Ideas for Family Fun over Winter Break

December 22, 2017

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year...at least that’s what the lyrics to the popular song tell us about the holidays. But with kids home from school for the holiday break, parents are more than likely to hear the complaint “I’m bored” a time or two. Check out this list of ideas for family fun and keep your holidays merry for everyone!

• Discovery Station at Hagerstown is a great way to occupy young minds and stimulate discovery, exploration and learning. The interactive children’s museum in downtown Hagerstown encourages hands-on learning experiences and has exhibits based on STEAM principles - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Be sure to check out the new STEAM Machine exhibit where kids can make their own crafts, draw on chalkboard and whiteboard walls and paint. There’s even an adult coloring space for parents! Visit Discovery Station Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. this holiday season.

• The Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum celebrates Hagerstown’s railroad history with artifacts and model train displays. Its annual Christmas at the Roundhouse Museum display, featuring the Trains of Christmas, showcases a 3-rail "O" scale layout with steam and diesel trains operating on 4 levels of winter wonderland. The special holiday display can be seen through February 18. Regular museum hours are Friday - Sunday from 1 - 5 p.m. The museum will also be open from 1-5 p.m. on December 26, 27 and 28. The museum will be close on Sunday, December 24 for Christmas Eve and Sunday, December 31 for New Year’s Eve.

• Seven Ten is a family entertainment center offering bowling, billiards, a state-of-the-art arcade and delicious food in Hagerstown’s north end. A wide variety of bowling shoes, balls and even ramps are available to accommodate a range of ages from toddler to adult. Seven Ten has music video projection screens at each lane, automatic scoring monitors, lane-side dining, and cutting edge sound and lighting effects. Two full-size tables are available for hourly rental to billiards players of all levels. The high-tech game room uses an e-card to play games and redeem prizes and is fun for all ages! Seven Ten is open throughout the holidays. Click here for hours.

• Sky Zone Trampoline Park is the world’s first indoor trampoline park where you can experience the weightlessness of bouncing, flipping and landing in a pit filled with 10,000 foam cubes. Hagerstown’s location offers Freestyle Jump on wall-to-wall trampolines, Skyslam basketball, Foam Zone, Ultimate Dodgeball, Freeclimb on the bouldering wall and Ultimate Volleyball. Special programs like Skyfit fitness class, Toddler Time and Glow are also available. Sky Zone is closed Christmas Day but has special winter break hours over the holidays. Click here for hours and the event calendar.

• Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex is a a 40,500 square-foot facility adjacent to Fairgrounds Park, owned by the City of Hagerstown and operated by the Hagerstown Ice Amateur Athletic Association. The complex features a single National Hockey League size rink, concessions, skate rental and sharpening area, pro shop, youth and adult hockey leagues, figure skating and more. Over the next two weeks they’ll be running special public skating days as part of their #SchoolsOutSkate program. Click here for those hours.

• Whitetail Resort, just over the state line in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, is open for the season. The resort offers skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing for most ages. If you’ve never tried skiing or snowboarding they have programs to teach children and adults as well as private lessons. Equipment rentals are available for both skiing and snowboarding. Whitetail offers snow tubing for ages 5 and older. There’s also a kiddie tubing run for children ages 2-4. Snow tubing is fun for the young and young at heart if you enjoy the thrill of flying down the mountain. The best part about it is there’s no skill involved. Whitetail is open throughout the holidays. Click here for hours for skiing/snowboarding and snow tubing.

• If you’re up for a bit of a drive, Carlisle Sports Emporium in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is just over an hour from Hagerstown off Interstate 81. Known as “The Place to Play” it’s a great destination for all ages! You’ll find an indoor go-kart track, a two-tier LASERTRON laser tag arena, a roller skating rink, Victory Lane Café and the largest arcade in the area with an indoor rock climbing wall. Carlisle Sports Emporium is closed on Christmas Day but is open late over winter break. Click here for their holiday hours.