One of the most family-friendly ski resorts in the Northeast, Smugglers' Notch offers skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and snowshoeing for the whole family. The northern Vermont resort starts kids at age 2 1/2 on skis and age 3 on snowboards. Apres ski, tubing, dog sledding, ice skating and snowmobile tours keep kids busy. For indoor fun, head to the The FunZone Family Entertainment & Recreation Center, with a bouncy house, obstacle course and 22-foot double-lane slide.
Jim Thorpe River Adventures, in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania, has a host of family-friendly water adventures. Lehigh River Gorge whitewater rafting trips run late March through October, in class I to III rapids. Family rafting trips accept kids as young as 4; (with their parents) the minimum age for the whitewater rafting is 8. Jim Thorpe also offers whitewater kayaking, kayaking lessons, mountain biking and flat biking along the gorge trail.
Zip line canopy tours take kids as young as age 5 hurtling through the tree tops and across rivers. Soaring Tree Top Adventures, in Durango, Colorado, has a five-and-a-half-hour course with 34 platforms and more than 27 spans ranging from 56 to 1,400 feet in the air. This eco-adventure in the San Juan Mountains is so remote, you can only get there by train. The minimum weight for the zip line is 50 lbs.
Club Med has resorts worldwide that offer soft adventures. Club Med in Sandpiper, Florida, has a circus school where kids can learn the flying trapeze, walk a tightrope and flip on a giant trampoline. The resort also offers Scuba diving and lessons, snorkeling and sailing. You can rent jet skis or learn how to surf. There is tennis, golf, swimming and fitness instruction for kids as young as age 4.
