This winter, Ice Castles, LLC will bring its popular attraction back to Midway, Utah, as it unveils a massive castle made of ice. The acre-sized winter wonderland is crafted by hand using only icicles and water and resembles organic formations found in nature, like those of frozen waterfalls, glaciers or ice caves.
Ice Castles are the brainchild of ice architect Brent Christensen, who began building small ice structures in his Alpine, Utah, yard in 2008. In 2009, Christensen built his first large-scale Ice Castle at Midway’s Zermatt Resort. In the four years since, Christensen has built Ice Castles in Colorado, Minnesota and New Hampshire that have attracted over half a million visitors.
Christensen has patterned his design for Midway after geological features across the state, like slot canyons, arches and caves. Guests are invited to not only view the beauty of the structure but also to squeeze, squish and crawl through parts of the stunning, Narnia-like display. Visitors will be surrounded by millions of icicles that sparkle a glacial blue by day and glow multi-colored at night with the help of thousands of LED lights embedded in the ice. Favorite photo spots can be found in the throne room, in front of several waterfalls and throughout the winding ice maze. Children will enjoy whizzing down tubular ice slides and spelunking through small tunnels.
“Ice Castles really are one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth,” said Christensen. “What’s really special is that every visitor gets a distinctive experience since the ice is constantly melting, freezing and being reshaped. It’s an amazing, continuously evolving and very interactive experience.”
Midway’s Ice Castle will be built at Soldier Hollow Resort, located at 2002 Soldier Hollow Road, Midway, Utah, 84049, which will accommodate more guests and have improved parking over last year’s town center venue. The Ice Castle will begin construction in late November and is expected to be open to the public Dec. 26 through March 2015, weather permitting. The Ice Castle will be open from 2-10 p.m. Monday-Friday; and noon-10 p.m. on Saturdays (closed Sundays). General admission for ages 12+ is $9.95 Monday-Thursday and $12.95 Friday-Saturday. For ages 4-11, tickets are $6.95 Monday-Thursday and $8.95 Friday-Saturday. Listed prices do not include tax. Senior, military and group discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased on site or at www.icecastles.com/buy-tickets/.
See beautiful photos and videos or learn more at www.icecastles.com or http://instagram.com/icecastles_.
