A few weeks ago my family and I headed up the mountains for a quick weekend in Big Bear. We’ve spent a lot of time in Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead so we have some tried and true favorite activities and spots to eat and always love checking out some new spots. Here’s everything we did over the weekend:

Alpine Roller Coaster - Their claim to fame is being the longest downhill ride in the US and it is totally worth it. The track is a little over a mile, takes 7-8 minutes to complete and goes up to 27 miles an hour (you can control the speed) and it’s so much fun for kids and adults alike! Kids under 7 have to ride with parents and our 4 year old thought it was great and wanted to go on it again as soon as it ended.

Big Bear Snow Play Tubing - My husband took our daughter tubing there one evening before dinner and they spent 2 hours going up and down the mountain. It has pretty bad reviews on Yelp but they enjoyed themselves a lot!

Pickles Pie Shop - This pie shop makes savory and sweet pies and they are so insanely good you MUST go get them! The savory pies are all frozen and perfect for taking back to you cabins and then of course following with one of their sweet pies (my favorite was the pumpkin maple).

Meadows Edge Park - Park in one of the lots or along the road and head down to the waking path. It’s perfect for scootering or a casual walk and then popping down to explore the lake.

Himalayan Restaurant - We’re huge fans of this spot and make sure to eat here every time we’re in town! The staff is all wonderful, the food is great and they also have a small back patio if you prefer to eat outdoors.

The Big Bear Zoo - We checked out the little local zoo for the first time this trip and really enjoyed it. You can do the whole thing in under and hour and it features rehabed animals (including bears!) that will stay here until they recover or forever if they can’t be released. It does get crowded so come on the early side if you can.

Big Bear really is the perfect family trip destination. There are cute hotels in the area and dozens (hundreds?) of amazing cabins you can rent. We usually airbnb and have always had really great luck with out rentals. Most recently we rented this spot and I would highly recommend.