Deep down inside me I have a traveling, wandering, exploring soul and my daughter has inherited that same yearning for adventure from me. Last week I surprised her with a day off of school and whisked the entire family up to see the Ice Castles up in Midway. Best decision I’ve made all winter.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain
The Ice Castles in Midway have been on my bucket list since they first arrived in Utah a few years ago. I was thrilled when they came back in town! My family bundled up in snow gear and made a day of it. We arrived right at opening, 2 pm, and happened to catch the end of the filming of Alex Boye’s latest music video. The Piano Guys also shot a music video at the ice castles. It is definitely a stunning location!
The music video was just released so I have to add it into this post! Check it out. The little girl’s voice is stunning!
My children were enthralled by the ice castle wonderland, to say the least! For an hour and a half they roamed the ice maze, crawled through frozen tunnels, zoomed down the slide, and exhausted themselves with fun in the mountainous outdoors. We took a quick break to eat an early dinner at Dairy Keen where the children warmed up and had played with the train and Lego tables.
When we returned to the ice castles, it was still light and my daughter happily had the chance to meet Frozen’s Anna and Elsa.
As the sun set, the ice castles completely transformed by the minute. Day, sunset, dusk, and night each hold their own marvel and splendor at the ice castles. As is stated on the web-site, “there is nothing like seeing nearly 30,000,000 pounds of glowing translucent ice. We’ve created tunnels and passageways through the ice that are only lit at night with light that emanates from within the ice.”
My children are already begging to go back! The Ice Castles at Midway have a permanent spot on our list of winter family traditions.
Here are some tips from our family to help you make the most out of your trip to the Ice Castles.
- Dress your children in warm layers. Snow pants, gloves, and hats are a must for little buns sliding on the amazing ice slide! My son loved that it lit up at night.
- Wear snow boots with traction. We were all in boots and had no trouble with slipping.
- Bring hand warmers if your gloves aren’t water proof. You can get a value pack at Costco or on Amazon.com. We like these – HotHands Hand Warmers 10 Pair Value Pack
.
- Make a day of it. Come right at opening on a week day for an hour or two. Grab an early dinner and then come back for the amazing difference at night!
- Come on a week day if you can, especially if you have small children. Weekends are popular in Utah! We went on a Thursday and my children were able to roam and explore to their hearts’ content!
- Visit soon! They anticipate being open until Saturday, March 1st, but that is weather dependent!
- Bring all ages – even my two year old loved it!
- Make sure to have your camera!
Here is all the information you need for your visit! You can also find it at the Ice Castle web-site.
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Thursday: 2pm – 9pm
Friday: 2pm – 10pm
Saturday: noon – 10pm
Sunday: CLOSED
Ticket Prices:
Monday, Family Day
General Admission: $8
Children age 4 to 11: $5
Children 3 and under: Free
Tuesday – Thursday:
General Admission: $9
Children age 4 to 11: $6
Children 3 and under: Free
Friday – Saturday, and Holidays:
General Admission: $10
Children age 4 to 11: $7
Children 3 and under: Free
The Ice Castles are located at 150 W 100 North in Midway. For my out of town friends, there are also ice castles located in New Hampshire and Colorado!
We took over 300 pictures during our day the Ice Castle. Here are a few of our favorites:
Thank you so much Midway Ice Castles for inviting our family up to experience your beautiful creation!
72 Comments
Tiffany · February 11, 2014 at 5:15 pm
This is so beautiful! My kiddies would fall in love immediately especially since they absolutely adore the movie FROZEN…such a great experience to share. I hope you’re having a great day…coming by from the SITS Comment Support #SITSBlogging
Taralyn · February 12, 2014 at 7:15 am
It really was amazing! My daughter is still talking about the Frozen Ice Castle! Thanks for stopping by!
Tanya @ Mom's Small Victories · February 11, 2014 at 5:26 pm
What an amazing experience! I’ve never seen anything like it, even in pictures. I’m sure my kids would love that sort of adventure too. Stopping by with some #SITSBlogging comment love! Following you and sharing this post on social media !
Taralyn · February 12, 2014 at 7:16 am
It truly was one of those once in a lifetime experiences! But I hope they come back to Utah so we can do it every year! Thanks for sharing!
