7 youth group trips they’ll never forget
Take the group on a wild, wonderful journey they’ll never forget.
These mountains are full of adventure, but here are 11 of the best group retreats for any time of year.
Winter escapes
1. Snowshoe Mountain
Make Snowshoe’s mountaintop village your group’s home base for snowy excitement: 60+ ski and snowboarding trails, a tubing park, RZR backcountry rides and more! You can even go swimming in the snowy weather at the outdoor Split Rock Pools.
2. Canaan Valley
Canaan’s got ski slopes for the adventurers in your group, plus the longest tubing lanes in the region. You can get group discounts on every activity, but the Slide, Glide & Dip Package is a favorite: 2 hours of tubing, 2 hours of ice skating, and access to the indoor pool.
3. Winterplace
No better place for your group to build new skills together than Winterplace, Blue Ridge Outdoors’ “Best place to learn to ski.” Plus, the state’s largest tubing park is a fun place to challenge and race one another— with bumps that make for a curvy, playful ride!
Year-round retreats
4. Three Otters Eco Retreat
This eco retreat will help your group get back to nature and connect with each other instead of electronics. Build camaraderie on adventures like a boating or biking trip, or hone new skills together in wilderness or crafting classes like birdwatching, geomapping and more.
5. Oglebay sleepovers
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the animals with an overnight at Oglebay’s Good Zoo! Zookeepers will entertain and educate with everything from naturalist and camping activities to challenges like “high-tech hide and seek.” And of course, no sleepover is complete without late-night snacks (and breakfast.)
6. Heritage Farm
Take it back to the old frontier at Heritage Farm. Stay in the old-fashioned cottages and explore hands-on activities in this unique village of museums, and the farm zoo. It’s a great way to experience and appreciate the past. Their programs even align with the local curriculum.
7. Climbing School
Gain confidence on the rocks! Treat the group to climbing with New River Climbing School or Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides. The terrain is hard to beat: the world-renowned New River Gorge with some of the best sandstone in America, and Seneca Rocks is the East Coast’s only true peak for climbers. The guides will get everyone geared up and show you the ropes!
Teambuilding
Want your crew to build their communication as a team? Find trips that focus on team-building adventures and solving creative challenges.
This post was last updated on July 27, 2020