Destination: Winter Wonderland - Midway, UT

This holiday season, you don’t need to look much further than Midway, Utah for a complete winter wonderland experience. Did you know there’s a North Pole in Midway, Utah? That certainly qualifies for “getting away” from it all, yet it isn’t so far away that traveling without reigndeer becomes a burden. Dana Graham excitedly told us about a diverse array of winter activities to plug into your itinerary this holiday season. Prepare your young ones for an unforgettable weekend by bringing your snow tubes, ice skates, AND your swimming suit! Yes, you heard that right: your swimming suit too.

Midway Ice Rink - Dana suggests starting things out at Midway’s scenic outdoor ice skating rink. It was built largely by volunteers and by obtaining drastically discounted items from the 2002 Winter Olympics, such as large refrigeration units and mobile trailers (now used as the heating hut). It is estimated they built their rink for less than half the typical cost of a commercially-built rink, but it holds to the same professional standards and enjoyment. Give their ice a twirl.

Midway Ice Rink

Soldier Hollow Tubing - Then head up to Soldier Hollow for a bouncy dash down their slopes. They boast the longest tubing lanes in Utah with 1,200-foot snow slides. Don’t worry. There is a lift service. At Soldier Hollow, kids can be kids, and adults get the chance to be kids again too.

Soldier Hollow Tubing

Homestead Crater - Perhaps by now, all the physical activity will have left you a bit sore. This would be a good time to soak and swim in the Homestead Crater. The Geothermal spring’s mineral water constantly stays between 90-96 degrees within a beehive-shaped, limestone cavern (a 55-feet tall beehive, mind you). A natural sauna 10,000+ years in the making, the crater is the only warm scuba diving destination in the continental U.S. There is a self-guided tour through the tunnels with custom-built decks overlooking the crystal-clear mineral water. If you want something really unique, there’s even a paddleboard yoga class!

Homestead Crater

Ice Castles - Once you’re done soaking, go explore thousands of frozen icicles built into Midway’s award-winning Ice Castles! The impressive ice castles include frozen thrones, fountains, breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, and ice-carved slides and tunnels. This is quite a sight to see at night. Who wants to bet your kids will be singing Frozen’s “Let it Go” theme song before you’re done? I am.

Ice Castles

North Pole Express - Lastly, take it easy by riding the Heber Creeper Train transformed into the Polar Express. Enjoy hot cocoa, Mrs. Clause’s cookies, and the animated liveliness of singing and dancing elves. When you reach the North Pole, Santa will join you for the return trip (and he’ll have gifts to give too, of course). The 90 minute round trip utilizes beautifully restored coaches from 1913 to modern-day.

North Pole Express

Now that your kids know the North Pole is not entirely fiction, they’ll sleep well on the return trip home, while visions of sugar plums dance in their heads.