Florida's first snow park limiting hours after 'misestimating' amount of required snow
Rendering courtesy Snowcat Ridge
DADE CITY, Fla. - Just days after its grand opening, Florida's first alpine snow park is having to make some adjustments.
Snowcat Ridge in Dade City said it will be limiting its hours of operation to give its staff and equipment time to produce more snow. The park said it underestimated how much they would need.
"Since opening, we have had an overwhelming amount of interest and guests at the park to the extent that we misestimated the amount of snow production which was required to allow the larger number of kids (and adults) to play in the snow inside the Arctic Igloo," according to a statement by Snowcat Ridge.
As a result, they had to temporarily close the park's "Arctic Igloo" attraction on Saturday, but reopened the following day. The new hours will be from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends for the near future.
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The igloo attraction is one of three features to the park. There is also the Alpine Village where you can buy food, drinks and souvenirs, along with the 60-foot-tall, 400-foot-long snowy slopes.
Those who purchased tickets for a time slot that is no longer available will automatically receive a refund, park officials said. Those refunds may take up to 10 business days.
The state's only outdoor snow park officially opened Friday, Nov. 20. It will be open seasonally. Those exact dates will depend on weather and temperatures.
Admission tickets can be purchased on the Snowcat Ridge website. Ticket prices are $5 more at the box office.
According to the park's COVID-19 safety plan, all guests and staff are required to wear masks where social distancing is not possible. They also must pass a temperature check before entering the park. Their full plan can be viewed here.