Ice Castles Minnesota

This is what Minnesota is all about! Some people rant and rave about the cold and complain that they want to move somewhere warmer, but then you wouldn’t get to play in ice castles!
I went to the Mall Of America Ice Castles several times in previous years (which I don’t think they’re doing anymore, most likely replaced by this beautiful behemoth) and this ice castle is far and above 100x better. Everything I was disappointed by with the MOA ice castle, was being done right with this one! They didn’t just build an ice castle, they built an entire experience. You know that part in The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe when the ice starts melting? The atmosphere was like that.
Speakers were mounted throughout the castle playing whimsical soundtracks. Kids were exploring and crawling through tunnels. Elsa and Anna from Frozen were snapping pictures with the excited kids. A convincingly realistic Olaf snowman was hanging out in the center of the castle. There was a fountain made of ice with running water in it. And there was a hot cocoa stand! Fire and icccce.
Oh and the slides! Short 5 foot slides for the little ones to slide down on their bums, and a long 30 foot slide for kids and adults to ride down on a sled (which let me say from experience, went exceptionally fast!).
This castle isn’t the kind of entertainment where you sit down and watch a person juggle in front of you. This is the kind of entertainment where you explore, ooh and ahh over the beautiful ice formations, and be a kid for 30 minutes.

Date night comes around and the more beautiful half picks heading down to Eden Prairie for some fun at the ice castles.
Lets start with some background info. It’s a park, so the parking situation isn’t too bad. However, you need to get tickets for a certain time and go in at or near that time, almost like a movie. I found that strange considering there was no reason other than possibly overcrowding?
In any event, once you’re there and through the gates, the sights are beautiful. The color changes they employ make the ice and views breath taking. However, once you get past the beauty aspect, it dawns on you that you paid a pretty penny to get in, and there isn’t much to actually do.
There is a few slides to enjoy, sure. A fire to stand around, a few tunnels, and Olaf from Frozen to take pictures with (yes I’ve seen Frozen entirely too many times). But, that’s it.
I think we had more fun waiting to be dripped on as we went through ice covered corridors than we did with anything. Soaking up a beautiful view hugging a sweetheart is the only thing place is good for, and they charge you quite a bit for that privilege.
Something to do for date night outside in winter? Yup. Is the view worth the price of admission? Your call.

We went to the Ice Castles on Saturday, it was our first time there. It was nice and sunny that day so it wasn’t too cold. I like that they offer hot beverages and warm cookies and have heaters throughout the ice castles. I think it’s a great place to take kids and we had a good time. I would like to go back to check out the night show.

The «Castle» area was smaller than I expected but, from the looks of it, the Families with kids had a lot of fun. There are a number of «tunnels» kids can go into and have a little adventure. If you are a group of adults, this is one of those that can go either way. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if you missed it.

Well, this was lame. If you have kids it’s the spot. And, don’t go if the weathers nice because it will melt all over you. Nothing like paying 14 $ to look at a bunch of icicles. Lol.

It was okay, I was very excited to see the ice castle, but then when I went inside it was just a big space and few tunnel to go through, need more things to do …
Overall won’t be back again!

It was pretty much what I expected. Maybe a little less. The ice is gorgeous, as everyone is aware. But there’s not much to do. Don’t count on it being the day’s entertainment. Most people came in, wandered a little, took their selfies, and bailed.
So you walk through a big ice arch, which is pretty amazing, into a big arena-​ish area. Then you can go walk through another little set of tunnels. But you inevitably end up standing in the center like, «what now?»
There were fire twirlers, which was cool, but they were definitely amateurs. Still cool, but not like, THAT impressive.
We went when it was around 40 degrees… Seemed like they shouldn’t be open. Looking up in some of the arches, it seemed as if one or two of them were absolutely going to fall sometime within the next couple days of warm weather. A lot of the walking space was either straight ice or three inch deep slush.
I personally wouldn’t go back unless they built it up with more tunnels and arches…
Oh, and it was Frozen themed, obviously.

