CRIPPPLE CREEK, Colo. — The magical winter wonderland that is Ice Castles opened in Cripple Creek on Tuesday.
The attraction opened just in time for Christmas earlier than planned due to a cooperative Mother Nature.
“We lucked out really this winter. It turns out, it's really cold long term," said Ice Castles Build Manager Keith Heintzelman. "So, we had great weather. Once it got cold, it kind of stayed cold. And we had the ability to grow what you see here, so it was great and we're excited to be open earlier than we were expecting."
The family-friendly winter attraction was originally based in Dillion, but after a two-year hiatus due to Covid, Ice Castles opened in the Teller County town of Cripple Creek.
“Cripple Creek is ecstatic to host Ice Castles this year,” said Cripple Creek Mayor Milford Ashworth in prepared remarks. “We are the perfect frozen destination during wintertime and are looking forward to a beautiful season with Ice Castles at the forefront.”
Ice sculptors began crafting the castles in October, with approximately 20 ice artisans working around the clock for 8 weeks to bring the acre-sized playgrounds to life.
- Take a look inside the popular attraction in the video below:
The acclaimed winter attraction features tunnels, caverns, towers, fountains, slides, and crawl spaces built entirely from ice using icicles that are grown, harvested, and hand-placed by professional ice artisans.
At night, the site is illuminated by color-changing LED lights that are embedded inside the ice.
Tickets are being sold online. General admission is $27 for adults and $22 for children. Ice Castles open up today at 4 p.m. Dates and hours of the operation are dependent on weather conditions.
The Utah-based company will have three other locations this winter in Utah, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. The winter event company will also roll out a new attraction, Winter Realm, in New York and Wisconsin, featuring seasonal elements such as winter sleigh rides, ice skating and a whimsical light walk.
