Rediscover Your Inner Child at Virginia's Massanutten Resort in Spring
If you can't find something to do at Massanutten Resort, you're not trying. The 6,000-acre four-season resort in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley has winter downhill skiing, a summer outdoor water park and fall foliage mountain hikes. And spring delivers a special brand of shoulder season magic. It’s less crowded while the kids are in school, so adults can play like no one’s watching. Here are the best things to do at Massanutten Resort between the end of snow season and the Memorial Day summer kick-off.
Key Takeaways
- During the spring shoulder season, grownups can play at Massanutten Resort without risking embarrassment on attractions like the tubing slide and zip line. Feel free to yell “Whee!”
- Don’t expect everything to be open and available every day. The calendar, available on the Massanutten Resort app, provides the latest info.
- To stretch your vacation budget, take advantage of the many activities included with the daily resort fee.
Editor’s note: The writer was hosted.
Things to Do at Massanutten Resort
I was ready to stretch after my solo six-hour drive from my New York home to Massanutten Resort. Because I left before dawn, I arrived with plenty of time to hit the Massanutten Family Adventure Park after checking in and before dinner hunger pangs kicked in. This multi-activity zone is located in the mountain section of the resort, near the winter ski complex and Base Camp restaurant.
Zip, If You Dare
If you’ve never tried zip lining, Massanutten offers a single-span line with reassuring guides to help you feel comfortable with the harness. Access to the platform is via a bunny hill conveyor belt. I found that by adopting a wide stance, I felt balanced as I ascended.
Take a deep breath, step off and give a loud whoop. Remember to tuck your legs into a cannonball as you approach the landing platform.
SheBuysTravel Tip: There's only one exit route at the end of the line. You step off the platform and auto-descend slowly. If you’re hesitant about taking that step, like me, you’re allowed to sit down and scoot off. That, for some reason, was easier.
Tubing Without Snow
When the resort stops making snow – around March 15, most years – the tubing hill converts from snow tubing to tube sliding. I'd never tried it before, but it's my new favorite activity. It's fast, you go down backwards most of the way, increasing the thrill and the landing, which I expected to be abrupt, wasn’t. Astroturf lanes slow you down for a gentle stop.
Other adult activities at the Massanutten Family Adventure Park include a climbing wall and freefall jump. And a massive mountain coaster is expected to open in 2026. Pricing is per activity but combo packages are available. Check the park’s operating days and hours so you don’t miss the adrenaline rush during your spring stay.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Shoulder season is a great time to check out the adventure park. I walked right up for both tubing and zip lining. During the winter ski season and summer, expect to wait.
Scents, Scenes or Both? Arts and Crafts for Massanutten Guests
The resort has multiple activity centers with dedicated art rooms. It's a dream come true for someone like me whose wish list interior space is a craft room where I can glue gun for hours with a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.
I took two classes during my stay. Arts instructor Beth guided a group of 8 of us through the candle-making process. The hardest part is choosing a scent and pausing from chitchat to check the wax temperature. Depending on the blend (we were using a soy/paraffin mix), the "right" temperature to add the scent varies. We needed to hit 190 degrees to ensure no sinkholes developed in the candle.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Candles need to cure for 24 hours, so take the class at least a day before your departure.
I returned the following day to take a landscape painting class with Nancy, another of the resort’s talented artists. After tracing a rough outline of a mountain valley using carbon paper, the class of 8 (I was joined by the same family who made candles with me the previous day) set to work using acrylic paints and three paintbrushes to create our designs.
With no prize or paycheck on the line, it was very relaxing to mix colors, experiment with strokes and some finger smudging to create our individual paintings.
Additional Massanutten craft classes include:
- Painted glassware
- Faux wood burning
- Bead jewelry
Attempt an Escape
I need to make a few "I'm sorry" phone calls when I return home. My experiences with escape rooms have been successful, but fraught. My family yells and hollers and orders; we're almost all Type A, so cooperation does not come easily.
But, trying to navigate one of Massanutten's escape rooms on my own was impossible. I had no one to help decode ciphers or to puzzle out puzzles. I can’t wait to bring back some help. Escape rooms are an ideal rainy day activity. Massanutten has three, plus a Virtual Reality game room.
Treat Yourself at the Massanutten Resort Spa
The Massanutten Resort spa, located in a building between the Woodstone Recreation Center and the Woodstone Meadows Golf Course, features roomy treatment rooms and complimentary champagne while you wait. My masseuse Rebecca, worked out all of my tech neck kinks during a blissful 60-minute Signature Massage. In addition to massages, body treatments and facials, the spa offers infrared dry sauna sessions for promoted health benefits such as detoxification, pain relief and muscle regeneration.