I went here for a photo shoot with my friend and this place was beyond beautiful. I am not sure how it looks during the day but at night the lights change and go on and off with the music that is playing.
The concessions here surprised me! Not only was the Hot Cider absolutely delicious, but it was only $ 3 for a Large! (16 oz) which is a great deal for your typical event concession.
There were so many different paths and trails around the caves, it was very slippery and I wasn’t smart by wearing boots with little grip on the bottom.
Depending where you are in the castles it can get really warm! (I can see how an igloo is warm now!)
They have about 4 different fire-​pits around the area so if it ever gets too cold you can easily find a warm place to stand.
This is a great place for kids. They have two different sliding areas for them to have fun, make sure they come in snow pants! There is even a couple small ice tunnels they can crawl through!
I went on a weekday so they didn’t have much for entertainment, if you want something simple and not super crowded then a weekday is your best bet, however if you want entertainment then plan on a weekend trip!
For the price of the ticket I say this is a great idea for families to spend a couple hours of their day having some fun in the snow. I wouldn’t recommend this for a while day thing as the Ice castles aren’t HUGE but a decent size!
The only thing I would have to say disappointed me was they didn’t have s’mores! :)

The Ice Castles have officially opened up for a second season in Eden Prairie’s Miller Park. Weather permitting it will stay open till early March. I went last year and was curious to see this years creation. Since crews create over 5000 icicles a day and light them up with colorful LED lights nighttime viewing is preferred.
If you decide to visit pay attention to hours of operation as the castle is closed on Tuesdays. I think admission pricing is expensive, especially if you have a larger crowd and don’t purchase tickets in advance. Obviously tickets are less expensive during the week than on weekends. General admission stand by pricing is $ 15 – 18 (adults). For children ages 12 and under prices range from $ 10 – 12 for standby pricing. Tickets are considerable less if you purchase them online $ 9.95−12.95 for adults and 6.95−9.95 for kids ages 12 and under.
There were no lines or crowds when I visited so I can’t comment on that. The entrance and exit was filled with slushy slippery snow and it was pretty deep so dress appropriately. The Taste of Love Bakery is new inside the Ice Castle. They offer hot cider, hot chocolate, cappuccino and some «sweet» treats too. A nice addition.
Between the walls of the castle you’ll find tunnels, caves, fountains, waterfalls and slides. Overall it’s cool but not sure the price is worth it.

I reviewed going to this place considerably before we went since we live in Central Wisconsin and we were making the long drive. We got there and parked over 45 minutes before our ticket time. Ordering tickets online saves you a good amount of money. Highly recommend ordering online. We were dressed for the weather, but didn’t expect the 45 minute wait in line when you have an actual ticket time. So at 6:45 we got in line and waited since that is what everyone was doing. The fire show outside was neat to watch. We also got to watch the show inside which was very impressive. Once we got in we went to the warming stations because we were a little chilled from standing in the line so long. Make sure to wear boots when going here. Ones with grips. Remember it’s all ice and snow you walk on. The water fountains and display all together was very impressive. The music was a good touch and the changing colors is a neat touch. It’s a little high on the price side when it’s also heated for children. It’s expensive for a family of 4+ to attend something like this. We got to see and take our pictures with the Ice Queen and Olaf. Didn’t get anything from the bakery because the line was long, and not moving. Which was a disappointment. Overall it was a good experience and I am glad we went.

So being an out of towner we heard of this from a friends recommendation. I wish i would have researched it a little more. Wear snow boots! Snow pants would have helped greatly as well! We heard about this last minute and decided to go, we did follow the suggestion of buying tickets online, although since we went opening weekend it didn’t really matter. Our time slot was 7 – 7:30. We didn’t get in until 7:45. The fire people were cool. It was really cool to see. We’re a young couple and if we would have had kids we could have seen the slides to be really cool for them. We tried to get in line to get some hot cocoa but it barely moved after 10 minutes so we ditched that. The fire pits were super helpful since we didn’t have heavier winter wear. I loved the music that went along with them and i do recommend going to see them. Preferably not on opening weekend and to make sure to really bundle up. Other than that it was a really cool experience since we don’t have anything like that near Milwaukee, WI.

