It's like a script of the idyllic holiday movies we are drawn to this time of the year:
Festive decorations surround you, including a magnificent 35-foot Christmas tree adorned with bright lights and colorful ornaments. The air is cool and crisp, fragranced with the sweet scent of pine and cedar. The ground glistens with a fresh coat of newly fallen powdery snow, a delight to your kids who can't help but frolic in it, enjoying a snowball fight while attempting to build a snowman.
The sound of bells off in the distance catches their attention, muffling the background music of Christmas carols, along with the clip-clop of hooves getting louder as they near. Soon after, a team of beautiful draft horses emerges around the corner, pulling an open sleigh toward the Yosemite lodge where you are standing.
Your family embarks on a magical sleigh ride, dashing through the snow in the scenic backdrop of the Sierra National Forest, with mountain vistas, meandering creeks, towering trees and open meadows along the way. An inviting campfire greets you at your stop where you are treated to a warm beverage and marshmallows to roast before returning to the lodge for yuletide family activities and memorable winter experiences like ice skating, decorating a gingerbread house or cookie, sledding, dining with Santa, snowshoeing, ornament making, and more.
That is what you'll find at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite this season. The four-diamond full-service resort is the perfect scene for fun and memorable experiences the whole family will enjoy in an elegant and charming mountain lodge setting. The lodge is located just 2 miles from Yosemite National Park's southern entrance for easy access to the park which offers breathtaking views of some of the world's largest granite monoliths and tallest waterfalls. There are endless possibilities for adventure both off and on the Tenaya Lodge property.
Recreational opportunities abound on-site with a variety of activities to choose from. A sledding hill, ice skating rink, sleigh rides and snowshoe hikes are available in the winter right on-property with skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing available at nearby Badger Pass. Archery, rock climbing, paint nights, horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking are offered year round, weather permitting. An indoor pool and three seasonal outdoor pools, including an adult only relaxation pool and a kids' pool with water features, plus five hot tubs, a fitness center and an arcade round out the activity options available.
Offering rustic luxury, a stay at Tenaya Lodge is "roughing it, minus the roughing part." With 297 guest rooms, suites and cottages, you'll find the accommodations comfortable, functional and rejuvenating. At any of the five dining options ranging from casual and family friendly to upscale and elegant, you'll enjoy local, sustainable cuisine with outstanding freshness and flavor. You'll experience peace and relaxation at the world class facilities of Ascent Spa with blissful treatments or spacious steam rooms and saunas. Kids will have a ball at the Sierra Adventure Kids Club at day or evening camp filled with fun activities. And with new expansions, additions and amenities in the works, the Tenaya Lodge is the perfect place to escape the everyday any time of the year and where memories are made that shall never be forgotten.
Check out the fun we had on our recent visit in this video below or on Instagram.
For more information and to book your stay, visit www.tenayalodge.com.
I was a guest of the Tenaya Lodge for four nights during which accommodations, meals and activities were complimentary; no other compensation was received. All opinions expressed within this article are 100% my own.
