Ice Castles New Hampshire

While visiting family we drove from Northfield, VT approx 2hrs to visit this beauty! It was worth every effort, we were amazed from the drive up to the facility to us leaving. Hands down alot of fun, such a unique experience to say the least. Dress warm, once U enter U wont be allowed to leave to reenter without payin again. There are restrooms, shoppin and food at this location. Takes lots of pics and savor the memories forever… I also went antique shoppin and ate at a great burger joint that I will review in a later post. We had a blast and hope to visit another Ice castle soon. Advice, go in in the afternoon so U can see the light show at night!

If it is raining or sleeting be careful it gets VERY slippery. I spent the night sliding all around because it was raining which made it a little less enjoyable, but it was beautiful to see and would do it again

This was very cool to see! I’ve been wanting to see this for the past few years and was lucky enough that they extended for one week.
We went right after sunset on a Monday night so it wasn’t too crazy. We didn’t have to wait in any lines. The drawback was that it was the end of the season and things had started melting. We went on a warm night and they had a section of the floor roped off because there was a small stream going through it. I’m sure it looked MUCH more impressive at the beginning of the season.
As others have mentioned if you don’t have kids, which I don’t, you won’t be there that long. I can see where kids would be fascinated and you could be there quite a long time, especially if they start going down the slide.
All in all I was very glad I got to see this. Would I wait in a long line in the cold to see it again? Not necessarily. It’s something you should see once though.

I would like to start off my review by saying the castles themselves get a 5 star rating. The amount of hard work, dedication, and beauty that is crafted is stunning and will be a favorite of mine for years to come.
That being said, this is a business review site, and I am giving these guys 3 stars for how the business I conducted here.
First, I would like to say that it was not made clear to a lot of people (including my girlfriend and I) that once you leave the castle, you ARE NOT allowed back in unless you pay again. This was something that made me and a lot of other people around us quite upset, considering the tickets to seeing this are not the cheapest, and more importantly, the lot of us Traveled over 200+ miles to see it. The guy at the camera station was more than happy to overlook it after some talking too, however, just be warned for people who go next year: BUSY NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS, IF YOU LEAVE, YOU CAN NOT GET BACK IN WITHOUT PAYING AGAIN. Bring all you snacks, cameras, drinks in if you want to stay for a while.
Moving forward, I would recommend the Ice Castles as a great weekend trip, and that for next year, for the Ice Castles crew to make it clear in emails or after a ticket purchase, it is good for only 1 entry, and no entry will be permitted after exit, BEFORE we drive 250 miles to go there.

This place is such a blast. My friends and I came here on a Friday night toward the end of February, and the ice castles were definitely still just as chilly as they normally are despite the warmer winter that we had this year.
Tickets were a $ 18 pp when we bought them online. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s basically just a giant ice castle with cool lights illuminating it. It’s really a unique experience. There are icicles, a giant life size slide, tunnels to climb through… definitely a blast for people of all ages. We spent an hour or so out there before we left only because it was freezing cold, not because we got bored. It’s not particularly large but just a ton of fun to place in. Definitely some great photo ops!
Dress warmly! I’d consider investing in those hand warmers before you go in. If you use your phone to take photos, make sure to have it charged and keep it warm — when it gets too cold, the phone battery will shut your phone off, and this place would be a pity without the pictures.
tldr; really fun winter activity for people of all ages. def go at night because then you can see the awesome lights

Inhuman arrogant people who manage this place … Can’t do out to fetch medicine for kids
The ice castle itself is quite nice but please someone teach these organizers some humanity!

