Want to know where some of the hottest COLDEST places are to live and to play? Vacation or to live? 500 Livability.com cities and identified the hottest winter scenes based on advice from experts including travel writers and tourism marketing professionals.
The selections focus on some of the hottest areas for outdoor winter fun, such as snow skiing, ice fishing and dog sledding and cozy places to hang out.
From their list include the following and excerpted from their original write-up is a summary below: #10: Casper, Wyoming: Casper’s hotels, restaurants and most of the city’s entertainment options cost less than those in many other winter playgrounds.The nearby Hogadon Ski Area has three lifts and 24 trails, and just minutes from downtown, Casper Nordic Center has 26 miles of groomed trails, 27 miles of back-country trails and a lighted loop for night skiing. Ice fishing adventures await at a pair of lakes southwest of the city. More than a dozen guide services in Casper provide equipment and tips for reeling in a big catch of walleye, trout and perch. #9: Concord, NH: Six ski areas within 50 miles of Concord offer adventure for all experience levels, including Gunstock Mountain Resort, which has 55 trails and eight lifts, and McIntyre Ski Area, a smaller resort with runs for beginners and children.Those looking for a bit more power can hop on a snowmobile and cruise through 80 miles of trails in and around the city. Mt. Washington Northern Extremes Snowmobiling, less than two hours away, offers rentals and guided trips along 200 miles of trails. Other outdoor activities include ice fishing, skating, dog sledding and ice climbing.
#8 Bangor, Maine: Most restaurants and pubs offer nightly entertainment, while the Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Robinson Ballet stage seasonal performances. People fill the downtown area for several winter events including a holiday festival and parade. Even in cold weather, the Waterfront area along the Penobscot River is a beautiful place to walk, as is the Broadway Historic District, an area filled with homes built by lumber barons of the 1800s.
#7: Missoula, Montana: Missoula makes a great base for those interested in piecing together a multiday ski trip. Skiers can choose among six ski areas within a two-and-a-half hour drive of downtown, the closest being Montana Snowbowl in the Lolo National Forest about 25 minutes away. Cross-country skiing trails can be found in three national forest areas – on some local golf courses and at the Mount Haggin Nordic Ski Area.
#6: Waukesha, WI: For a unique experience when weather conditions are right, visitors can rent toboggans and race down a pair of wooden, 350-foot runs in Waukesha’s Lowell Park, while snowboarders and sledders often zip down the park’s hillside. Several other parks in and around Waukesha feature hills for sledding, cross-country skiing trails and ice skating rinks. Two nearby ski areas – Alpine Valley and Highlands of Olympia Ski Hill – have a mix of runs, night skiing and challenging terrain parks.
#5: Reno, Nevada: Think Tahoe and plenty of skiing, resorts, pampering and mountain food and pubs. Plus, it’s an easy and quick side trip from the San Francisco Bay Area. Eighteen ski resorts in the Reno and Lake Tahoe area provide the opportunity to swish down the slopes, and most can be reached within an hour’s drive from downtown Reno.
#4: Traverse City, MI: The city gets an average of more than 100 inches of snow annually, and skiers, sledders, snowmobilers and snowshoers put it to good use. Three ski areas provide slopes for all skill levels. Skiers enjoy limited downhill runs and rope tows at Hickory Hills within the city, while Shanty Creek Resorts, about 40 minutes away, has more than 50 runs and a 450-foot vertical drop. Traverse City is surrounded by cross-country ski areas, including the Pere Marquette State Forest, home to the Vasa Pathway, a series of trails that loop through towering pine trees.
#3: Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis has more theater seats per capita than any U.S. city outside of New York. More than 20 theaters stage shows ranging from children’s plays and sketch comedy to Off Broadway performances and operas. Crowds at some of the city’s top attractions thin out during the winter months, so visitors get more time and elbow room to explore places such as the Minnesota Zoo and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
#2: Spokane, WA: One of the larger ski resorts, 49 Degrees North, has a 1,850-foot vertical drop and five chairlifts. Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, just 28 miles from downtown, features five double chairlifts, a terrain park and snow tubing area. Ice skaters love downtown Spokane’s Riverfront Park Ice Palace operated by the city’s parks department. The department also co-sponsors with REI guided moonlight snowshoe hikes through the meadows and woods around Mt. Spokane. Many area fishermen head to Cocolalla Lake in Idaho just 66 miles away.
#1: Anchorage, AK: Blanketed with snow from mid October to early April, Anchorage means an opportunity to take in every winter sport you’ve ever wanted to do. Anchorage is an urban oasis in a land of vast wilderness with entertainment and dining options as varied as the landscape. Venues such as the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, Cyrano’s Theatre Company and Chilkoot Charlie’s host a variety of musical and theatrical events. Twenty-two museums and historic sites, such as the Alaska Native Heritage Center, connect visitors to local culture.
Resourced and excerpted from Livability.com. Photo credit: Alaska by Nicole Geils.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
