Vacations Blog

Kanab Utah Main Street

Many people call Kanab, Utah the Gateway. Kanab sits in Southern Utah along route 89 about seven miles north of the Arizona border and subsequently gets visitors on their way to the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park among many others. Summer finds the town packed with RVs towing boats and wave runners on their way to Lake Powell and family vehicles bursting at the seams with camping and hiking equipment. The winters in Kanab are not quite as busy but still full from people going to ski at

Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Brianhead Ski Resort and snow tubing at Coral Pink Sand Dunes. The beauty to be found in Kanab and the surrounding area is breathtaking and you usually take a little bit home with you in the form of the red dirt that Kanab is famous for.

Kanab’s population is small, about 3,500, and the residents rely heavily on tourists as the largest source of income for the city. The slow-paced small town feel is a nice change from the crowded attractions and parks and the people are friendly as you walk down Main Street to check out the stores. Frontier Movie Town is a short walk away from downtown where you’ll see authentic movie sets and memorabilia from some great western movies made there. They also have the Pioneer Museum with classic western and pioneer artifacts. Read More »

The kids are all wet at Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, is a great getaway for everyone. Seriously, how fun does this look?

Let’s go with very.

(Photo by Lisa Romano)

Snow Tubing

If skiing is your thing, there are a few nice ski resorts in Virginia that you may want to visit during your vacation. I, however, won’t be there. I’ve been skiing once in my life and that was enough. I am much too practical to stand on slippery pieces of wood and throw myself down an icy mountain at a high rate of speed. The fact that I ended up off the snow and in the mud (three times) and crashed into an unsuspecting old man at the bottom of the slope may have also affected my decision to never ski again. That beginner slope is treacherous! However, I can be found sitting on my behind while sliding down a mountain in a large snow tube. That’s good quality family fun without the risk of injuring someone’s granddad. I highly recommend it.

Bryce Mountain Resort in Basye, Virginia

There are several places in Virginia to go snow tubing. Our most frequent stop, due to its proximity to our northern Virginia home is Bryce Mountain Resort. They have 800’ lanes and a moving carpet that takes you up the mountain conveyor belt style. There is a height requirement of 42” tall to go tubing at this location.

Tuesday – Friday: $18/person
Saturday & Sunday/Holiday: $22/person

Massanutten Resort in Massanutten, Virginia

Despite having an unfortunate mountain name and an odd catch phrase “Where the rubber hits the snow” Massanutten Resort is another popular snow tubing spot. They have 900’ lanes and a towrope that you attach to your tube and it pulls you up the hill. There is a 36” tall height requirement to go tubing at this site.

Mon.-Fri., Non-holiday: $18/person
Sat., Sun., Holiday: $22/person

Tubing Lanes at Bryce Mountain

Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, Virginia

I’ve never been to Wintergreen Resort but it sounds like fun.

“Imagine being on top of a ten story building and looking out over a hill that’s longer than three football fields. Now imagine going downhill on a tube at speeds reaching 30 mph.” – Quote from website

They have a 42” height requirement

mid-week, non-holiday: $18/person
weekends and holiday periods: $25/person

While searching for snow tubing sites I found a link to Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. I feel a road trip coming on. Here are a few tips about winter weather and road trips for me to read before we head out.

Note: All of the resorts listed above also offer snow skiing and snow boarding.

All photos by Sherry Roberts