A unique and worthy experience, to be sure, however it is neither large enough nor accommodating enough for the price of admission or the long wait in the line for the single (excellent) Ice Slide. Look for coupon codes.
You must crawl through about a six-​foot ice tunnel to get to part two of the line for the Ice Slide. Then you wait in a narrow line carved of ice before you retrieve a thin sled sheet, and take your turn. The slide through an ice tunnel is longer than a playground slide and you go quite fast until you come screaming out to an ice embankment that dumps you out where the crowd watches your ungraceful landing. Hilarious. Terrific. A really neat ride for all ages, small kids rode with an adult.
Ticket times are staggered to avoid crowds, but that theory goes out the window when the one most desired attraction bogs up a line so massive it deters from the overall experience. Otherwise, you would not spend more than an hour here, total.
They need to have five of these slides, easily. The crowds justified it. Otherwise, the slide experience itself was terrific and worth doing. But you should *go straight to the slide upon entry* — save the ooohing and aaahing and picture taking and tunnel crawling for after the ice slide. I cannot emphasize this enough.
It is a hefty admission price but an undeniably original experience. Wear your snow gear (especially kids) — boots, gloves, hats, snowpants — because there are some tunnels to crawl through on the icy, slushy floor. This is another good reason to do this part After the ice slide. Many kids were wet from snowplay before they got in line for the slide, shivering for an hour (no lie) in wet clothing for the single ride. Also, if it is windy, you will freeze an icy death if you only wear jeans and tennis shoes. It is an Ice Castle. Dress appropriately for Queen Elsa.
Heed the signs! Do not break off ice or let kids climb all over the structure and break ice. Too many idiots let their kids and their own hands run wild, when the structure depends on people respecting that rule. Hint: even when there isn’t a sign saying Don’t Break Stuff, you should know not to break stuff! Seriously.
Try for a sunset time where you can see the structure both day and night. Night is lit up more impressively, if you must choose.
Overall, Ice Castles was worth doing once, but I would not return, and I would have done the slide first had I known better. This attraction is also in Canada and Minnesota, and I wonder if it is more elaborate in either place. The NH one definitely needs to have more slides, and they’d be good to go.
But your impression when you see the dramatically lit-​up Ice Castles is «Please, don’t let this feeling end…» (Okay, if you don’t get that, you need to listen to more 70s music and watch that 70s Robby Benson movie…) ;-)

Just 2.5 hours up 93 from Boston. What an amazing way to spend Valentines Day weekend. Granted it was –13 degrees but that was no ones fault. Staff was friendly (and frozen) wear ski pants so you can go down the slides. Night time is the best because of the lights inside the ice walls.

Great outdoor fun for the whole family. It’s amazing how they make the castles! The slide and tunnels are fun for the kids! Music is entertaining and photo ops all over! The staff was very friendly too. Must see when in Lincoln!

I loved this! I went around 330 on a Friday and it wasn’t too crowded. It’s definitely not something you see everyday! Slides and tunnels are fun for the kids!

We were there on Sunday, February 7^th @ 3 p.m. It was amazing. My 5 year old son had a blast exploring the tunnels and the caverns, and my husband, mother and I just stood in awe of the amazing structure. I will definitely visit again next year.

I’m a millennial, I don’t have kids, and I went with my partner on a Friday night: so, let all the inform my review.
It’s pretty cool! I’m not going to lie. It’s beautiful. There are lots of tunnels, a slide, a fountain, and all kinds of rad stuff. It’s definitely worth seeing. If you buy tickets at the door, though, its $ 20 for an adult. That being said, $ 10 seems more reasonable for what it is.
We parked very easily and all the people working there were very friendly. I have no complaints whatsoever as to how it’s run or any of the staff. Lots of kids, though. So if you don’t have little ones, it’s about half an hours worth of entertainment and selfies. If you do, you could definitely be here for a while.

Looks small from the outside but did not disappoint inside! So so beautiful and interactive. Good to allow an hour for the experience but not more than that. The staff inside the castles are lovely, the woman at the register had such a bad attitude but could not distract us from our awesome day!

