Midway Ice Castles
There's still a long, cold stretch of winter ahead as we blaze into this new year, and it's going to be easy to start feeling house-bound. Outdoor, family activities in the Utah winter are few and far between, but if you've never before taken the opportunity to experience the Midway Ice Castles, this tenth anniversary year might be the ideal time to bundle up the whole crew for a magical experience.
The concept was born when Utah resident and founder Brent Christensen built an ice cave for his daughter at their Alpine home, and the spot became a minor tourist attraction. In 2011, Christensen took that idea to Midway, and has since expanded it to additional locations in Colorado, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Each ice castle is hand built by artists who grow thousands of icicles daily, harvest them and sculpt them into existing ice structures. The process takes two months to complete, resulting in a work of ice art covering nearly an acre and weighing more than 25 million pounds. The icy edifices include thrones, slides and tunnels, as well as areas lit by synchronized LED lights to add another level of imagination to the creations.