The New Hampshire Ice Castles are a notable thing to do in New England during the winter. Even a snow and winter hater has to appreciate the construction of this magical ice castle wonderland.
Quick Facts
- The Ice Castles originated in Utah by a father trying to entertain his sunny California born kids during the snowy Utah winter. He built them an ice cave in the yard that eventually started attracting kids from all over town.
- The kids started calling it the “ice castle” thus the name today.
- They’ve now expanded and have ice castles in Utah, New Hampshire, New York, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
The Run-Down
I’ve been wanting to see the ice castles for a couple of years but never made the time. My traveling has been less than I’d prefer recently because I’ve been keeping the financial belt tight. With the ongoing lust to travel and the attraction within driving distance I decided it was time for this financially easy overnight trip to the New Hampshire ice castles.
Make your reservation ahead of time. They will sell out. I had the luxury of going during the week which is, both, cheaper and less busy. The ticket entry is timed and gives you a 30 minute window to enter. I chose to go for 5:30 so I could see it while it was still a little light outside but mostly experience it lit up in the dark.
It took us about an hour and a half to make our way through. However, if you’re going with children, I’d give more time. There is an additional kid area with ice slides and caverns to crawl through.
Additionally, once you’re through the castles, there is a small hill for snow tubing and horse drawn sleigh rides. This costs extra and is not included in the ticket price.
There is also a .25 mile forest walk with decorated and lit trees. This was at no additional charge and was actually my favorite part of the whole experience. Definitely take the time to do this part.
The Polar Pub
There is a concession stand with some basic baked goods and a separate Polar Pub with a handful of alcoholic beverages. There are high tops to stand around that have small fires in the center to keep you warm. It’s a cool (literally) spot to hang out and enjoy your beverage of choice. And I’ll forgive them for calling it the Polar Pub and not the Polar Bar. (I mean, I get the alliteration, but the similarity of bar and bear would’ve been even better).
Useful Info
- Ticket prices
- Weekends and Holidays (including school break): $29 for adults and $22 for kids (ages 4-11)
- Tuesday-Thursday: $20 for adults and $15 for kids
- Bundle up! This sounds obvious because it’s outside but, the ice walls actually cause a refrigeration effect and it will be extra cold so overcompensate what you think you’ll need.
- No need to arrive early. They have a lot of staff and are quick and efficient.
- They will have a photographer there so you have the option of getting a professional photo taken.
Wrap-Up
I felt like it was worth it. At first I thought $29 seemed like a lot of money for an outdoors event that you just walk around. But, for the construction of this thing and the work that goes into it, the money has to come from somewhere. Just be prepared that everything additional costs a lot of money too. The sleigh rides were $20 a person and the drinks at The Polar Pub were $11-$13.
This is a very kid forward event. Due to my generally not kid-oriented social media feed, I admit I wasn’t entirely prepared for this. I’m glad I finally did it and my overall assessment is a thumbs up but I’ll also likely never do it again.
