When you think of Florida as a tourist destination, you imagine a lot of things – sunshine, beaches, the theme parks of the Orlando area, the history of St. Augustine, the laid back feelings of Key West, etc. But there’s one thing most people don’t think about.
Snow.
But thanks to some innovative people, that might be about to change.
Last fall, several media outlets reported that Point Summit Incorporated, owners of White River Paintball, Tree Hoppers Aerial Adventure Park and the seasonal Indy Scream Park and SCREAM-A-GEDDON Horror Park were pursuing their most imaginative adventure yet – a snow park. But not just any snow park. Nope, we’re talking about a snow park in Florida.
Yeah, that’s kinda crazy.
Anyway, the park was intended to be in Dade City, FL (north of Tampa, about 25 miles southeast of Weeki Wachee) so the Point Summit people met with the officials of Pasco County and, after some back and forth between the 2 entities and the residents of the county, finally got their approval from the Board of County Commissioners.
The park will be seasonal, of course – a maximum of 120 days per year (as per the county’s permit), as long as temperatures are below 80 degrees. Current plans are a 300′ long x 200′ wide hill for snow tubing, and a snow play area.
A similar attraction, Snow Mountain, has been running seasonally for over a decade near Atlanta, GA. Another warm-weather location, Dell’Osso Family Farms in Stockton, CA, has seasonal snow tube rides for a few weeks in December and January.
As for the upcoming snow park in Dade City, “This is a great unique asset that could attract a lot of attention to Pasco County in a great positive light,” Adam Thomas, the county’s tourism director told WFTS-TV.
Thomas believes a snow park would fit perfectly with Pasco’s new sports coast branding.
“We have all these great amenities that really makes Pasco unique in the sports arena,” said Thomas. “Now we’re just trying to add on to that.”
If all goes to plan, the snow park’s first season will be by the end of 2020.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love if you decided to hang around and clicked the button on the top (if you’re on your computer) or the bottom (if you’re on your phone/tablet) of this page to follow our blog and get emailed notifications of when we post (it’s usually about 3 or 4 times a day). Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group, where we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
What do they do if the temperature unexpectedly breaks 80 during a given day? Also, do they have to consult the weather prognostications before deciding whether to open the following day? The park sounds interesting, if a little odd, but weirder things have certainly happened in Florida.