So I started this review in February and am awkwardly finishing it in May. Oops. Side note, it’s mid-​May and still 40 degrees.
It’s smaller than you’d expect, but still entertaining if you have the right, «I can entertain myself anywhere and always like a new experience» perspective. There were lots of little corners and tunnels to squeeze into, and my boyfriend and I had a grand time wandering around in here. Yes, it may not have been as large as many expected — but then again, there were 40 degree temperature swings every few weeks this winter, and I commend the team on keeping it as large as it was. Having met some of the building team, I can’t imagine seeing your masterpiece melt every few weeks and then attempting to build it back up, then having it melt again. I guess next year, make sure to go early on, right after it’s built and hasn’t had a chance to melt much yet.
Top tips:
–Wear good boots… your feet get cold standing on solid ice for too long!
–It’ll be hard to ever get a good picture here. Just enjoy and remember how cool it
–Go on a weekday afternoon or evening! We had absolutely no wait when we came on a Tuesday at 5pm.

Boring, not worth the time or money. I will not be back if they do this again next year.

Its a bunch of ice that glows at night.
Tips:
–The whole venue is probably not much wider then about 150 yards.
–Its not going to take you an hour to visit unless your kids are super slow and super entertaining to themselves.
–Its lit up at night, so go then
–The weekends get CRAZY busy, so go on a weekday
–You aren’t supposed to take beverages out of the concession areas
–Don’t bring a stroller
–Do know that its difficult lighting at night for good family photos
It would be awesome if a city sponsored this and just added it to a «winter carnival» type of event, with maybe a $ 5 adult entry fee. Since this is the only event in EP, and its has an insanely high price for a family — its appeal and reach is limited.

I was a bit concerned with the 2.5 star rating this has on Unilocal but it all changed once I got there.
This was truly awesome and it met my expectations as I was NOT expecting to find a lavish castle, instead I was hoping to see ice formations that would naturally form in the North Pole and that is exactly what I found.
Make sure to visit during the as there is less people therefore making the experience more enjoyable.
Don’t forget to get your scavenger hunt pin.

Ice Castle Slips and Falls
The ice castle had little entertainment value. The concessions had few options. The castle looked like it had been designed to look nice, but had then melted. We were in and out in 20 minutes. $ 13 was way too expensive for what the ice castle offers.

I must say, the 12.95 entrance fee is a bit too high for what you get. Long entrance line if you decide to pay at the door. Save some time and pay in advance; no wait.
You walk into a slippery court yard packed with families waiting in line for something. The day we visited, there was a long line to get a photo with a generic Elsa and Anna. I say generic because I believe this event is not sanctioned by Disney. Also, a long line to get a photo op with Olaf. Not a live action one in costume, but a straight up manufactured snow man.
I’d expect an ice maze. There was a pretty lame one. They could’ve added ice sculptures. Remember the old ice castle in St Paul back in the day? The architecture of this one is pretty sloppy. It’s like they turned on a hose and just let the water freeze. No blocks of ice anywhere.
I’d pay $ 8 tops. Maybe they’ll offer more activities next year. I suggest more than just 1 acre of space. Work on the design. We went during the day.

Had a good time with my friends. I think the warm temperatures made the ground slick so we both wore ice cleats. Didn’t slip once. Staff was friendly inside the castle. The coffee stand only takes cash (at the moment) but it’s dam good coffee for what it is. They had little fire things to heat your hands, witch was nice to keep my girlfriends hands warm. Lines moved quickly. I’d recommend buying online and printing off the ticket. The castle it self was impressive at night. All light up. Beautiful. I think I might go again. All in all, worth seeing and beats cabin fever.

Thoroughly disappointing. 12.95 a person doesn’t really ooze affordability for family fun.
Nothing entirely impressive, smaller than imagined and filled with hard to maneuver walkways.
Over staffed and the signage just gave the impression of them thinking far too highly of themselves. I’m sure it was prettier at night but knowing it was man made just ruins the magic of ice.
The ice caves on Lake Superior are far better and way more impressive. It’s also a better investment for your money.

Pretty and fascinating to see for the first time! I went last night because I thought the lighting would look amazing and although it was pretty my pictures were ok and not as pretty as in person and it was super crowded but it was opening weekend so that’s to be expected. Just wish there was more lighting all around, there were a couple of light less spots but still cool and interesting to see overall. They had a kids slide of ice, a ice made Olaf from «frozen» and small cave which was cool! Also a fire twirling little show to watch, will go next time during the day for better quality pictures and video.