Last Updated on

Leisure, Lifestyle

40 Fun Winter Activities You Can Try Now

Written by Lori Thayer

The air has turned cooler, but there are lots of ways to enjoy winter and these fun winter activities will keep you warm. Don’t let the season pass without doing at least a few of the things on this list.

Fun Winter Activities To Enjoy Outdoors

  1. Build a snow fort in your backyard. For a shortcut use your picnic table to get started.
  2. Go sledding. (Don’t forget to take a big carafe of hot chocolate with you!)
  3. Ice skate on a frozen pond. (Sure, it might be bumpy but the ambiance is worth it.)
  4. Go ice fishing.
  5. Go on a hut trip. (On a hut trip, you snowshoe or ski to a hut in the mountains and pack everything in and out on your back.)
  6. Make snow angels. (This is extra fun when you combine it with the next activity…)
  7. Sit outside in a hot tub on a crisp, clear, and cold night while the steam rises around you and the stars shimmer above.
  8. Join a local broomball league. (Often in the winter the outdoor skating rinks will host these leagues.)
  9. Bundle up and attend an outdoor sports game.
  10. Catch snowflakes on your tongue.
  11. Try winter camping.
  12. Have a snowball fight.
  13. Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride in the snow.
  14. Go snowmobiling.
  15. Have a snowman-building contest.
  16. Recreate some of the great Calvin and Hobbes Snowmen cartoons. (Which one is your favorite?)
  17. Snowshoe in your local state or national park.
  18. Take a snowboarding lesson.
  19. Visit a new-to-you ski resort and show off your skills.
  20. Roast marshmallows outside.
  21. Take a walk outside when there is a soft snowfall.

Fun Winter Activities To Try Indoors

  1. Make chili—a classic cold weather dish!
  2. Read a book by the fireplace.
  3. Knit a scarf or start learning how if you don’t already know how to knit.
  4. Enjoy a movie marathon with some wizard’s fire in the fireplace. Simply burn your leftover wrapping paper from Christmas for a special effect.
  5. Add some new hot toddy recipes to your mixology repertoire.
  6. Follow up some time out in the cold with hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
  7. Make Charles Dickens’s Punch. It takes a bit of time and work, but it’s very good and it’s become a winter classic at our house.
  8. Get out your fuzzy bunny slippers.
  9. Sit at the window with a hot drink and watch the snow fall.
  10. Get out your flannel sheets. (They’re so much fun to snuggle in on a cold winter’s night!)
  11. Have a pie making contest with your friends or family. (Extra tip: Donate the pies to a local shelter afterwards.)
  12. Teach your kids (or nieces and nephews) to cook.
  13. Host a craft-making party. Make jewelry, scrapbooks, or work on your knitting while catching up with friends.
  14. Do a cookie exchange. Winter is the perfect time to turn on the oven and do some baking. Combine baking with a cookie exchange with friends for more fun and variety.
  15. Try some new hot teas. (So many teas, so little time!)
  16. Have some friends over for game night. (This is the perfect time to try out the Dickens’s Punch.)
  17. Put together a jigsaw puzzle.
  18. Have a picnic in the living room. Turn the heat down and the fireplace on!
  19. Take a snow day and huddle under the covers. Watch some TV or enjoy a good book.

Be sure to avoid the winter blues by doing activities you love. Winter doesn’t have to keep you cooped up inside. Get out and enjoy the elements. All you need is some proper layers and you’ll barely feel the cold.

What are your favorite fun winter activities? Share this article with your friends and pick a new activity to enjoy tonight.