Claire @ A Little Claireification · February 11, 2014 at 5:27 pm
This is just too awesome!! My kids would flip out!! Thanks for sharing this.
Taralyn · February 12, 2014 at 7:16 am
Mine totally did! No complaints for four hours – it was the perfect activity for them!
Wendy@BlushandBarbells · February 11, 2014 at 5:27 pm
Oh wow, those photos are absolutely stunning. What a fun day out!
Taralyn · February 12, 2014 at 7:17 am
It was a photographer’s dream! We took over 500 pictures that day!
TerriAnn @ Driving Mama · February 11, 2014 at 6:02 pm
Breath-taking! It’s like the ice version of Bryce Canyon but with an elegance that only ice can emit. So nice you had some ‘natives’ to the ice castle to greet your little ones 🙂
Taralyn · February 12, 2014 at 7:18 am
I love the Bryce Canyon comparison!
Jamie Rippy (@MamaMommyMom) · February 11, 2014 at 6:07 pm
That is insanely gorgeous! My kids (and I) would be in Heaven! Maybe we can make it out there some day.
Tami · February 11, 2014 at 6:12 pm
I have never seen anything like this – or heard of it! Breathtaking!!! And omg Frozen princesses? I love it!
Visiting you from SITS. 🙂 xo, Tami
Melissa · February 11, 2014 at 6:25 pm
Wow! This looks completely unreal! I’m from NC so we get excited and freaked out over the 2-4in of snow like we have now. I simply can’t imagine. Such a fun trip idea.
Visiting from #SITSBlogging 🙂
Xiomara @ Parkesdale · February 11, 2014 at 6:26 pm
Oh my word. I want to show these pictures to my girls but I know the minute they see them they’ll be begging us to take them there. I wish we lived closer just to see these! Thanks for sharing. #SITSBlogging
Tonya W. · February 11, 2014 at 6:36 pm
Wow! What an incredible experience! I have never seen anything like that before. You took some amazing pictures. Thank you for sharing your experience. Makes me want to get on a plane and fly to Utah.
Tara · February 11, 2014 at 6:54 pm
What a beautiful place! I didn’t even realize they had places like this in Utah. I live your blog. I need to learn how to pin, myself. Sharing the comment live from the SITS girls. 🙂
Tickles & Tots · February 12, 2014 at 1:22 am
Amazing pictures, my kids would love this place. It looks like your family had an awesome time! I would like to visit the ice castles one day. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from #SITS!
Wilma Jones · February 12, 2014 at 2:49 am
I have never heard of ice castles like this before. I am in the Washington, DC area, but I travel to Colorado a few times a year. I will have to try and check this out. The pics are beautiful. And I found your through the SITS girls comment love.
http://www.LivingHappierAfter.com
Sylvia · February 12, 2014 at 5:52 am
Wow! That looks amazing! I’d love to visit that as a child, and maybe even more now as an adult. Hehe.
Gina · February 12, 2014 at 6:56 am
This looks so incredible, and I wish one of the three states were close enough for us to visit! My three kids would absolutely love it. We’ve gone to an underground cave before, and this is different but really neat!
Britney @ The Princess & Her Cowboys · February 12, 2014 at 7:14 am
We got to go there too a few weeks ago! It looks like they’ve added quite a bit since we went but it was so fun! And how awesome that they had the Frozen girls there! Love it! Thanks for sharing your lovely pictures!
Briton · February 12, 2014 at 7:24 am
This looks so cool! I love the lights that come on in the ice at night!
Becky @ lovetobeinthekitchen · February 12, 2014 at 8:11 am
I’ve heard a little about the ice castles but hadn’t seen many pictures so thank you for this post! It’s so pretty. I would love to take my boys. Thanks for the great tips!
Lady of Perpetual Chaos · February 12, 2014 at 12:14 pm
I need to take my girls! Seriously, so beautiful! They would love it. I’m even tempted to dress my redhead and blondie as Anna and Elsa. ;o)
tara pittman · February 12, 2014 at 12:20 pm
This would be so worth it to bundle up for. I hate cold but would tolerated it for this as it is so cool. The addmission price is great too
Ange · February 12, 2014 at 9:53 pm
How gorgeous!!!! This is absolutely one of the coolest things I have ever seen!!!
