Sunday, February 25, 2024

Hidden Valley, Wildwood






Location: 17409 Hidden Valley Dr, Wildwood MO 63025      636-938-5373

Website: https://www.hiddenvalleyski.com/

Tubing at Hidden Valley is super fun! There is no age limit, you just need to be old enough to be able to sit in the tube.  As of 2021, they have a new height restriction of a minimum of 42".

Always check the Snow Report before coming out to Hidden Valley for updates on snow and tubing conditions. Skiing, snowboarding, and tubing are weather-dependent activities, and conditions and hours are subject to change without notice.




They have 16 total lanes for tubing but not all of them are always open. The lanes on the right of this photo are the slower ones and the lanes on the left are faster. There are attendants at the top who make sure people follow the rules and don't follow too closely to the person who just went down.  Only one person can sit in a tube however several people can link up and go down together by holding on to each other's straps.



Polar Plunge is the largest snow tubing hill in Missouri. This area is separate from the ski area which is over to the right. 






There is a floor on the bottom of the tube which is nice so snow doesn't hit your bootie. They want you to put your feet out over the logo and hold on to the straps with both hands and then an employee gives you a push and off you go!





This is the lift area. It's actually like a conveyor belt. You stand on it, hold on to the tube strap, and pull the tube behind you. You stand there and it takes you up. There is a bit of walking from the end of the tubing hill to the lift but it's level.  The tube was a bit heavy to pull for my 5-year-old.


They have a concession stand here and a bunch of tables at the base of the hill. My son was too scared to try tubing so we sat at the tables and had a hot dog and hot cocoa and watched my daughter go up and down.



The table area has a fire pit going to keep you warm on a cold night


It's not cheap to do this, the regular price is $32 per person and you get 2 hours. But sometimes they offer deals and price breaks if you go late. This place is very popular with teens and college kids so we went early at 5pm and it wasn't busy at all. By 7pm when we were leaving it was starting to get crowded. It was really fun though and my daughter LOVED it.  






Rental area



Bar & restaurant area. The prices were not great, I got a coffee, a hot chocolate, and a muffin and the bill was $14! 



Regular ski area











Sunday, February 11, 2024

Upper Limits, Chesterfield





Location: 17375 Edison Ave., Chesterfield, MO 63005    314-241-7625

Website: https://upperlimits.com/chesterfield/

We have been wanting to check this place out for a while but I was waiting for my kids to be old enough. The first piece of advice I have is don't wear flip flops, wear shoes that are good for climbing. Also if your daughter wears a dress make sure she has shorts on underneath. The first thing you have to do is fill out a waiver and then decide what package you want to do. We paid $19 plus tax for my daughter who is 6 to do the wacky walls room.  This was the one-hour price. They start each session on the hour. You can get in cheaper if you have your own harness. They put a harness on her and gave her shoes to wear for free because it was our first time there. They will explain how to hook up to the auto-belays. It was a little tricky at first cause you have to twist and push just the right way to get it open. You can't let it go or it will fly up into the ceiling so they have them hooked onto these yellow triangles at the base of each climbing wall. Then you're off! Once you're at the top you can just jump or let go and the auto belay lets you down easy. My daughter loved "flying" when she was jumping down from the top!


You can see here all the different themes they have. My daughter had a blast! 





The beanstalk was definitely challenging



Those boxes were super challenging




 My son just wanted to play on his tablet and watch because he was too nervous to try. They have free wifi and cafe tables all around if you encounter the same situation.












This is the regular part of the place, for older kids and adults. 











Their website says there is no minimum age, but I don't think preschoolers would do well here. Their bodies have to be big enough to reach the rocks so I think kindergarteners and up are appropriate. Especially since it's not cheap and you want them to be able to do most of the walls to get your money's worth!