Wow. That was my impression of the Ice Castles at Mall of America. I’ve seen some pretty awesome ice and snow structures designed from snow and ice blocks, but never this. What makes the Ice Castles different is it is designed with icicles that are organically grown from 4 million gallons of water and then fused together.
My family went to see the Ice Castles during the day, but in the evening the castle is lit up by thousands of LED multi-colored lights in the ice. I’ve seen it from the street and it looks cool. Below are many photos my husband and I took during our visit. When you go be sure to dress warmly. This is a cold Minnesota January! If you have children, make sure they have their coats, snowpants (they’ll want to sit on some of the ice benches), hats, gloves and winter boots (beware, there are some slippery spots). And don’t forget your camera. There are some fantastic photo ops!
My kids were enthralled exploring the caverns.
Isn’t this pretty?
The formations are stunning.
Where do the doorways lead? You have to enter to find out.
Every angle offers a new perspective. The ice colors always seems to be changing depending upon the brightness of the sun.
The center courtyard displays the largest tower – it’s more than 40 feet high.
Did you know the airport is right across the highway from Mall of America?
Warm up here afterwards…
Can you spy Mall of America in the background? The white dome is where you can pay. There is also a small yellow truck offering snacks and hot beverages (not in photo).
If you get the chance to visit the Ice Castles at Mall of America you will really enjoy it! Just remember to dress warmly. You can find prices and hours on the Ice Castles page on the MOA website. As long as the weather stays cold the Ice Castles will be open through February 20, 2013. Enjoy!
Brrrr!
Yeah, Brrrrr is right!
Very impressive! I would definitely want to see that sometime soon, a fun treat for the little ones too!
The kids loved it! They couldn’t get enough.
Very cool! Hoping to experience something similar in Canada – the ice hotel and their fascinating restaurant! Needless to say…it’s a limited time opportunity as the hotel will melt away come summer!
“Limited time” is true. Last year it was too warm for anything cold – and we lacked snow.
This is pretty cool! I think I would be afraid to stand under the ice although it looks like it’s pretty sturdy.
The day we were there the sun was out and even though it was freezing I did get a few melting drips on the head. Luckily, I didn’t see any ice falling.
I was just stopping by to see what you’ve been up too. It was pretty cool seeing the Castle. They hired fire dancers, too. That would have been really neat to see. Great photos – loved the plane.
That is beautiful! I have never heard of this before. If we lived closer I would do this next weekend, but being almost 7 hours away, I am going to have to plan a trip. Thanks for the info and great pics!
Very cool! I just left there right before they did this, unfortunately.
Amazing to see that! I know the ice hotel in swedish lappland but I think this one is more beautiful.
thanks for sharing that with us
Greetings,
Gabi