Top 6-7 Kid-Friendly Winter Activities, Curated by Kids

To some adults, winter means it’s time to snuggle up with a book or a new series. But if the kids are home from school and don’t know the meaning of “chill” (and you’re sick of hearing the Skibidi Toilet theme), you’re delulu if you’re not seeking ways to get everyone to lock in on something fun. Our kids say the memes of 2025 are dead, but we can’t resist this list of 6-7 kid-curated Staunton winter activities to keep everyone busy whether there’s snow on the ground or not.

Slip Slide

Excited about the Winter Olympics? Want +1000 Aura? Grab some lift tickets at Wintergreen Resort or Massanutten Resort, and attack the slopes on your skis, snowboard, or snow tube.

Been perfecting your quadruple axles on that frozen puddle in your yard? Get to an ice rink, immediately and show how sigma you are on your blades. Bridgewater’s Generations Park ioffers daily ice skating and skate rentals through the first weekend in March.
You may have noticed that there’s not a lot of flat ground in Staunton. This may be exhausting for walking and biking, but it’s terrific after a good snow. Bundle up and try out some of our slopes. Montgomery Hall Park and Gypsy Hill Park offer lots of hills, places to park, and even winter bathrooms. Residents also gather to sled on the sweeping hill on the Mary Baldwin campus.

Yes. They’re Hungry Again.

Whether they’re freezing from playing in the snow or just hungry from doubling in size every three months, you’ll want to make everyone’s tummy feel loved with some hot cocoa and lunch from Cranberry’s Eatery & Grocery.
Other non-fast-food restaurants that serve bussin meals kids love are Wright’s Dairy Rite, The Depot Grille, Shenandoah Pizza, Remedy Burger, Little Maria’s, and the Baja Bean. Leave room for dessert at Split Banana, Klines Dairy Bar, or Sweet Addie’s. Take your family out to eat and they’ll think you slay. No cap!

Escape with a Good Story

Fend off brain rot and help them discover their next great read. The Book Dragon has books for kids, teens, and adults. If you’re okay with older titles and pre-loved books, you can get some amazing bargains at Know Knew Books. This well-organized store stocks books, comics, CDs and DVDs for all ages, all at 75% off cover price. Pufferbellies sells popular books for kids and the staff loves to help you find what’s right for your young reader.
The Visulite is located downtown and shows the latest films. Bonus: Mom and dad can enjoy a glass of beer or wine while they watch.

Play a Game

Speaking of Pufferbellies, if your family loves friendly competition, why not pick out a new board game? A curated selection of popular titles ranges from cooperative games (you know, so nobody knocks over the board or has to take home the L) to creative and challenging strategy games, to escape-rooms-in-a-box.

Your family – it’s giving Scooby Doo energy? Park your Mystery Machine and exercise your detective skills at Crack the Code Escape Room. Decipher clues and (hopefully) escape your locked room in under an hour. Pick from five themes with varying difficulty, appropriate for kids eight and older with adult supervision.
If you’re into strategy games, war games, and more, The Dragon’s Hoard has a big selection of games, gaming and hobby supplies, dice, and miniatures.
Stop mewing at your phone and dust off your bowling bag: you’ll score big on indoor family fun with a few rounds of bowling (and trips to the snack bar) at Staunton Lanes. The bowling lanes have optional bumpers and ball ramps for beginners.

Visit a Museum

Life and chores don’t stop on the farm, so The Frontier Culture Museum welcomes visitors all year long. Families will love checking out living farm history and seeing what cold-weather activities kept our ancestors busy. The museum includes both indoor and outdoor spaces, lots of hands-on activities, and you can warm up in the forge if it’s too cold!

Kids who love wheels and machines will think the Jumbo Museum at the Staunton Fire Department is lit. Manufactured in 1911, Jumbo is the oldest motorized fire engine in Virginia. That’s even older than Mom and Dad!
The Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Library is a good destination for older kids to learn about history and tour the 19th-century manse.
If a trip to Harrisonburg is in the cards, you can spend an entire day at the Explore More Children’s Museum. Hands-on exhibits range from the arts to communication, to science, aviation, and everyday life.

How about a Swim?

City pools don’t open until Memorial Day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t swim. The Staunton YMCA has daily family swim hours for members. Even if you’re not a member, you can join a friend who is and pay a guest fee.
If snow just isn’t your thing, you can take your tube skills indoors to the Massanutten Water Park where you’ll splash, slide, and float your way to a terrific time, periodt.

Get Outside

Take advantage of cooler weather to go outside and not pick up ticks. Disc golf at Montgomery Hall Park is fun and engaging for the whole group. It’s easy to learn, good exercise, and you can always – cringe –cut your game short if someone has a tantrum or needs the potty.

Gypsy Hill Park’s Action Skate Park has been recently updated with current skate trends in mind and is good for skateboards, inline skates, scooters, and BMX bikes.
Just 20 minutes out of town, Augusta Springs Wetlands offers a great way to get some exercise and spot some wildlife at the same time. Much of the ¾-mile loop trail is boardwalk, so your shoes won’t end up muddy and kicked!
Lots of kids think hiking is sus. But the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail adds an extra element of excitement. This adventure follows the route of the old railroad tracks and burrows under the mountain. Make sure you bring your lights: it’s dark in there, fr.

Mulligan’s Golf Center is open on winter weekends. There’s a professionally-designed 18-hole mini golf course and a double-decker driving range where you can use TrackMan technology to hit a bucket of balls at fun and interactive targets. It’s fire!

What will you kids say when you take them on one of these kid-friendly Staunton winter activities? They’ll say you ate and left no crumbs. That means you rocked.