A Guide to Massanutten For Families Who Love To Travel
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Tell me if this sounds like you – You’re a family with young kids (maybe 3 younger kiddos like me) that is always looking for a place that can accommodate your family’s size and energy. Hotels can be nice, but sometimes, they’re just a little too cramped. Is this you because it’s definitely me!
If at all possible, we prefer a house where we can spread out all of our clothes, and must-haves for a larger family who travels but let’s face it – that’s usually hard to come by unless you use a home-rental service but I honestly don’t like them.
During our last family trip, we were fortunate enough to stay at Massanutten and our experience was nothing short of amazing. So amazing in fact that I’m going to give you all the lowdown and tips that I learned during our time there because it’s just such an amazing place to visit.
Massanutten was also kind enough to sponsor this post but as always – that in no way influenced my feelings about the resort!
Let me start off by saying that I’ve been interested in Massanutten for YEARS but always felt a bit overwhelmed by how MUCH there is to do there! I decided to wait until my youngest was nearly two before trying it out so that the trip would be a bit easier. Now that we’ve been there – I wish we had gone sooner!
Their website really doesn’t do the resort justice and honestly, having never been there before, I felt a bit confused. That’s why I wanted to write this post! I’m going to give you a first-hand mom’s view of the experience and give you tips on what to bring and how to prepare! I learned a lot from our visit that I know will make our next trip even better! I can’t wait!
In this post, you’ll get answers to the following questions:
- Why Our Family Loves Massanutten
- The Snow Tubing
- The Water Park
- Even more Family-Friendly Activities
- Simple Tips to Remember When Renting a House
Our family had a blast and I hope this post will help you have the same kind of experience! And if you’re ever been, drop a comment! I love to hear about your experience and if you have any tips! Who knows – I just may have to update and add it to the post!
Why Our Family Loves Massanutten
Don’t get me wrong. When I was considering booking a place here, I was nervous. All I could think was “What in the world are we going to be able to do with three small children at this resort?” Little did I know that we wouldn’t have any issues staying active.
While the amenities (which I’ll get to shortly) were amazing, I think that the thing that set us over the top happy is that we were able to stay in our very own house while we were there. We stayed in one of their Regal Vistas houses and there was so much room!
Seriously, the house felt huge. AND it was clean! (That’s a big thing for me!) The house itself may not have been all that big from a square footage perspective but OMG was the floor plan efficient and so open! It felt like a massive house so don’t be scared by the square footage.
Here are some photos to show you what I mean!
I also loved the fact that it was totally stocked. I’m talking pots, pans, silverware, cleaning supplies, towels, blankets, pillows, and coffee machine. (whew, thank goodness!) They even had dish washing detergent and laundry detergent!
If you’re like us, eating out while on vacation really adds up and often it’s not even that enjoyable because the kids are usually hyper and too excited to sit still in a restaurant! Having a full kitchen with pots, pans, dishes, utensils … it made eating in the comfort of our “own home” while on vacation so much easier and less expensive! (Plus, our youngest could then take a nap right after lunch before we went right back out!)
There wasn’t anything that was forgotten or left out and it made such an easy stay and transition for us. Not only did it have everything that we need, but it had an open layout that I loved. There were two large bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a laundry room, a beautiful kitchen, a grill, and a garage area that was perfect for our car and storage needs.
The kids loved being able to roam freely in the house and immediately felt at home. Since it was a large space, they also didn’t feel cramped and didn’t immediately start getting in each others way which can easily happen in a hotel room!
Our stay there really felt as though we were enjoying a true getaway in a beautiful home that was just for us!
The Snow Tubing
Guys – the snow tubing here is amazing. I can tell you with certainty that this is where we spent most of our time. The kids not only loved it, but they woke up daily raring to go!
And since we don’t really snow tube all that much, it was so comforting at Massanutten because the entire staff was so friendly and super helpful.
I also loved about the safety rules that they had in place and we never once felt scared or out of control. And when it came to the lines, there really weren’t any because they did a great job of limiting people on the hill so we never really had to wait at all.
Here’s what you can really expect when you go https://www.massresort.com/play/snow-sports/winter-adventure-park/Snow Tubing at Massanutten…
You’ll have peace of mind knowing that you and your family are safe. They make it so that all ages can have a blast and they really do excel at that. (and when you’re done, you can go back to your house and enjoy some well-deserved hot chocolate!)
The Water Park
My jaw literally dropped when I saw the water park. I knew that there was one on-site but it literally exceeding my expectations. It was HUGE. There were so many fun options for all ages, too. While there were a lot of the common things that you’d find standard at most waterparks, they also had several really cool aspects as well that stood out from the rest.
Top reasons why we loved the water park
Their toddler area was clean and created with ease and fun in mind. They had cute little bouncers that were perfect to occupy the smaller kids for hours on end.
We absolutely loved their lazy river and they even had double rafts that you could pile on with your small child. One side of the raft was regular and the other side had a seat on it so that the little ones can’t slip through. So much safety and thought were put into their waterpark to make it family-friendly for all ages.
I also loved the fact that we didn’t have to leave the water park for food and refreshments. They had a really nice food court with good options. Way more choices than I’ve seen at other water parks. And if you’re anything like me and you realize once you’re there you forgot something but the kids are swimming and having fun, they do have a great little shop where they sell almost anything that you need.
I was able to buy a water protector for my phone because I left mine at home!
Even more Family-Friendly Activities
I loved how many activities they offered. When you check-in, they actually give you a catalog and schedule of activities and events that you can choose from. Make certain that you sit down as a family and figure out what you’re wanting to do during your time here.
There’s literally no reason for anyone to bored or not have anything to do. Some of the extra activities to choose from are crafts, disco nights, trivia, escape rooms, go-karting, skiing, hikes, etc. And their activities change all the time based on the time of year and the weather.
This just means that we have to go back to see what else they have planned!
Simple Tips to Remember When Renting a House
While we loved renting the house, there are a couple of tips to keep in mind so that you’re fully prepared.
I would highly recommend getting groceries when you’re on the way so you don’t have to unpack and leave to stock up OR order through them from their grocery delivery service. (Yep, they even deliver your groceries!)
And since your house is already stocked with everything that you need to cook with, you just have to figure out how to get the food there for you to cook.
One other little tip that we found so much comfort in?
There is so much to do that we found ourselves pooped and needing a nap during the days that we were there and we loved being able to crash and the house and relax before going back out to have fun! With kids, that’s so key!
How long should you stay at Massanutten
We found that staying 2-3 nights was perfect for our family. It kept us busy and active the whole time and we had such an enjoyable experience. So many memories were made during that time and we had a total blast.
Our kids might be little but they still make mention of the trip and I know that they’ll have fond memories for a lifetime because of our stay there.
Conclusion
Staying at Massanutten needs to be on your radar. It’s one of the best family-friendly places that we’ve stayed at and we literally enjoyed every second that we were there.
We have high hopes of going back as soon as we can to enjoy all the activities we couldn’t do during our last trip! Click here to check out everything you can do at Massanutten and plan you next stay!
Have you ever been to Massanutten? What was your favorite thing about staying there?