Although the ice formations were great the people running the place were pretty rude and clueless. I arrived Sunday at about 4:39pm with my wife and two young children ages 4 and 5. As we got out of the car we could hear the parking attendants laughing and swearing, «F this and F that, hahaha». It was a two hour drive so I needed to use the bathroom so the next thing I encounter is a row of portable toilets. I’m thinking, «What no bathrooms here?» So I go into this overused filthy cesspool of a toilet and do my deed. I come out thankful that I’m still alive and I walk up to a couple of really pleasant greeters who asks me for our e-​tickets. Before I hand them my phone my wife says she needs to go to the bathroom too and I was like, «You don’t want to go in there!» Just then one of the greeters says there are bathrooms inside the ticket office. I was dumbfounded. «Seriously? Is this some kind of a cruel joke?», I said. At the very least they should put a sign on the portable toilets that tell you that there’s a bathroom inside so you can at least try to use that one first. So I’m thinking no big deal, some moronic parking attendants and poorly placed portable toilets. Next I enter the ticket office and this middle aged blond women with bifocals starts barking orders. Go over there and sign the waiver. I’m hoping I was going to be greeted with a smile and a hello, but no such luck with this crass women. So I’m standing there waiting for my wife to get out of the bathroom and this blond woman has another flare up. She yells, «I know you’re all waiting for it to get dark but you have to leave the office and head to the entrance.» I couldn’t believe this is the way she is treating paying customers. So, like I said the ice castle was pretty cool and when we were done we bought a souvenir. I payed for it and said I didn’t need a bag but the cashier said I HAVE to take the bag otherwise someone might think I’m stealing the item. I’m like, «Seriously?» So I take the bag and just leave it on the table. How clueless are these people? I won’t be going back next year.

The ice castles themselves are pretty underwhelming, i guess it’s worth a trip, but this review is actually on their customer service.
I originally went to buy my ice castle tickets online, which you should do on weekends because they get full fast, and it told me that my transaction didn’t go through and I was never emailed tickets. Because of this, I had my boyfriend purchase the tickets instead.
A couple weeks later, I go and check my bank statements, and I DID in fact get charged for the tickets — although I never received them. Had my transaction not gone through, but I had been emailed tickets, I would have never had my boyfriend REBUY them– I just assumed something went wrong and had him take care of it.
I immediately reached out to them on Facebook asking how I could get refunded (I’ not sure I even wish we paid to see these ice castles once, let alone twice.) Someone responded and gave me a direct email address to reach out to in order to discuss the issue. I emailed her once, and she emailed me back saying that my transaction did not go through. I emailed her back again explaining that their records may say that it didn’t go through, but my bank statements say it did and I can give proof. I have NOT heard back from her and it has been three weeks. I emailed her again SEVERAL times and STILL no word. at this point, theyve basically just stolen my money. NOT COOL

We loved it! Had an absolute blast! We bought our tickets online a few days in advance and planned a day trip up to the castles and we’re so glad we did! It was beautiful! Definitely wear lots of warm clothes and waterproof if you can. And, if you like to act like little kids like us and slide down all the slides you will get very wet and cold you may want to bring a change of clothes if you are not staying in a hotel nearby! We were very cold on the drive home!!!

This was pretty amazing to see. My family had a great time. I am taking off a star because it seems like they sell way too many tickets. There were too many people inside to navigate it effectively and we sat in the parking lot for over an hour trying to get out. If they can figure out how to manage the people, this would be a lot better. We bought our tickets online to cut down on wait time and that was really effective. We went at 5pm so we could see them during the day and at night, it was really beautiful!

