For many, the transition from summer to winter can be difficult. The cold days and early sunset can cause people to not want to leave their houses. Though winter can be a difficult time for people struggling with seasonal depression, there are many fun activities available all over New England that can help encourage people to get out of the house and to make the best out of the winter season.
Boston recently reopened its winter market place, Snowport, for its seventh season where over 120 artists and small businesses set up in venues selling their products. Snowport is located at 100 Seaport Boulevard in the Seaport District of Boston, and will run from Nov. 7 to Dec. 28. On Dec. 5, an event will be held, called “Light Up Seaport,” where Boston’s biggest tree will be lit up. The event will run from 5-8 p.m. with the tree being lit at 7:20 p.m. A menorah lighting will follow on Dec. 21 that will include live music and food. The cost to enter Snowport is free for children under the age of 5, $6 for veterans and children who are ages 6-17 and $14 for adults. If there is no line to get in, directors will occasionally let the public in for free.
Ice skating is another fun winter activity. Frog Pond, located in the Boston Commons, is an outdoor ice rink where people have the opportunity to learn how to ice skate. The Skating Club of Boston partners with the rink and helps with lessons. The skating club also hosts a skating performance on New Year’s Eve. Currently, there is no set date as to when the rink opens for the season,but in past years the rink opened around late November or early December and tended to stay open until late March. Ticket costs are based around how tall a person is; for example anyone under 58 inches is able to get in for free but anyone above the 58 inch mark has to pay $12. Purchasing a ticket allows anyone to stay as long as they would like to with the conditions of a re-entry fee, meaning if you exit the rink and come back, a new ticket would have to be purchased.
New England has many mountains to go skiing and snowboarding, the most popular being Bretton Woods and Loon Mountain which are both located in New Hampshire, Killington and Mount Snow based in Vermont and Sunday River and Sugar Loaf which can be found in Maine. These mountains are family friendly and contain trails that suit every experience level and have ski and snowboard instructors available to give lessons. More local mountains include Wachusett, which is around an hour drive from Boston and is a very popular mountain for Massachusetts locals. Blue Hills, located in Canton, Mass. is suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers and snowboarders but is more well known for their ski and snowboarding lessons due to the mountain being smaller in size. Skiward, which is located in Shrewsbury, Mass., is well known for their environment which is very beginner friendly and has great instructors available.
Attending winter sports events are familiar to be very exciting whether it is the local high school team or professional teams. The Walpole High School (WHS) winter sports teams are preparing for their seasons with captains practices going on and tryouts beginning the week of Dec. 1. Once teams become finalized, schedules will be sent out including times and locations of games and events. Local professional sports to go watch this winter season include the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. The Celtics are a part of the National Basketball Associate (NBA) and play all winter long with their last game of the regular season being Sunday, April 13, 2026 at home. Their home court is located at TD Garden in the West End of Boston. TD Garden is also shared by the Boston Bruins which are a part of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins last game of their regular season is Tuesday, April 14.who also play all winter long with their last game of the regular season being Tuesday, April 14. Attending sports games in Boston are known to be difficult with transportation and big crowds, other options to watch sports games include streaming from home. Subscribing to services like Youtube TV, Hulu, Live TV, Peacock and some cable packages allows one to stream these sports games.
Many find that the winter season can be a challenging and depressing time of the year with the time change and cold weather, but adding these fun activities to your weekly agenda can help with boosting moods and making fun of a hard time of the year.
