Waterville Valley Resort’s Curious George Cottage Family Festival will delight kids of all ages from Friday, August 8th through Sunday, August 10th. The 2nd annual festival hosted by the Margret and H.A. Rey Center will include three full days of activities and events for the whole family.

Waterville Valley, NH (EMWNews) July 23, 2008 — Waterville Valley Resort’s Curious George Cottage Family Festival will delight kids of all ages from Friday, August 8th through Sunday, August 10th. The 2nd annual festival hosted by the Margret and H.A. Rey Center will include three full days of activities and events for the whole family.

For visitors interested in an active and nature filled adventure, the festival features a full-day hike, nature discovery walk, the Curious Gourds Garden, and all that the Waterville Resort has to offer including iceskating, boat rental, and chair lift ride up Snow’s Mountain.

The festival is also host to many cultural activities whether art, theatre, or culinary.

The Brookside Gallery in the Rey Center will display works by local artists. “Chalk-Talks” combines art and discussion with Nat Scrimshaw, artist-in-residence, as he sketches for a new series of books that will feature Hans and Margret Rey’s Whiteblack the Penguin as he explores the world and learns about different places and their ecologies and people (applicable?). There are Curious George TV Show and movie viewing opportunities and an opportunity to meet the famous monkey. For a star-studded atmosphere, guests can view the night sky during the “Astronomy with Christa McAuliffe Planetarium” event. Star gazing was one of H.A. Rey’s favorite activities.

Festival theatre opportunities include performances of Shakespeare in the Valley’s: Taming of the Shrew; Waterville Valley Follies; and Bionic Bard among others.

For a sweet treat guests can enjoy a banana pancake breakfast with Curious George and a dessert reception with Louis Borden author of “The Journey that Saved Curious George.” There is also a lobster bake for a taste of New England.

The Margret and H.A Rey Center creates a rich intellectual and creative environment for families visiting Waterville Valley by maintaining the Curious George Cottage. The Curious George Cottage was once home to Margret and H.A Rey, the creators of the world’s most beloved monkey, Curious George.

For a full festival schedule, ticket information, and more information visit www.reycenter.org or call 603-236-3308.

And, be curious and stay with a special package with two nights lodging, admission to the Character Lunch, Movie Viewing, and Nature Walks, plus a Curious George souvenir. Additional fees charged for some of the other event activities. Prices from just $73 per person, per night (based on quad occupancy).

The Waterville Valley Summer Unlimited package includes all the fun people cherish in New England each summer: boating, mountain biking, tennis, golf, access to the White Mountain Athletic Club, use of the Waterville Valley shuttle, a scenic chair lift ride up Snow’s Mountain, and access to the Waterville Valley Recreation’s open gym program. In addition, families staying for at least three nights can send their children between the ages of six to 12 to one day of Kids Camp. An all-inclusive price for activities provides guests an opportunity to save at least 50 percent on their family vacation through this package. It is also valid at the many summer activities at the Rey Center’s Curious George Cottage, and productions of the North Country Center for the Arts Children’s Theatre.

Waterville Valley Resort is hosting many events that will provide families an opportunity to spend quality time together in a location that encourages the exploration of nature, fosters creativity, and welcomes curiosity.

Waterville Valley in the summer is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, with activities for every age and interest. A favorite activity since the valley’s earliest days is tennis. Back in 1884, the valley had only one court. Today there are 18 courts, and they are among the best in the country. Tennis Magazine ranks the Waterville Valley Tennis Center as one of the top 50 tennis resorts in America, and Tennis Resorts Online rated it the #2 spot in America for its glorious setting amidst the White Mountains. Players as widely-known as two-time Grand Slam champion Rod Laver have enjoyed the red clay courts, along with beginners.

Nearby is the Adventure Center–headquarters for snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in the winter–and the summertime home of Waterville Valley Super Park, a skateboard and inline skate park featuring a 10-foot-high half-pipe, vert ramp, street court, pyramids, grind rails, and more. Young skaters can also attend the Waterville Valley Skate Camp, which provides day and overnight campers with a safe environment for improving their skateboard skills, having fun, and making new friends.

When it’s too hot for outdoor skating, visitors head over to the Waterville Valley Ice Arena, a great place to cool off on a summer day. Open year-round, the newly-renovated arena provides open skating, rentals and lessons for all ages. Youngsters and adults who dream of Olympic glory can also sign up for figure skating and hockey lessons, along with youth hockey league tournaments. The arena is also home ice for the Plymouth State College hockey team, so locals and visitors can be found there throughout the season cheering for the PSC Panthers.

Across the street is the White Mountain Athletic Club, where visitors can take a swim in the indoor and outdoor pools, work out in the cardio room, lift some weights, or run a few laps on the indoor track. For after-workout relaxation there’s the hot tub, sauna, and steam room, or a meal at the Coyote Grill restaurant upstairs.

Waterville Valley Resort’s recreation department hosts an active day camp program (see “The Summer of a Lifetime”), as well as bingo, ice cream socials, sports of all kinds, yoga, cooking, crafts, and many more activities for children and adults. There are special community events for all ages, such as Family Play Day, a day of traditional fun including a fireman’s BBQ, watermelon toss, giant obstacle course and a pie-eating contest. The annual Paws on Packard’s Field features events especially for dogs and their people, and the Community Lau lights up the valley with tiki torches, live music and good food.

Want to introduce your kids to a world of fun and fitness? Waterville Valley Sports Camp, for children ages 8 to 14, offers instruction in tennis, golf, hiking, mountain biking and swimming, all surrounded by the natural beauty of the White Mountain National Forest. With quality instruction typically found only in intensive sports camps, kids learn by developing their skills at their own pace–and have fun doing it–so they will continue to pursue these activities for the rest of their lives. Waterville Valley Sports Camp offers one and two week overnight sessions, and special lodging packages for parents who want to enjoy all the valley has to offer while their kids are at camp.

Maybe you want to perfect your arpeggios more than your underhand. The Waterville Valley Music Camp offers instruction for string players of various levels ages 10 and up, including adult amateurs. Groups are formed according to instrument and ability, and will work with a suitable repertoire. The two-week camp includes a private lesson each week, ensemble coaching and master classes with world-renowned performers and teachers. Group sessions focus on in-depth musical interpretation and the development of chamber music skills. There’s time each afternoon to enjoy the valley’s leisure and sports facilities, and evenings feature workshops, orchestra rehearsals, lectures and informal concerts.

Waterville Valley Resort’s central Town Square is a beehive of activity throughout the summer. On Wednesday afternoons, the Children’s Theatre Company performs classic fairy tales and folk tales. On Sundays, naturalists from the Squam Lakes Science Center present live animal programs. Then there’s the free outdoor concert series at the Town Square courtyard. Bring your lawn chair or blanket, sit back and enjoy the music.

Waterville Valley was designed and planned as a self-contained, four seasons resort. Today, in addition to its world-class ski area, Waterville Valley Resort has award-winning tennis courts, golf, hiking, biking, lodging, cultural activities and summer theater, an indoor ice rink, boating, a skate park, and a host of outdoor activities. Dining options include both traditional favorites and elegant eateries. For more information, call 1-800-GO-VALLEY or visit www.visitwatervillevalley.com