dog Sledding
Mason Township, ME

Photo: Libernaventure/Flickr

10. Curling

With no Winter Olympics for the next few years, Ocean State Curling Club has your curling fix. Hosting events and tournaments or "bonspiels" at the Veteran’s Memorial Ice Rink in Cranston, RI, the Ocean State Curling Club is a "social club for anyone interested in recreational curling". The Broomstones Curling Club is the largest club in the Boston area. For western New England, Petersham Curling Club is based out of Petersham, MA. If you want to earn your way to the 2018 Winter Olympics, sign up for a learn to curl class soon!

Photo: dave/Flickr

11. Paint and Vino

Shake off that cold by painting a picture of a tropical sunset at Paint and Vino, Rhode Island's first paint and wine studio. Bring children for family paint events and parties, or leave them at home to enjoy complimentary "adult beverages" as you paint. Perfect for date night, girls night out or a fun friday night, Paint and Vino's classes run for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and a spot must be reserved.

Paint and Vino
Pawtucket RI

Photo: Yelp Inc./Flickr

12. Casinos

Just because it’s freezing outside, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try to run hot at the Casinos. Mohegan Sun, Twin River, and Foxwoods Casino are great places to spend the day or night, whether your game is Texas Hold 'Em poker or just video poker. If you run out of money to bet with, you can enjoy numerous entertainment events from musical performers to stand up comedians.

13. Sleigh Ride

Enjoy the snow and scenery with a horse-drawn sleigh ride from Chepachet Farms and Sugar House in Chepachet, RI. A team of horses pulls an eight-person sleigh along wooded trails for a 35-40 minute ride. Afterwards, riders are welcome to enjoy hot cocoa by a woodburning stove in the farm house.

Chepachet, RI

Photo: Andrew McFarlane/Flickr

14. Butterfly Garden

The Museum of Science's Butterfly Garden Exhibit offers a look at the life of free-flying butterflies from across New England and the globe. The warm conservatory serves as a home and troplical oasis for the butterflies, a plce to learn about the stages of a butterfly's life, and a warm place to get out of the cold.

Museum of Science

Boston, MA

Photo: Selbe B/Flickr

15. Newport Festival

From February 13th to 22nd, Newport will be hosting the 27th annual Newport Winter Festival throughout Newport County. Hosting events like ice sculpting, a children's fair,  and a chili cook-off, the Winter Festival is 10 days of "non-stop music, food and fun". Check out some live music from Jimmy Buffett, Eagles, and Beatles tribute bands while you experience the 150 events in Newport.

Newport, Rhode Island

Photo: Steve Wilde/Flickr

16. Snowshoeing

For those who can't ski or snowboard, snowshoeing is another way to get around in the snow. Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire ski resorts have designated snowshoeing facilities, but the best part is you can strap into a pair and walk around anywhere snow is too deep for boots. The Appalacian Mountain Club keeps three of its hiker's huts open year round in the White Mountains for snowshoeing and hiking.

17. Snowmobiling

Snowmobiling across the wilderness in New Hampshire, Vermont or Maine is an exhilarating experience during the winter. Whether you want to enjoy a tour of Killington, Okemo or Mount Snow in Vermont or rent a snowmobile to soar across the empty fields of Maine, try to get up north before the snow melts!

Photo: Frank Kehren/Flickr

18. Take a Nature Walk

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in Holderness, NH offers a wide arrange of guided tours of live animal trails. A staff naturalist leads and teaches groups how certain animals are adapted to the winter climate in New Hampshire. The guided tours are run on weekends and can be a great way to experience and learn more about nature in New England.

Squam Lakes

Holderness, NH

Photo: Doug Brown/Flickr

19. Lowell Winterfest

Lowell, MA will be hosting a Winterfest on February 20th and 21st. Come out for free skating at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, Micro and Craft Beer showcase and sign up for their human dogsled competition! Saturday night the sky will light up with a fire show from Cirque de Light.

You can find a full schedule of events here.

Lowell, MA

Photo: Mike/Flickr

20. Cross Country Skiing

Grab your poles and skis and head down to the East Bay Bicycle Path for some Cross Country Skiing. Of course, you can go cross country skiing anywhere there is snow and some flat land, but the East Bay Bike Path stretches about 14 miles from Bristol to India Point Park in Providence. Or you can enjoy a chair lift at Bretton Woods' Mountain Road before you ski 5 miles down the side of the mountain. Sorry, snowboarders will have to find something else to do. 

21. Sledding

Grab your best tube or toboggan and find your nearest hill! GoLocalProv and GoLocalWorcester have already made picks of the best ones.

Rhode Island's Best Hills for Sledding

Best Sledding Spots in Worcester County

22. Boston Aquarium

Home to over 80 penguins, the Boston Aquarium put a new twist on their existing penguin exhibit. "Penguinology" is meant to teach aquarium goers more about the waddling birds through information packets and decoder stations. Check out the Northern Fur Seals and Atlantic Harbor Seals for animals that are used to these freezing temperatures.

Boston, Massachusetts

23. Give Back!

While the winter holidays are generally the biggest volunteer days of the year, Rhode Island Food Bank is still actively seeking volunteers to help them distribute 10 million pounds of food this year. Over 68,000 people rely on the Food Bank each month - so if you have time to share, consider organizing a food drive, volunteering at a community farm or checking here for member agency programs that need helpers.

Photo: U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers/Flickr

24. Zip Line

Soar down Mount Washington on a series of tree-top zip lines! The Canopy Tour is lead by one of Bretton Woods Adventure Guides as they describe the native fauna and flora. You'll descend over 1000 feet of elevation on this 3 hour tour. Each tour guide can take a group of up to 8, so grab some friends and zip down the mountain!

Mount Washington

Bretton Woods, NH

Photo: Kris Krug/Flickr

25. Ice Climbing

For the adventurous out there, Adventure Spirit in Vermont is your place for ice climbing. Choose from climbing at Bolton Quarry, Bristol Cliffs or even Smuggler's Notch to be lead by one of their experienced instructors. Be prepared to spend your day strenuously climbing some of nature's frozen streams and flow offs. They also offer alpine climbing and outdoor rock climbing for those who wish to fully test their limits.

Adventure Spirit Guides

Burlington, VT

Photo: Daniel/Flickr