Holiday Valley is The Perfect Family Winter Getaway
December 20, 2019
Snuggled in the Allegany Mountains, just an hour south of Buffalo is the family-friendly resort of Holiday Valley in the cozy Village of Ellicottville. Sharing a few days on the slopes, away from the commitments and distractions of everyday life brings families together in a way nothing else can. Holiday Valley offers the “Just Right” family vacation, for parents who have kids who are ready for some independence, but still young enough to enjoy hanging out with Mom and Dad. The slope side lodging, interesting variety of terrain, legendary snow, and fun places to eat, shop and play all add up to a great vacation without the hassles of long distance travel, flights and rental cars.
The mountain has five different faces with great variety of terrain on 60 trails, yet at 750 foot vertical, it is just the right size for a young family. The lift system, consisting of 11 family friendly quad chairs and 2 surface lifts, makes it easy to get around the mountain and back to the convenient slopeside lodging. A special kids’ trail map shows the many exciting tree trails and glades to explore and the secret fort hidden in the woods. Kids can take the Geocache challenge to locate each of the 8 Seneca Clan Rocks that are placed around the resort and learn interesting facts about the Seneca Nation of Indians. Happy Glade, one of four glades at Holiday Valley, is a kids’ delight with a gentle pitch and tightly packed evergreens that leads to a secret fort in the woods. Kid-size moguls, just perfect for learning to ski bumps, can be found on the moderately pitched Morning Star Slope. The Riglet Park at Penguin Hill at the bottom of School Haus slope is a down-sized learning area and terrain park that gives kids (and parents) a place to learn how to ride and slide on non-intimidating terrain and features that are shorter and low to the ground. The Sky High Mountain Coaster is a thrilling ride down the mountain through the trees.
Holiday Valley’s Mountain Adventures Children’s Snowsports School is the perfect place for kids as young as three to learn or improve skiing or snowboarding skills. Day Care, which can be combined with lessons, operates daily. And after a busy day on the slopes, families love the Holiday Valley Tubing Park with 20 groomed lanes and a conveyor lift, a warming hut, and a huge bonfire pit. For the little ones under 42 inches tall, there’s the Li’l Tubers area, weather permitting.
The Tamarack Club and the Inn at Holiday Valley offer ski-in, ski-out access. Both lodges have indoor/outdoor heated pools and saunas, which are big hits with families. The Tamarack Club has a full service restaurant, an arcade and the Ellicottville Oasis Spa, and is just steps from the Day Care center and the Children’s Snowsports School. Slope side condominiums from Holiday Valley Property Management are a great choice for families who want extra living space, additional bedrooms and the convenience of a kitchen. Weekday lift and lodging packages at these three Holiday Valley properties include free lift tickets for up to two children age 17 and under, when accompanying two paying adults.
There’s plenty to do off the slopes too. In addition to the Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster and the Holiday Valley Tubing Park there are many unique shops and restaurants in quaint and friendly Ellicottville, located just a mile from the resort. The surrounding countryside is full of off-the-beaten-path activities like visiting the shops and homes of the largest old order Amish community in the US, hiking or cross country skiing the many trails of nearby Allegany State Park, exploring the interactive outdoor sculptures at Griffis Sculpture Park, learning about Native American History at the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum, or relaxing in an authentic European Salt Cave.
Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville is on the web at www.holidayvalley.com.
Ellicottville is located on Route 219, just 50 miles south of Buffalo.