I hope everyone had a great time over the holidays, and even if you didn’t, you still made it all the way to the year 2026!
The cold weather is most certainly upon us here in the northeast, and one of two things start to happen for people: you either embrace the cold and get outside to build a snowman, go sledding, snowshoe, ski/snowboard, play hockey, or whatever suits your fancy, and the other option is to wallow in misery for the next few months, wishing the warm weather was already here and you were on a beach somewhere.
Well, as luck would have it, you can technically do both at the same time at Jay Peak Resort in Jay, Vermont. Located waaaay up in northern Vermont and just five miles from the Canadian border, Jay Peak has a lot to offer. Aside from their 82 skiable trails (check out their live camera feeds here), they also have a spa, a climbing gym, a fitness center, gear shops (of course), their own movie theater, minigolf, childcare, an ice-skating arena, an arcade, and most importantly for those with cabin fever, a large indoor water park!
I remember snowboarding there for one day only when I was a teenager, and I loved the mountain so much, that the memory of it stuck with me all these years.
It’s their indoor water park that really inspired me to write this post. Don’t get me wrong, there are some things about the winter that I like, such as the beautiful Vermont winter scenery, sledding with our daughter, snowboarding on occasion, and the quietude of the woods (which is different than the quietude of the woods in the summer), however, I strongly dislike being cold. I grew up in Vermont, yes, but I’d much rather be paddle boarding at the local lake when it’s 90 degrees outside.
I’ve been to Jay Peak’s Indoor Water Park one time with my daughter, and that was during March of 2021, when COVID was still in full swing and the vaccines hadn’t come out yet. In retrospect, it was pretty irresponsible of me to take my daughter there during that time, especially when no one else was wearing a mask in the big open area so they could swim, but we never got sick or tested positive for COVID. Essentially, we got lucky.
So, why did I make that decision to go there? Because…cabin fever. Because…I wanted to take my daughter swimming and for us to have a good time. Plus, it didn’t occur to me that no one would be wearing masks in the swimming area.
Aside from that oversight, we still had a blast while we were there! One section was closed, but other than that, there was a surfing area (which I didn’t try but kind of wish I did), separate pools with basketball hoops, a kids’ play area, a “river,” three separate long, windy slides, a bar area up top, and cabanas around the swimming areas if you wanted to pay a little extra. The water was warm and the air humid, which was a nice balance to the cold, dry air outdoors.
I would love to go back this winter to explore more, as there was a lot we didn’t get to do. Now that our daughter is older, she might remember it this time and might even appreciate it more!
Have you been, and what was your experience? What did you try out? Please comment below for discussion.
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