Tonya {The Traveling Praters} · February 16, 2014 at 11:37 am
That looks like such a fun experience! I’d love to have something like that in Ohio to visit. If it has to be cold, at least there should be some outdoor fun! Your photos are gorgeous!
tanya · February 16, 2014 at 11:57 am
So cool! Mashes me want to visit UT in the winter. We usually visit family there in the summer.
Jessie · February 16, 2014 at 3:01 pm
How beautiful! I’ve never heard of this. My children would love it. We may have to make a trip to Colorado and check it out!
Natalie · February 18, 2014 at 8:48 pm
What a gorgeous place–I’d never heard of it before! I won’t lie: I’m a little terrified of the cold (as I’m a born and bred South Carolinian) but I might figure out how to put on a pair of snow boots to see this! I love that Anna and Elsa were there. I LOVED Frozen!
Kemi Quinn · February 19, 2014 at 12:37 am
Okay so that’s where my voice went! Man you’re right that girl’s voice is amazing. The ice is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this.
Shirley @Intelligent Domestications · February 19, 2014 at 5:30 am
My goodness! That is simply breathtaking! I never knew such a place existed. I can’t help but wonder what is involved in the creation on this place. I’m so glad you shared this with us. I’m going to put this on my fb wall for others to see. It is too far away from us down here in the deep south but it gave me joy to see others having fun!
Rebecca @ Love at First Book · February 19, 2014 at 8:50 am
That is GORGEOUS! You’re so lucky to have a place like that close by. Very very cool and unique experience! Thank you so much for sharing.
Pam · February 19, 2014 at 12:03 pm
So cool! I would love to see these – I’ll have to add it to my someday list!
vwbug · February 19, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Wow. My children have never seen snow having been raised in Florida. Going some place like this would be an awesome experience. Did not even know it existed. Thank you for the info!
Ashley @ Simply Designing · February 19, 2014 at 1:59 pm
Whoa! That is sooooo cool! My kids would love it! Especially that Elsa and Anna were there 🙂 I am so sad I am too far away!
Tamara Brower · February 19, 2014 at 2:54 pm
Oh my goodness how beautiful! I think it would be very cool to visit. I’ve seen pictures before, but I imagine they just don’t do it justice. I imagine it’s much more beautiful in person. So pretty!
Angie Young · February 19, 2014 at 4:07 pm
That is so cool. I can see that it was a lot of fun for your whole family. And the prices are amazingly cheap considering all that there is to see and do. I wish we had something like this here.
Tonia · February 19, 2014 at 5:34 pm
How cool! Love the pictures. I would love to visit something like that. So, so neat!
HilLesha · February 19, 2014 at 7:12 pm
Such beautiful pictures! Now, I have something to add to my traveling bucket list. 🙂
Mommy Maleta · February 19, 2014 at 9:19 pm
WOW! My website’s slogan is exploring the world one suitcase at a time & you’ve just introduced me to a new place to explore. I hope I can pack my suitcase and visit these beautiful ice castles with my family! Thx so much for posting!
Meeghan · February 20, 2014 at 7:17 am
Wow! Amazing! I have never heard of this…the kids wold just love it…(and, well, let’s be honest, so would I). Thank you for posting -this is so great to know about!
Marcia @ Blogitudes · February 20, 2014 at 8:32 am
What a great way to spend a winter day! This looks like a beautiful place and it looks like you and your family had a wonderful time! So glad. 😀 Thanks for sharing this lovely post!
Sarah Barker (@sarahsfare) · February 20, 2014 at 9:12 am
Absolutely fantastic pictures! I’m in VA, so we won’t be able to make it an annual winter activity, but it looks magical, so I’ll definitely keep this in mind for any years that we may get the chance to travel.
Sarah’s Fare recently posted → Eggs in a Nest
Tink · February 20, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Your photos are outstanding. They really show off the majesty and delight of the Ice Castle. One day, I hope that I, too, will be able to visit.
Lalia @ Found Frolicking · February 20, 2014 at 5:18 pm
This is so cool!!! I haven’t heard mention of this place anywhere before. But it looks like such a blast for the whole family. I wasn’t allowed to go on class field trips as a child, I don’t think I would have minded so much if my parents had done something amazing like you have done here. I can imagine how ecstatic your children were to abandon school for a day to do something wonderful together as a family. It’s great you were able to take plenty of great pictures, too! That way you can continue to enjoy the wonderful experience from that day for years to come! I would love to see a video showing how the ice castle was made, it’s just so neat—inside and out!
