Back in November 2020, I dropped into Snowdrops, a Homestead region designed by Kess Smith (Kess Crystal), and made available during the winter months of 2020 / 2021 for people to enjoy (see: Snowdrops in Second Life). For 2021, Kess has brought the setting back, only this time bigger and with more to see, utilising a Full region for her vision – which this year she has shared with Trouble Dethly in designing and building it.
Snowdrops returns for its second year, bigger and better than before. We welcome you to explore this family friendly, photogenic, winter region in Second Life. With a variety of cold weather activities like a snowboarding, tobogganing, ice skating, teegle horses, mini golf and much more, there is something for everyone. Be sure to pick up your Christmas tree at the farm, take Santa’s train to a café for a cup of warm cocoa and other treats and find all the hidden nooks and hang out spots. Along the winter village, there are also free holiday gifts from Dahlia, KraftWork, Pitaya, Thor, Zerkalo, Elm, Moss&Mink and Atelier Burgundy.
– from the Snowdrops website
A visit begins in a town square sitting towards the middle of the region. It is bounded on two sides by boutique stores for the brands mentioned in the notes quoted above, each of which has a little seasonal gift giver just outside the door.
The remaining two sides of the square are marked by a gazebo housing a small skating rink (with a skates giver) and a cosy little chapel, the two looking at each other across the band stand in the middle of the square. This band stand is home to a quintet of musicians and to information boards for the region’s social media links and to web pages that provide information on booking the local restaurant or the vacation cabins.
The latter are located in the north-east of the region, five in all, gathered around a frozen pond. All are warmly furnished and offer a little outdoor deck for patrons to enjoy as well during a stay.
The fine dining restaurant, meanwhile, sits atop the region’s high peak, located to the south-east. Offering indoor dining for small parties and a separate gazebo for couples wishing to have a romantic dinner, the dining areas offers commanding views over the rest of the region.
Reached via a ski lift that rises from the south side of the town square, the restaurant shares its hilltop location with a pavilion warmed by an outdoor fire, and a long slope that drops all the way back to the ski lift station, with sled and snowboard rezzers available for those who fancy a little on-piste fun. For those not interested in winter sports, the little mini-golf tucked under the trees a very short walk from the ski lift station might be more to their liking.
Across the region from the rental cabins, and tucked into its north-west corner, is Santa’s North Pole workshop, the walk to it from the cabins passing by a Christmas tree shop and the fenced grazing for Santa’s reindeer, perfectly at home in the falling snow.
These reindeer are not the only animals waiting to be found here; more deer are wandering among the trees or watching those who come and go from the rocks and hills that form a part of the region’s landscape, while horses wander their own fenced areas, with one offering rezzable copies of itself to ride through the region’s wilderness.
With paths and trails to connect its various points of interest – which include several cuddle spots – and finished with a gentle sound-scape, Snowdrops once again provides a photogenic, enjoyable winter visit.
My thanks to Kess for the LM and invitation to visit.
SLurl Details
- Snowdrops (Thallan, rated Moderate)
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 