Spires of frozen water come to life as caves, glaciers and frozen waterfalls at the Ice Castles. Crews spend over two months “growing” nearly 20,000 icicles each night to delicately design the winter wonderland. By day, the Ice Castles are steely blue, but at night LED lights make the ice formations dazzle a wide array of colors.
I visited the Ice Castles for the first time in 2019 as part of Girls Weekend adventure. I knew it was an experience my whole family would enjoy, so this year we ordered tickets and made the trip to New Brighton, MN for this slippery family adventure.
The Logistics
The Ice Castles are popular. Reserving tickets online before hand is a must. Reserved tickets allow for a specific timed entry. Many popular times on weekends will sell out. Parking is limited at Long Lake Regional Park, so be prepared to wait for a spot or come knowing you may need to ride the free shuttle bus. We purchased tickets a couple of days in advance and chose to arrive after 8pm, a less popular hour. We were fortunate to find parking easily and were also lucky enough to have temperatures in the low 30s during our visit.
Ice Castle goers walk through frozen caverns and slot canyons of icicles that workers have frozen into place by spraying them with water during the coldest hours of the day. When complete, the Ice Castles are about 25-35 feet tall and are comprised of nearly 30 million pounds of ice.
Ice Castle Highlights
The highlight of the trip to the Ice Castles for our family was the ice slide. The slide was quite fast, thanks to the plastic mats riders use. The large slide required a bit of wait to ride, but the smaller slide did not, making it a favorite of our boys. They also enjoyed the series of ice tunnels and igloos designed for smaller kids to crawl through.
Know Before You Go
- Dress for the weather. Even with mild temperatures, prepare to be outside for more than an hour to enjoy the Ice Castle experience. If you plan to crawl through the tunnels (I did) or ride the ice slide, you’ll want water proof pants.
- Wear proper winter footwear. The castles are really made of ice. Expect slick, wintery conditions.
- There are no bathrooms inside the ticketed area.
- If you get hungry or thirsty, there are snacks and beverages for purchase on site.
- Have fun and enjoy the beauty this frozen adventure offers.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle