South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Snowcat Ridge, Florida’s first snow park, opens for year 3
Snowcat Ridge, which made headlines when it opened as Florida’s first snow park in 2020, returns this winter season for its third year of northern-inspired fun.
The Dade City park provides family and friends the opportunity to slide down a 60-foot tall, 400-foot long snow tubing hill or play inside a
10,000-square-foot Arctic Igloo.
At the bottom of the slopes is an Alpine Village with food, drinks, shopping and bonfires for warming up. Last year, the park also added an outdoor ice skating ribbon and an Eskimo Outpost with private igloo rentals.
All of these attractions return when Snowcat Ridge kicks off its 20222023 season on Nov. 11. The snowy wonderland, which is about 90 minutes from Orlando and 40 minutes from Tampa, plans to welcome guests on select dates through Feb. 26.
Snowcat Ridge CEO Benjamin Nagengast previously said the slopes, made from real snow and ice, ran on “two parts magic, one part water.” Nagengast also oversees the seasonal Scream-A-Geddon haunted attraction and TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park.
During its first season, which began in 2020, Snowcat Ridge faced several hurdles, including a temporary snow shortage and code violations, which the attraction quickly fixed.
As the attraction prepares to open, Snowcat Ridge is hoping to fill more than 300 full-time and part-time positions paying between $12-$14 per hour.
Advance online tickets are now on sale starting at $26.95. Upgrades, including unlimited tubing and dining plans, are available. A parking pass costs $14.02 online. All tickets are $5 more at the box office. For more information about Snowcat Ridge (27839 Saint Joe Road in Dade City), visit snowcatridge. com.