Archive for the ‘Updates’ Category
Great article by Where’s Pablo
We enjoyed reading this post from Where’s Pablo, about his visit to the Steamboat Ice Castle. He has some great photos from this past season, and an interesting perspective on the visit. Thanks for the article!
Steamboat last day of Season – April 3, 2013
This is it friends, the warm weather has taken its toll and Wednesday April 3rd will be our final day this season. If you’re planning to come, come quick!
And great thanks to those who made this a fabulous year at the Ice Castle in Steamboat!
Steamboat – Photo Contest Winners
We conducted a photo contest on of photos taken at the Steamboat Springs location with the winners being chosen through voting on our Facebook page. Thank you to all who entered, the photos were fabulous! We wanted to share the winning photos with you. Here they are:
1st Place – Stephonie Schmitz
2nd Place – Jen Cherry Millard
3rd Place – Jen Cherry Millard
Mall of America Ice Castle – Now Closed
We are sorry to announce that all this rain in Minnesota is going to prevent us from opening the Ice Castle today, and so yesterday will have been our last day of the season for the Mall of America Ice Castle.
The Steamboat Springs Ice Castle is still open. Weather in Steamboat is warming up, and it is not clear at this point how long we will be able to remain open. If you are considering coming to the Ice Castle in Steamboat Springs, we recommend you come soon.
We have about 6″ of water throughout the inside courtyards and towers, and with more rain on the way. This turns the walking surface into ice – making the walking surfaces slippery and unsafe. This would not be enjoyable for anyone to visit the Ice Castle. If there is anything that we could do to open today under safe and enjoyable conditions, we’d do it, but at this point there is just too much water.
Thank you for understanding and we appreciate all of you who came and made this Minnesota winter a wonderful one for our team.
Photo of Mall of America Ice Castle by Barry Mullin who is a member of the St. Paul Camera club in Minnesota.
Ice Castle MOA – closing date March 8th
Since Mother Nature is being so cooperative, we’ve decided to stay open until March 8th at Mall of America.
We have not yet set a closing date for the Ice Castle at Steamboat Springs, CO.
Come share your last, COOLEST winter outing with us!
Photo above was taken by Altamish Osman – you can see more of his work here – Altamish Osman Photography
FAN MAIL!
This week we received more than 75 AMAZING thank you cards from the 2nd graders at Aquila Elementary School in SLP following their visit to the Ice Castle this month! Such creativity!
Here are our favorite snippets from these 2nd graders:
*”I learned that the dragon eggs are really real!” –Amelia
*”I learned that you only need a little water and if you get too much it will freeze.” –Scarlett
*”I learned that you can make a lot of icicles at one time!” –Lily
*”Thank you for wanting us to be careful.” –Mikala
*”My favorite part of the field trip was going to the biggest ice castle EVER!” –Jayden
*”I found 12 dragon eggs!” — Joey
*”I thought it was funny when the guy told us what the shoes are called when they climb on the ice. I think the shoes are called crampons.” –Samantha
*”I went ANOTHER day with my family. They thought it was fantastic!” — Raima
*”It was cool and awesome and exciting!” — Sophia
*”I loved all the caves and tunnels you made. You are really creative!” — Nora
“Thank you for the amusing, amazing, incredible, awesome, marvelous, splendid, terrific field trip!” –Abdimajid
“I liked the tunnels. I think they are cool. Maybe you could make them a little longer next year?” –Elliot
“I think the ice castle is an amazing lifetime project and you should be proud of yourself too!” –Salan
“I saw all of the dragon eggs. I couldn’t even believe it!” — Meron
“Can you build an ice castle in my backyard?” –Anonymous 
Ice Castle at Mall of America open until March 2nd!
Thanks to the good graces of Mother Nature, the Ice Castle at Mall of America will remain open through Saturday, March 2nd! That means you have two more weeks to enjoy one of the coolest winter destinations in the Twin Cities with your friends and loved ones. Come check out the newly carved tunnels, take incredible photos in our glacier-like landscape, send your kids on a hunt for dragon eggs, enjoy a warm-up by the fire, and soak in all the coolness that the Ice Castle has to offer. And for those who like the heat, check out our fire dancers on Friday, February 22 and Friday, March 1!
Things to remember — February at the Ice Castles MOA
As we launch into to month #2 at the Ice Castles MOA, there are a few things you should remember before you plan your trip:
*As if we haven’t all figured it out by now, the Ice Castles are very weather dependent. We have encountered one of the wackiest winters to-date in Minnesota, so we must be prepared for anything. If we can stay cool (but how ’bout no more -40 please), we will be open through February 20 … if we can sustain longer, we will. However, if temps tick up too quickly, there is a chance we could close ahead of schedule. If you can get your visit in the next week or so, please do!
*Weekends are busy and for GOOD reason — concessions are open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and on Friday nights, we have fire dancers to amaze castle goers. Come check these fire ladies out!
*Spend Valentine’s Day with us — Can you think of anything more romantic? On this week’s Bachelor, they had a date in an ice castle — it’s even trendy. On Valentines’ Day, KARE 11 will feature 11 weddings at the Ice Castle at 11:00 a.m. (prior to opening). Tune in, and then join us that night with your sweetheart!
*We have new tunnels! Brent has been busy doing all he can to change up the landscape, and keep kids’ curiosity churning. Kids on Toddler Tuesday had a chance to check them out first, and they are super cool (pun fully intended).
*Ask for a tour! We have many team members who love to talk about how the Ice Castles came to be. If you would like us to take you around and show you the “how” and “why”, please ask in the ticket office and we’d be happy be your tour guide. We are also still encouraging group visits — contact groupsales@mallofamerica.com to get discounted tickets and set up a tour time.
*Attention all professional photographers — we’d love to see and share your [watermarked ] photos! Please email them to jackie@icecastles.com so that we can use them in future promotional materials!
Planning Your Ice Castle Visit at Mall of America
Growing an Ice Castle is completely weather dependent. As you are aware, this winter, Minnesota has had unpredictable weather! This means that as it stays cold, the Ice Castle will continue to grow, even while it’s open for you to visit. Because it is always changing and growing, we recommend that you plan to visit multiple times for the ultimate experience in this icy wonderland.
Since the Ice Castle is outdoors and takes approximately 20 – 30 minutes to go through, we recommend that you dress warmly. This means considering things like:
– scarves
– mittens
– wool socks
– boots
– hats
– heavy coats
– dressing in layers!
Because this is such a unique exhibit and experience, people have driven in from all over the Midwest to see it. Unfortunately, the popularity of the exhibit lends itself to longer wait times when the Ice Castle reaches capacity. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. You are welcome to wait in line or take a voucher to come back at a later assigned time. We look forward to welcoming you at the Ice Castle – Mall of America!
OPENING NEW YEAR’S EVE!
Brent showing how the magic comes together at Ice Castle – Mall of America — by carefully fusing icicles together with the right amount of water and freezing temps. Thank you Brian Benson for gathering these great shots!
Happy Holidays Ice Castle fans! We realize that there has been some confusion as to when the Steamboat Springs and Mall of America Ice Castles are going to open. As with anything weather-dependent, the fate sometimes lands in the hands of Mother Nature. With a few warmer weeks than anticipated this year, we had to overcome a few climate challenges and work a little faster. That being said, we are still opening Late December — even if that means the last day of December — and we look forward to ringing in the New Year with you on New Year’s Eve, Monday, December 31st! See you then!
Opening Day Update: Ice Castle – Mall of America will open at 4:30 p.m. Please do not plan to come any earlier so that our crews can get the site perfectly prepped for your arrival!
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