13+ Places to Ski & Snow Tube: North Carolina & Beyond

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Looking to hit the slopes this winter? Head north for skiing and snow tubing in North Carolina. You’ll find many great ski and snow tube options including huge North Carolina ski resorts and super family-friendly North Carolina snow tubing parks. Of course, there are some great spots throughout the mountains for skiing and snow tubing in Tennessee and Georiga, too. Use our guide to find the best snow tubing near you, or a great ski slope closest to you. We’ve visited lots of these ski and snow tube places and you’ll find our reviews linked in each listing.



Best snow tubing, skiing, and tubing near Greenville, South Carolina

Snow Tubing in South Carolina

Are there places to go snow tubing in South Carolina?
Are there any South Carolina ski resorts?
Where are the ski slopes near me?

The short answer is “No.” If you want to ski, snow tube, or snowboard you’ll need to head out of South Carolina. But, the good news is that there is most definitely skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing very near South Carolina. You’ll just need to head up to North Carolina for most of it.

There are some great spots just an hour or two from Upstate, SC, and two to three hours from the Midlands, SC.

Snow tubing at Black Bear in Hendersonville, NC
Blackbear Snow Tubing

Snow Tubing North Carolina

Check out this video of our trip to Blackbear Snow Tubing.


Quick Guide: Ski and Snow Tube Near You!

Here’s a quick list of locations by activity.
Scroll down for a description of each park and resort!
*Tubing Only Parks

Best Snow Tubing in North Carolina

Where to go Snow Tubing in Tennessee

Best Skiing in North Carolina

Where to go Snowboarding in NC


Ski Resort & Tube Park Map

And we made a map!

Some resorts have closings when the weather gets too warm. Be sure you check the resort website before planning your trip.


Moonshine Mountain Tubing in Western North Carolina
Our visit to Moonshine Mountain

Ski, Snowboard, and Snow Tube: North Carolina

Western North Carolina Ski Slopes and Best Snow Tubing in NC

Looking for the closest ski slopes to Greenville, SC? The ski resorts and slopes in Western North Carolina are nearest to Greenville, SC. You’ll find several options in the Asheville, Hendersonville, and Sapphire Valley areas. Here are the nearest ski slopes to Upstate, SC.

Hatley Pointe Resort

Hatley Pointe, formerly Wolf Ridge Snow Tubing Park and Ski Resort, in Mars Hill, NC brands itself as a boutique mountain resort with slopes, restaurants, and bars.

Hatley Pointe
578 Valley View Circle, Mars Hill, NC
828.689.4111

Moonshine Mountain

Moonshine Mountain in Hendersonville, NC was mentioned by several Kidding Around Greenville readers when we asked you where to go tubing. Located just over an hour from Greenville, this snow tubing-only park offers two hours of tubing for $40 per person. Be sure to check their current hours before making the trip. Minimum height is 36″.

Note: This is a cash-only business, with an ATM on site.

Read our Moonshine Mountain review for special tips on making the most of your time there. Target opening date is December 20, 2023.

Moonshine Mountain
5865 Willow Road, Hendersonville, NC
828.696.0333

Ski Sapphire Valley

Sapphire Valley, North Carolina was also mentioned as one reader’s go-to for fun in the snow. Sapphire Valley offers ski school, Frozen Falls Tube Park, The Vordach Zipline Experience, and, of course, snow skiing. Plus Sapphire Valley is under two hours from Greenville so it makes for an easy day trip. There are no height or weight restrictions.

They open on December 16th, 2023. Read our Sapphire Valley review here.

Sapphire Valley
127 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire Valley, NC
828.743.7663

Snow tubing at Sapphire Valley in Western North Carolina
Our snow tubing trip to Sapphire Valley

Zip n Slip

Located just outside Asheville in Mars Hill, NC, Zip-n-Slip is open daily during mid-December-mid-January and then weekends through early March. They’ve got a fire pit, hot chocolate, nachos, and hot dogs on -site.

Read our full review of tubing at Zip ‘N Slip!

Prices start at $30/pp for an hour (it’s $22.50 for military, police, fire, and EMS persons) and go up to $45/pp for two hours. Unlike other snow tubing places, Zip-n-Slip allows kids ages 3-5 to ride in the same tube as an adult. Kids must be at least 3 years old for tubing. Kids 5 and under are free. The target open date is December 15th, 2023, and you can easily book your ticket online.

Check their website or Facebook page for the latest info on weather and hours.

Zip n Slip
10725 US Highway 23 North, Mars Hill, NC
828.689.8444

Zip 'N Slip Snow Tubing Park
Tubing at Zip ‘N Slip

Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center

About two hours from the Upstate, the Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center has snow tubing all winter long for $35-40 per person for two hours for adults and kids. Snow tubing is open as of November 30, 2023.

