Photo courtesy of Ice Castles NH Facebook Page
Christmas isn't the only magical thing about winter. Ice Castles, a Utah-based entertainment company that builds surreal large-scale structures out of ice, is opening gigantic walk-through ice castles in six locations this year in the US and Canada. Luckily for Jersey folk, one of their frozen playgrounds is in Lincoln, New Hampshire, which is roughly five and a half hours from the George Washington Bridge. You'll likely want to make at least an overnight trip out of the drive, but it's an absolute must-see.
The first Ice Castle was built by a man in Alpine, Utah who made an ice cave for his daughter. The idea has inspired these gargantuan frozen playgrounds, now with teams growing at least 10,000 icicles by hand daily and sculpting castle walls that are about 10 feet thick. When built, each castle weighs roughly 25 million pounds! If that's not enough to convince you that your kids will be amazed, the ice is also blue. According to the site, this is because water absorbs all colors on the spectrum and emits blue; the thicker the ice, the bluer it gets.
The castles are must-see destinations for Adventure Time's Ice King fans and Frozen lovers alike. Kids of all ages will be in awe of the tunnels and colored lights. And if that's not enough to impress your kid, take 'em to meet the Enchanted Frozen Princess for a photo op. If they need more excitement, give the high-energy fire show a try, where experts will breathe, spin, hula and more with flames.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ICE CASTLES NH FACEBOOK PAGE
Not only is it stunning to see, it's reasonably priced: kids tickets are $13 on weekdays and $16 Friday through Sunday, while adults can get in for $19 on weekdays and $21 on weekends (get a discount when you buy online!). Parking passes range from $7-10.
The Lincoln, NH location opens January 5. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 4-9 pm, Fridays 4-10:30 pm, Saturday 11 am-10:30 pm and Sunday noon-8 pm.
