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!

The post Winter wonderland at Midway Ice Castles #hebervalley appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.