First of all … If you don’t like crowds, try this place on the weekday. We went on a Saturday night and arrived around 7:30 pm hoping to beat the crowds who seem to go around 4:30 so they can see the attraction during the day and the night. At night, they have lights inside the ice so it lights up different colors. During the day, the ice (from photos I’ve seen) has a beautiful blue tone and looks very ‘Superman Jorel’s fortress’.
When we got there, we got parking (free) in the main lot and did not have to take the shuttle from lot B. Luckily, they have people directing traffic through the lots. Otherwise it would have been a madhouse like a mall on black Friday. The ticket window was inside a shop and at 7:30 pm we actually seemed to breeze through buying our tickets and entering than the huge line of people who had pre bought tickets online.
The price is $ 15, which isn’t a huge amount but honestly, we thought $ 10 would have been a more reasonable amount for what you get. You do get unlimited time to walk around … Unless you have kids who want to explore every nook and cranny, an hour should be more than enough time to walk around.
At 7:30 pm it was still pretty packed. (Think Main Street USA in Disney world just after the fireworks). It closes at 10 p.m. so if we had it to do over, we would have gone at 8:30 p.m. because at around 9 p.m. we could pretty much walk anywhere without crowds.
Most of the ice castles are open … Its like walking around an outdoor park/​open space. There are 3 crevices made of ice which people generally line up to walk through. There is a ‘room’ where the ceiling is made of jagged icycles and the line is a bit long to walk through. My only gripe about these rooms and crevices is that there is no direction that says ‘enter’ or ‘exit’ so people logjam by going in both sides and then awkwardly have to try to navigate out again. There are ice tunnel slides for the kids but I saw adults use them too. At 6’4 and 220 lbs. I did not risk getting stuck in one but most normal sized adults could fit fine.
Perhaps my least favorite part of the ice castle experience is the continual loop of the same two songs from the ‘Frozen’ movie that play over and over. Having those songs stuck in my head was the worst part of the trip.
One thing I would really love is if they put a DJ in the middle of the big open area and had a dance party after it closed. They do this at the Ice Hotel in Quebec and its amazing. If you love The Ice Castle here … You’d love The Ice Hotel and Absolute Ice Bar in Quebec which is a hotel and bar made of ice (no jagged icicles though).
There are hotels nearby (Comfort Inn is within walking distance) and restaurants. However most restaurants oddly close at 9 p.m. in town. You can eat until 11 p.m. at The Common Man restaurant’s lounge which is 1.5 miles from the Ice Castle. Its a really cool ski lodge type place with a bar, couches and a huge fireplace. Great food. I recommend eating there before or after.

Planned a weekend getaway specifically for the ice castles and it did not disappoint! Very cold but gorgeous, there’s a couple of ice slides which my husband joined my daughter down, he said it was painful going down but they both looked happy coming down! We went around 4:40 so we could both see the castles during daylight and during night time and it was awesome!!! Would definitely come back!
There was some traffic back ups on our way in but they do offer shuttles and the info for that is on their website. You can purchase tickets online and show the email on your smart phone for the passes, my printer had broken right before we were going to print our tickets so that’s good they offer that. There was a line going in but it went by rather quickly. The gift shop for the hobo railroad is also open, there are bathrooms inside and also some porta-​potties outside where the entrance/​exit is.

If you are planning your trip on a weekend, there may be some lines. Plan ahead and call to see when they open — times are subject to change. The best way to find out about weather, lines and special events and guests is to check out Ice Castles New Hampshire on Facebook.
We attended on a Sunday and the weather was a little ‘rainy’ — it must have kept the crowds away because we didn’t have any lines or waits.
Upon arrival, parking is located right at the base of the Ice Castles NH — parking is free.
Enter the train station to purchase your tickets or go online and buy them in advance to save time. We put our layers on in the car (and around the car for that matter) and headed to the ticket counter. We were greeted by a very friendly staff and received our hand stamps and signed the waiver that basically stated that we were not to climb or run on the ice structure. It was time to play.
That’s right, dress for the weather and then add one more layer. Warm boots, socks, hats, gloves, jackets, AND snow pants. The outerwear you choose will make the difference between walking through the space and playing in the space. There are tunnels, hidden rooms (being built while we write this), slides, seats and more — all made of ice.
We took lots of pictures. Depending on the time of day, the weather and temperature, every visit will be different. We were there on a dark, rainy day — but you wouldn’t know it by all the fun we had.
We were only there during the day and did not get to see the Ice Castles at night — you can bet that we will be going back later next month to see just how much it has changed, grown and what it looks like in the evening.
Note: Your hand stamp is good for the entire day. Leave, have dinner and come back after 5:30 to see it all lit up.