Let me start by saying I am not a snow skier! I had some points that I bought from Wyndham Vacation Club that were going to expire if I didn’t use them by the end of the year. (It was October when I realized the points were going to expire.) Caden and I were going on a Disney Cruise at the beginning of November and we were trying to squeeze something in last minute based on what Wyndham had available before December 31st. We looked from the beach to the mountains at anything that was available. Ultimately, I decided Park City would be our best option to try going somewhere different. I also felt this was very safe for me to travel alone with Caden.
Caden gives the planes a kiss like the Bucket List Family
We decided on a 4-night, 5-day quick relaxing trip to Park City Utah before Thanksgiving and I could use most of my points all at once. Ski Season opened the day after we left. I was able to book the Presidential Suite at Club Wyndham Park City which was a 2-bedroom 1300+sq ft condo with a large living room, kitchen, dining area. This was bigger than my last apartment. Was this a lot for Caden and I alone? YES, but it was fun considering we were just in a 184sq ft interior room on the Disney Cruise. I tried to invite friends but since ski season wasn’t open yet, the airfare was not appealing for a last-minute trip in the off season. While this is a timeshare property you can still get rooms here if they are available. You will get suckered into one of their sales meetings which will eat up time but I got a $100 gift card for Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse that we used while there. I stuck with my guns and declined the membership not because I didn’t think it was a good value but I can not be tied to a monthly payment.
Park City was a great choice for me since there was great public transportation system. I didn’t know what the weather was going to be like and didn’t want to chance renting a car possibly driving in snow. There was a bus stop not too far from our hotel and there were many routes around the city. Many times we were the only ones on the bus. We used Uber when we needed to get somewhere outside of the bus range.
Caden really wanted to see and play in snow. Coming from Austin, we hardly see snow and never get to play in it. I hoped and hoped we would get to see snow while we were there. Caden even asked Elsa on the Disney Cruise if she could please deliver some snow to Park City while we were there. Luckily it did snow one whole day and a few other times while we were there. There was snow in area of Park City but not all over like I had hoped, the locals told us where we should try to go. We went to both ski areas in Park City. Both were preparing for Opening Day, snow was being made on the mountains nonstop.
We spent one day exploring Canyons Village at Park City. There were shops and restaurants. The mountain and ski lifts were closed as they were preparing but there was snow in various places to play in. I researched dining options in the Canyons Village prior to arriving to have an idea of what we wanted to hit while we were there. We decided we wanted to go to Drafts Burger Bar. They had a wide selection of food options and I was able to surprise Caden with their fun signature milkshakes. They were delicious! Afterward we saw a hill that people were sliding down perfect for Caden to play. I think he must have played for a few hours. Another mom and daughter joined us and the kids immediately became best friends. There was no time schedule so the mission was just to relax and have fun. The Disney Cruise was Christmas themed so Caden was already in Christmas mode hints the Santa hat.
The next day we went to the other area we were told to try for some snow which was Deer Valley Resort. It was closed as well but there was a lot of snow! I let Caden jump in, we spent a couple hours playing by ourselves. I felt like we were trespassing but occasionally an employee would pass by and not say anything so we continued playing. We stayed close to the entrance. They probably thought these crazy people, it’s just snow. We made snow angels, snowmen, and plenty snowball fights. Caden was in heaven again.
We really wanted to do something different while we were there so we looked into a dog sled tour. We went to Rancho Luna Lobos. We had to take an Uber as it was pretty far out. The owners were so nice and explained how they care for the dog and showed us around the kennels. They had some great rescue stories and even had a wolf! These dogs were so fun to learn about. When we went the snow on the ground had not stuck so we did a Dog Sled Safari- a modified ride in a motorized 4×4 utility cart. It was still fun, Caden even got to call out mushing commands for the dogs.
At check in, the hotel gave us a $50 dining card for a restaurant called Main Street Pizza & Noodle. I’m not sure why this was given to us but there were no strings attached with this gift card. I thought OK it’s free food, let’s go try it for a meal. It was so good and inexpensive we ended up eating there twice! The pizza was delicious! The pizza was hand tossed and cooked in a pizza oven. It was a short walk from the bus stop so that was convenient too! While we were on our way there it snowed! Caden could not have been happier! We spent the day walking around the downtown area of Park City. So many little shops, we only stopped in a few but we had fun walking around.
The Club Wyndham Park City was small but loaded with enough to keep you entertained. Caden enjoyed swimming in the heated pool. We also enjoyed relaxing watching movies in our room cuddled under blankets with the fire going. The kitchen had microwave popcorn available that was a fun treat. We loved the fireplace and balcony. The Wyndham is located across the street from the Waldorf Astoria which had a few restaurants. We ate there once as well; the food was delicious but expensive as expected.
Going in the off season was not ideal, but it was fun. The cost or points were much less during this time which allowed us to have the Presidential Suite. So don’t be afraid to go somewhere in the off season for the better rate, you might enjoy it more. For our mission of fun and relaxation it was just what we needed! There was a lot that was closed or not open yet due to the lack of snow, but I feel like we made good use of our time and still had fun. I’m thankful for the memories we made! I would definitely look into going in full winter season but it was also nice to be there with hardly anyone else. Here are some fun things to do with kids in the winter:
- Dog Sledding.
- Go to Ski-School.
- Ice Skate.
- Snow Tubing at Woodward Park City.
- Swimming at the Homestead Crater Geothermal Pool.
- Visit the Escape Room.
- Take a Class at the Kimball Art Center.
- Explore Downtown Main Street.
For those of you traveling alone with kids or want a little peace of mind, you can see Caden’s BIG blue watch in pictures- it is actually a phone called Gizmo Pal by Verizon. Since our first trip to Disneyland alone, when he was 4, we’ve had it for trips. I can call him and if he doesn’t pick up it automatically does so you can talk or listen. It has a tracker so you can follow him on your parent App. It has two different versions. This one was the first one that only allowed 4 people I designated on the app to call him and for him to be able to call. You push the play button and it rotates through the choices. The later version has 10 people you can approve and the kids can text on. You can read about the latest version here on the Verizon web page. It’s only $5 a month to add to an adult plan. Bonus there is a Mickey version now!
