11 Ideas for Winter Fun

Because If You’re Staying In, You’re Missing Out.

Clear blue skies. Rosy cheeks. Snowballs and epic sled runs. Winter’s more fun outside. Here are a few ideas to help you get out and make winter your wonderland.

#1 Go to the Dogs

We can learn a lot from dogs about how to have fun in the snow. Your four-legged friend enjoys getting out there, and you should too. Take them to a new walking trail or play snowball catch. You'll be surprised how much longer you want to stay out.

PET SUPPLIES

#2 Meet Friends Outside

On winter’s shortest days, it feels even harder to find time with friends. Instead of a coffee date, meet up for an outdoor date – snowshoe a local trail, bring cocoa to a local park or reconnect around a fire pit instead of a fireplace.

HOW TO SNOWSHOE

#3 Epic Snowball Fights

Game on. Snowball fights are a winter tradition because there are so many ways to play. Do you stock snowballs up, or make them as you go? Build a fort, or stay on the move? How can you make your snowball battle even more epic?

GLOVES AND ACCESSORIES

#4 Bike Ride in the Snow

Biking isn’t just for summer. New bikes with wide, snow-treaded tires are a fun way to check out trails around your neighborhood – or get to work, if you don’t want to stop your bicycle commute because of the cold.

L.L.BEAN NOR’EASTER FAT TIRE BIKE

#5 Day on the Ice

Even if you can’t tell a triple lutz from a double axel, you can still have fun on the ice. Play pond hockey with your friends or shuffle across an outdoor rink together – the important thing is getting out there.

ICE SKATES

#6 Find the Yeti

Set up a snowman scavenger hunt that the whole family can enjoy. Hide a unique snow sculpture in the backyard with a prize inside for the first person to find it – or set up a few and bowl them over at the end of a sled run.

YETI MOLD

#7 Backyard Birthday Party

Kids with summer birthdays shouldn’t have all the fun. Take your winter birthday party to the next level with snowy s’mores, sled races and castles that are more fun than any bounce house.

SNOW CASTLE KIT

#8 Winter Camping

It’s way easier than you think. With warm base layers, comfortable outerwear and cozy sleeping bags, you can have as much fun camping in winter as the middle of July. You can start right in your own backyard.

TENTS     SLEEPING BAGS

#9 Become a Snow Artist

Snow angels are just the beginning. Next time there’s fresh snowfall, mix some food coloring and water in a spray bottle or squirt gun, and turn the blank canvas into a bright and beautiful piece of art.

HOW TO CHOOSE OUTERWEAR

#10 Drop a Line

Catch the big one this winter! If you want to get started with ice fishing, you only need a few basic pieces of equipment. Kick back with a thermos of hot cocoa and take winter relaxation to new heights (or depths).

FISHING GEAR

#11 Sled Race

Ready, set, SNOW! Head to a backyard hill, a local park or a golf course, and go for a new speed record. Set up a relay, go for distance or make a luge course – turn winter into your playground.

SLEDS AND SNOW TUBES