Jaclyn · February 20, 2014 at 8:03 pm
Beautiful! I want to go there now! Thanks for sharing – great photos!
Lauren M · February 20, 2014 at 8:33 pm
These are so awesome!!! I need to put visiting these on my bucket list!
Johnnalynn Lynch · February 21, 2014 at 8:18 am
You mean to tell me there are things like this out there that I’ve never heard of?!!! This is SO cool! What a beautiful place! I’m definitely going to put this one on my list of places to go/things to see! Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures!
Liz Lewis · February 21, 2014 at 9:28 am
This is seriously incredible! I live in SLC, so I’m not far away from the ice castles at all. However, I haven’t been yet. Now I want to go this weekend before they close!! Your pictures are stunning. Thanks for recommending seeing it during the daytime and at night. I probably wouldn’t have know to do this otherwise. It looks like you and your family have lots of great adventures together!
Val @ Love My DIY Home · February 21, 2014 at 9:32 am
I always find it amazing to see such beautiful things in nature. I’m glad God is very creative and gives us these types of things to enjoy.
stacey · February 21, 2014 at 2:04 pm
This is seriously awesome! I would LOVE to go to something like this. We live in Wyoming and it seems like we miss out on everything fun. I told my husband before, but I want to move to Utah. There always seems to be something fun going on there. Totally jealous 🙂
-Stacey
GluedToMyCraftsBlog.com
Lisa {Amateur Nester} · February 21, 2014 at 3:05 pm
Wow, what a fun place. Looks like everyone had a great time! Stopping by from Blogelina Commentathon.
Jen Bradley · February 21, 2014 at 6:15 pm
My take-away from this, since I live in Wisconsin, is that it’s never a bad idea to make time for fun. With two little boys, we’ve really struggled this year to get out of the house, or just do something for fun, not work or home. Thanks for sharing, and encouraging adventure 🙂
Tanya · February 22, 2014 at 7:12 am
This looks like an amazing place to visit! I hope i get to go sometime. I really enjoyed the video too. Now I definitely have to see Frozen! Thanks so much for sharing!
Annette Browning · February 22, 2014 at 6:02 pm
That is simply breathtaking!!! Wow! Nature is amazing, isn’t it? I have a cousin in Utah…maybe it’s time to visit?
Katherine Petrunia · February 22, 2014 at 8:29 pm
Wow! STUNNING! I can’t imagine how beautiful that must look glowing at night. I think I’ll be adding this to my ‘must see’ list when we make it down there! What a unique concept and great family activity! I wish they had something like that in BC!
Nicole · February 23, 2014 at 7:49 pm
I have never heard of these–but now I am definitely adding them to my bucket list–it sounds like a lovely day for a family or a couple.
Now, I have seen that video you linked to pop up around social media lately, but I had no idea that was a real location and so close out here on the west coast.
I really like the castle pictures–it is really amazing how majestic nature can be.
Jennifer at Purposeful Nutrition · February 23, 2014 at 8:53 pm
wow, absolutely stunning. I had no idea places like this existed. unfortunately I live in Pennsylvania so even the NH ones are pretty far. Maybe someday….
Jessi Fearon (@TheBudgetMama) · February 24, 2014 at 4:13 pm
I so wish that I lived closer to one of these!!! This is awesome and I know my kiddos would love it! I now know what to add to our bucket list! Thank you so much for sharing!
Megin · February 25, 2014 at 1:01 pm
What a beautiful post! I’ve never been to the ice castles but it looks like it’d be fun. Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and story.
Marisa Slusarcyk · February 25, 2014 at 10:11 pm
WOW!! what an experience and some very awesome pictures!
Faith Still · February 26, 2014 at 12:08 am
What a cool place! Thanks for sharing.
Nikki · February 26, 2014 at 9:21 pm
Beautiful photos. I wish I had the time and money to visit Utah!
Always Reiding · February 26, 2014 at 9:39 pm
I love that the Disney Princesses were there–adding to my bucket list.
Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal · February 27, 2014 at 6:28 am
This looks like the most beautiful place…almost imaginary! My kids (boys) would love to romp and play.
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