Looking to hit the slopes near Greenville, South Carolina this winter? Heading up into North Carolina you’ll find so many great ski and snow tube options from full North Carolina ski resorts to super family-friendly North Carolina snow tubing parks.
We also have some great options for snow tubing in Tennesee, including America’s first indoor snow tube park!
So, the cold weather is here and though some may not love it, winter can bring a whole lot of fun if you like to ski, snow tube, or snowboard. If you’re one of those people who see cold temps coming and immediately dream about a ski resort on top of a mountain somewhere, you’re in luck.
We have a list of the closest ski resorts, slopes, and snow tube runs to South Carolina including North Carolina slopes, plus some in Tennessee and Georgia.
Use our list to find the best snow ski slopes for your family!
Snow Tubing Tips & Tricks
Since we’re in the South, it’s not like we have a long snow tubing season so getting prepared for a snow tubing may seem daunting. But fear not, it’s not a big deal at all and we are going to help you with some quick tips & tricks on making the most of your snow tubing trip:
- Be sure you check out the place you want to go on social media/on their website/through a phone call before you make the drive. Snow tubing places are dependent on the weather and weather is fickle here in the mountains. If it’s raining, it’s likely some places won’t open so check before you go.
- If your desired place takes reservations, make them. And fill out the waiver online so you can get tubing when you get there. If your desired place doesn’t accept reservations, get there a little before they open or you’ll likely be waiting for hours for a spot.
- You don’t need any special clothing like ski pants or a a snow bib. I’ve gone snow tubing many times wearing leggings or jeans. It’s totally fine, just wear things that are warm.
- Bring hats and gloves and if you/your kids’ extremities get cold, bring hand warmers.
- Bring a change of clothes or just a change of pants. If the snow is wet or it’s a little warm out, your pants may get a little wet or muddy. Sometimes it’s just more comfortable to change your clothes before you ehad out.
- If you bring a bag, try to make sure you it is secure. Same with a phone. I have a crossbody bag I use and hang onto my phone really tight when shooting videos. I’ve seen people lose phones, hats, bags, you name it, on the mountain. If it’s busy, you may not be able to get your stuff back right away.
- Bring cash. Some places, like Moonshine Mountain, only accept cash. Be sure you have enough for your family just in case.
- Lastly, always check the height and weight requirements of your intended snow tubing place. You don’t want to drive all the way to some place only to be told your toddler is too short. These are big liabilities for snow tubing places and they can’t budge on these rules.
South Carolina Ski Resorts and Snow Tubing
Are there places in South Carolina to ski or snow tube? 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.
This article includes:
Ski Slopes and Snow Tubing in North Carolina
Slopes in North Georgia
Ski Resort Vacation Destinations on the East Coast
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!
Where to go Snow Tubing in North Carolina
- *Moonshine Mountain, Hendersonville, NC
- *Black Bear Snow Tubing, Hendersonville, NC
- Frozen Falls Tube Park at Ski Sapphire Valley, Sapphire Valley, NC
- *Zip N Slip, Mars Hill, NC
- Highlands Outpost at Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center, Scaly Mountain, NC
- Tube World, Maggie Valley, NC
- *Jonas Ridge Snow Tubing, Jonas Ridge, NC
- *Hawksnest Snow Tubing Park, Seven Devils, NC
- Sugar Mountain, Sugar Mountain, NC
- Beech Mountain, Beech Mountain, NC
Where to go Snow Tubing in Tennessee
- *Rowdy Bear’s Smoky Mountain Snowpark, Pigeon Forge, TN
- *Pigeon Forge Snow, Pigeon Forge, TN
- Ober Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg, TN
*Tubing Only Parks
Ski Slopes in North Carolina
- Hatley Point, Mars Hill, NC
- Ski Sapphire Valley, Sapphire Valley, NC
- Cataloochee Ski Area, Maggie Valley, NC
- Appalachian Ski Mountain, Blowing Rock, NC
- Sugar Mountain, Sugar Mountain, NC
- Beech Mountain, Beech Mountain, NC
Where to go Snowboarding in North Carolina
- Hatley Point, Mars Hill, NC
- Ski Sapphire Valley, Sapphire Valley, NC
- Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center, Scaly Mountain, NC
- Cataloochee Ski Area, Maggie Valley, NC
- Appalachian Ski Mountain, Blowing Rock, NC
- Sugar Mountain, Sugar Mountain, NC
- Beech Mountain, Beech Mountain, 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.
Ski, Snowboard, and Snow Tube in North Carolina
Western North Carolina Ski Slopes and Snow Tube Parks
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. We have no confirmed if they have snow tubing yet.
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 usually open mid-December. Read our Sapphire Valley review here.
Sapphire Valley
127 Cherokee Trail, Sapphire Valley, NC
828.743.7663
Zip n Slip
Located just outside Asheville in Mars Hill, NC, Zip-n-Slip is open daily during the winter season and has snow tubing plus a solarium with a fireplace and views of the runs. Hot chocolate and food trucks are also on-site.
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
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. Â Also offering tubing, ski school, and skiing, this is a great option for families who don’t want to drive that far. They are aiming to open December 2, 2023.
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.
One KAG reader recently enjoyed Jonas Ridge with her family and said it was great. 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.
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. They plan to open December 16, 2023.
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 weekends only so far and they opened in November 2022.
Crowders Camp Chutes
130 Camp Rotary Road, Gastonia, 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 really 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 are able to 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 a 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. Opening date is December 1, 2023.
Hawksnest is the largest 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 until January 1, 2023. Weekends until January 1, 2023 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
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 $32/weekdays and $38/weekends and holidays (Dec. 10- Jan. 1). 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 to snow tube 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. Day passes start at $39.99 for kids ages 3+ and $54.99 for adults. Winter passes are available, which cover the $20 gate fee. 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
Rowdy Bear boasts Tennessee’s longest outdoor snow tubing lanes that are over 500 feet long with a 70 foot drop. Tubing sessions are 90 minutes long and kids must be at least 48″ tall to ride alone and at least 40″ tall to tube with someone over the age of 18. They have a magic carpet that takes you and your tube to the top to slide back down.
Tickets are $35.99/person and can be reserved online. Wear closed toed shoes and arrive 30 minutes before your start time. Rowdy Bear also has summer tubing, outdoor axe throwing, and a ski lift shooting game.
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. See our full review here.
Pigeon Forge Snow
2533 Teaster Lane, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
865.366.1334
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!