SheBuysTravel Tip: During busy seasons, plan on reserving your treatment well in advance of your visit. Groups who want to pamper together should plan on booking 4-6 weeks prior to arrival.
Splash Away at the Indoor Water Park
Because it wasn’t crowded at Massanutten during my solo springtime visit, I braved the resort’s award-winning indoor water park and wasn’t worried that I’d look like a fool. I bounced between the lazy river and hot tub, soaking up the sunshine pouring through the glass ceiling. I felt like a fern in a terrarium. What I didn’t try was the FlowRider, a surfing simulator. I knew how ridiculous I’d look, even though there were only a few other people splashing around in the late afternoon.
The resort’s outdoor water park is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. And a significant expansion and addition to the indoor water park, including a 140-room hotel, is under construction with an opening scheduled for late 2026/early 2027.
Take a Swing
Whatever your ability, there’s a golf-related activity for you.
- Mini golf, if putting’s your jam.
- Two indoor Topgolf Swing Suites are great if you like to hang out and snack on apps and bevvies.
- Bang through a bucket of balls at the driving range.
- Real golfers can tee off at one of the resort’s two golf courses, Woodstone Meadows or Mountain Greens.
Free Activities at Massanutten
All of the above activities charge a fee. For example, a 60-minute escape room session is $25. Summer tubing runs are $12 for two and $20 for four.
However, you can have a vacation without extra fees if you take advantage of the activities included with the $9 resort fee (per day, per room) charged at check-in, including:
- Indoor Pools
- Hot tub
- Steam Room
- Sauna
- Fitness Centers
- Tennis and Pickleball Courts
- Outdoor and Indoor Basketball
- Racquetball
- Corn hole
- Shuffle board
- Fitness trail
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Mountain biking (Western Slope access; rental equipment is not included)
Many of the activities are based at one of the two resort recreation centers. You’ll want to locate the one closest to your lodging for ease of access; however, guests can use both facilities.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Massanutten offers an early check-in option for a fee. You can arrive at 11 am and let the fun begin!And, on departure day, guests are welcome to hang and play as long as they’d like after checking out.
Where to Eat at Massanutten Resort
Many of the accommodation options have full kitchens, like my 2-bedroom Regal Vistas villa. Several of the guests I talked to planned on eating all of their meals in their units. Because my stay was short, I was excited to try the on-property restaurants. Here’s a rundown of what was open during my April 2026 visit. It’s important to check the dates and hours during the spring shoulder season.
- Campfire Grill: This is the resort’s only full-service, sit-down restaurant. The setting’s casual, but the food is elevated thanks to Massanutten Resort’s award-winning Executive Chef Mike Ritenour. When I inquired about the evening’s filet mignon special, my server, Geneva (like the city), noted that Chef sources steaks and the ground beef mix from a local rancher. It was tender, flavorful and accompanied by savory garlic mashed potatoes.
- Base Camp: I visited Base Camp twice. On my first night, I sipped a beer while school principal by day, guitarist by night Brent Hull performed everything from Elvis to Prince. On departure day, I returned to see if the burger was as good as the Campfire Grill filet. Not quite, but definitely solid. And the fries were crisped to perfection for wilt-free dipping in Honey Bourbon BBQ sauce.
- Virginia BBQ: Located in the Woodstone Building, this is the most casual of the three restaurants I tried. Picnic tables are set up inside and out, and the fast casual menu features pizzas, sammies, salads and BBQ meat platters with the expected sides. Don’t know what to order? Try the mac and cheese. It’s gooey good.
SheBuysTravel Tip: There’s a Food Lion grocery store in Elkton, about 15 minutes from the resort, if you need to stock up. Otherwise, you can find most essentials at The Market and The General Store on the resort grounds.
Things to Do at Massanutten Resort in Spring FAQ
Definitely. The resort feels empty, but most of the activities are open and available for guests, primarily excluding the outdoor pools and water park. Seasonal promotional rates are also available.
You’ll need a car. The resort is big. Activities are grouped together in different regions on property. A resort map is crucial to navigating Massanutten.
I loved the snow-less tubing, the craft classes and the water park, which is always heated to 84 degrees. So, after splashing, I was very comfortable sitting and reading (and napping) until I was dry. Oh. And the spa. My massage with Rebecca was one of the best I’ve had recently.
Layers, layers, layers. The resort’s casual, so lean into jeans, long-sleeved tees and fleece or down jackets. For many of the active adventures, you’ll need closed-toe shoes to participate.
Read More:
- Massanutten Resort: One Stop for Year-Round Fun
- Virginia Beach: Solo Fun in Shoulder Season
- 10 Family-Friendly Mountain Destinations in the Southeast
- Southern Hospitality on Four Wheels: Charming Road Trips in America's Southeast
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 5:58 AM.