Castles as Cold as Ice

Updated 1/7/23: Ice Castles are not in Colorado this winter. There are Ice Castles in Midway, Utah and other locations.

This place is cool….well, actually it’s cold.  It’s a magical winter wonderland made of ice.  The Ice Castles in Dillon, Colorado, are almost an acre and filled with ice carved tunnels, slides, thrones, and even a huge fountain.  Color changing LED lights make it spectacular at night.

On the night my friend Melissa and I visited it was 16°.  We jumped up and down, danced and laughed to stay warm as we waited in line for about 20 minutes in Dillon’s Town Park.  We’d bought our tickets online – I’d strongly recommend doing that as they do sell out.  Plus, tickets are slightly cheaper online.  Other advice – trade the stroller for a small sled for you kiddos and dress in ski gear so you stay warm in this winter wonderland made of ice.  Wear snow boots!  The floors of the Ice Castles are made of crushed ice.

As soon as you walk in, you’ll marvel at the ice arches, towers, spires, and shapes surrounding you.  Oohs and aahs abound as you enter a castle fitting for “Frozen” princesses Elsa and Anna.  With walls about 10 feet thick, you’re surrounded by about 25,000,000 pounds of ice!  It took ice sculptors about 4,000 hours growing and harvesting about 10,000 icicles a day to create this icy world.

It’s kind of like a frozen Fantasia as the icy world changes colors from greens and blues to pinks and purples at night.

You weave in and out of different icy rooms. Each is unique and offers different experiences like ice slides, tunnels, and my favorite – a huge fountain complete with flowing water.

If you wear snow pants (great idea for the kids to wear!), slide down one of the ice slides.  Ice thrones provide the perfect spot for pics….and laughs as Melissa and I found out.

When you’re frozen and it’s time to warm up, head across the street for hot chocolate topped with whipped cream.  That’s the perfect treat to help you thaw out after exploring the Ice Castles.

If you can’t make it to Dillon to see the frozen fabulousness, you can also visit Ice Castles in Lincoln, New Hampshire; Midway, Utah; and Stillwater, Minnesota in the United States.  In Canada you’ll find Ice Castles in Edmonton Alberta; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.