Indoor Summer sledding in NJ? Yes. And your kids are gonna freak

I’ve written so much before about American Dream. I’m one of those people for whom the mega entertainment complex is, in fact, “a dream.” I just love everything about it and I think it is one of the best things that has ever happened to New Jersey. And Big Snow is one of the many reasons.

You know how you’re always looking for things to do in the summertime to keep your kids interested, occupied, and cool? I’m gonna let you in on the one thing you had no idea existed: Sledding in the summer.

You read that correctly.

Now unless you have been living under a rock, you already know that Big Snow at American Dream is an indoor skiing and snowboarding wonderland that has been amazing to thousands of ski enthusiasts since it opened, including Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who pronounced the snow “really good.”

After its re-opening in May, people have been flocking to Big Snow to get that thrill of skiing that they love without the long commute. But I bet you didn’t know that there’s also a play and sledding area for kids ages 3 and up at Big Snow. (It would’ve never occurred to me, either.) But now I have planned a trip with my kids and grandkids where there’s something to do for the little ones as well as the not-so-little ones.

For those of you who don’t know, Big SNOW American Dream is the first and only snowdome in the United States. Located in East Rutherford, N.J., inside of the American Dream mall, Big Snow opened its doors in December 2019 and has quickly become well known throughout the country.

Big Snow is open all year long and in the summer months, it could be a novel way to beat the heat. The Snow is soft and there’s no ice because of The consistent temperature of 28 degrees. But because there's no wind, people say it’s really easy to forget that it’s below freezing in there.

A sledding pass will give your kids 1 ½ hour of access to Lil Dippers sledding hill plus Access to the Sledding Carpet Lift, a sled, and complimentary locker use.
You can even rent sledding outerwear for ages five and up you’d have to purchase gloves if you come without them because of sanitary concerns.

And Lil dippers is open to guests 3 and up so the kids cannot only sled but frolic in the snow and build snowmen. So the next time it’s either broiling or raining this summer in New Jersey and your kids are whining to do something fun, or maybe you’re just sick of the beach, take a drive to big snow.

For more info: Big Snow American Dream

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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