Kids must be at least 4 years old and 42 inches tall to ride. Scaly Mountain has a kiddie snow tube area for two hours for $20. Scaly Mountain is near Highlands, NC and they also have ice skating available. A combo two-hour tubing ticket plus one hour of ice skating is $50/person. Snow tubing is open now.

Scaly Mountain
7420 Dillard Road, Scaly Mountain, NC
828.526.3737

Cataloochee Ski and Tube World

Cataloochee Ski Area and Tube World in Maggie Valley, NC is another reader favorite.  Also offering tubing, ski school, and skiing, this is a great option for families who don’t want to drive that far. Kids must be 42″ tall to snow tube. They do offer an area where kids under that height can pay to play with tubes but not go down the slopes.

Tubing costs $35/person on weekdays and $40/person on weekends.

Cataloochee
1080 Ski Lodge Road, Maggie Valley, NC
828.926.0285

Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing

Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing is also a two-hour drive from Greenville and offers snow tubing that even the little ones will love. This snow tubing destination has staff photographers to capture action shots of your family so you can remember your fun day long after it’s over. They open on December 18th, 2023, and require reservations.

Rates are $30/ages 7+ and $20/age 6 and under for an hour of tubing or $45/person and $30/age 6 and under for two hours of tubing. Kids must be able to sit up on their own to go down in a tube. No lap riding.

Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing
9472 Highway 181, Jonas Ridge, NC
828.733.4155

Black Bear Snow Tubing

Black Bear Snow Tubing in Hendersonville is pretty close to home and a lot of fun. Check out our Black Bear Tubing review for all the details. Tickets are $40 per 2 hours of tubing or $30 for one hour. Children under 4 or under 40 lbs are not permitted to tube and kids ages 4-6 must be accompanied by an adult but every tuber gets their own tubes, even kids. They accept cash and credit cards and, to save time, sign your waiver online.

Sliding down in a tube at Black Bear Tubing

Check out our Kidding Around review of Black Bear Tubing for all the information.

Hours vary so check their Facebook page or website before you go. You can reserve tickets online (which we recommend).

Black Bear Snow Tubing
373 Kerr Road, Hendersonville, NC
828.685.1155

Crowders Ridge Camp

Hear us out: this place has snowless snow tubing at their camp, which they call Chutes. It looks really fun and is only an hour and 20 minutes from Greenville. They have four lanes, which are 225 feet long and you can go pretty fast, up to 15 mph. You need to make reservations in advance, which you can do through their website. The tubing is all outdoors so dress accordingly.

Each ticket includes 3 hours of tubing time and proceeds support the camp. There is no official age limit but they suggest kids need to be at least five years old (younger kids can tube at the discretion of their parents). Tickets are $25/person. Hours are Friday & Saturday nights with slots at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 pm.

Crowders Camp Chutes
4914 Linwood Road, Kings Mountain NC

Skiing and Snow Tubing in North Carolina High Country

Looking for a great ski resort in North Carolina? Head to the North Carolina High Country where you’ll find a variety of resorts offering all kinds of winter fun. You will have no trouble finding someplace great to ski, tube or even ice skate. If you’re ambitious, you could even hit more than one ski resort in a single weekend.

Appalachian Ski Mountain

Appalachian Ski Mountain is located just outside downtown Blowing Rock and offers a little bit of everything. Not only can you ski or snowboard, but you can also ice skate too! They are open for the 2022-23 season now and reservations are required.

Appalachian Ski offers three different ski school options for kids. Choose either Ski Wee for kids as young as 4 or Cruiser Camp for kids 7 – 12 who want to give snowboarding a try. Both of these camps offer 2 and 4-hour sessions. The newest program, Mountain Challengers, is for kids who are a bit more experienced and want to try intermediate terrain.

While App Ski Mountain has a rustic lodge with dining and shopping inside, there is no inn so you’ll have to head down the mountain after your day on the slopes is over. The slopes end very close to the ski school area so parents can check in on kids at ski school every so often. 

Read a mom review of Appalachian Ski Mountain here.

Appalachian Ski Mountain
940 Ski Mountain Road, Blowing Rock, NC
828.295.7828

Hawksnest Snow Tubing

Hawksnest Snow Tubing is 2.5 hours from Greenville and worth the drive.  There is no hiking up the slopes here as they have magic carpets that allow you to save your energy for the tubing. The opening date is December 1, 2023.

Hawksnest is the largest snow tubing park in the east with 30 lanes of fun. You can make online reservations here and they are open now. Tubers must be at least three years old and tickets are $35/person on weekdays and $40-47/person on weekends and holidays for an hour and 45 minutes of tubing.

Hawksnest Tubing Park
2058 Skyland Drive, Seven Devils, NC
828.963.6561

Sugar Mountain

With 20 slopes and trails, plus four tubing runs many think of Sugar Mountain first when planning a ski trip close to home. Sugar Mountain also offers multiple lodging options, some slope side, so you don’t have to pack up the car when you’re done skiing for the day.

Tickets are $34-50 per person during weekdays and weekends are $34-84 per person. Ages three and four are free with a ticketed adult. Sessions are an hour and 45 minutes long. Kids must be ages 3 and up to tube. Tickets are sold first come first serve and will likely sell out.

They also offer half or full-day ski or snowboard school for kids as young as five years old. Kidding Around Greenville reader Kim warned that holiday weekends can get pretty crowded so be prepared if you’re planning a trip to Sugar over Presidents’ Day Weekend this year. They are currently open.

Sugar Mountain Resort is just 10 minutes from Banner Elk, NC.

Sugar Mountain Resort
1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain, NC
800.SUGAR.MT

Beech Mountain

Just up the road from Sugar Mountain is Beech Mountain Resort, the highest ski resort in the Eastern United States. Beech Mountain Resort offers skiing, snowboarding, a terrain park, tubing, and ice skating.

Little ones as young as 3 can get in on ski school at Beech so the whole family can ski! Ski school students are placed into groups based on age and skill levels. Like Sugar, Beech Mountain offers multiple lodging options if you prefer to ski right out the door and onto the slopes.

Tubing guests must be at least 42″ tall and tickets are $34/weekdays and $42/weekends and holidays. Tickets are sold the day of starting at 9 am on a first come first serve basis.

There is also a free sledding hill right in the center of town. You can’t miss it as it’s on the main road that goes through the small town.

Beech Mountain Resort
1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, Beech Mountain, NC
828.387.2011


Snow Tubing Slopes in North Georgia

Lanier Islands

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands in Georgia has fast and high runs on Parrot Mountain for snow tubing. The slide is eight stories high and 575 feet long. The minimum height for snow tubing is 42″ inches tall and one person per tube is allowed.

Tickets are sold to the entire “License to Chill” area which includes snow tubing, ice skating, the snow play area, and amusement rides. They offer day and winter passes. There are also discounts when purchasing online.

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
7650 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, Georgia 
470.323.3440


Snow Tubing in Tennessee

Rowdy Bear’s Smoky Mountain Snow Park
2155 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
865.365.1883

Pigeon Forge Snow

This snow tubing place is open all year round because it’s indoors! This place has real snow for the tubing lanes plus a snow area where kids can build forts and snowmen. Plus, it’s always around 60-70 degrees inside so you aren’t freezing. Kids must be 38″ tall to tube. If not, you can buy them a ticket just to play in the snow.

Tickets start at $29.99 for an hour of snow tubing and at $36.99 for tubing plus 30 minutes of snow play. No reservations are needed.

Pigeon Forge Snow
2533 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
865.366.1334

Indoor snow tubing at Pigeon Forge Snow
Pigeon Forge Snow

Ober Gatlinburg

 Ober is one of the oldest entertainment areas in Gatlinburg that gets mixed reviews. They have snow tubing, skiing, and snowboarding over the winter. Book online because they do sell out. Also note that parking is an extra fee. Kids need to be at least 3 years old to tube.

Tubing sessions are 90 minutes long and start at $35/person. Prices are higher on weekends.

Ober Gatlinburg
1001 Parkway Suite 2, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
865.436.5423


Ski Vacations on the East Coast

So, you’re looking for a serious ski vacation without having to book a flight? Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia offers 251 acres of fun and a total of 57 trails! Snowshoe offers everything you’ll need for a fantastic ski vacation, all at the top of the mountain! 

This West Virginia hot spot offers a lot; everything from ski school to a tube park, snowmobiling, shopping, dining, entertainment, lots of lodging options, and even an inn and spa. Snowshoe offers some pretty great package deals on skiing.

Snowshoe Mountain
10 Snowshoe Drive, Snowshoe, WV
877.441.4386

Did your favorite place to snow ski or tube make our list? If not we’d love for you to fill us in!

About the Author
Kristina Hernandez is a mom of two girls, freelance writer and photographer. Originally from New Jersey, she is in love with the Upstate and could not imagine raising her kids anywhere else. She enjoys hiking to waterfalls, kayaking, camping, cooking, and exploring all that Greenville has to offer. And she really loves baby goats. Follow her on Instagram at @scadventurer.

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Kimberly Coldren
3 months ago

Any recommendations on gear, especially getting outfitted with appropriate clothing to fully enjoy the experience?