Let the record show that I have actually wanted to go to the Midway Ice Castles for a few years now, long before they became as insanely popular as they were this winter. But I guess it took making a new year’s resolution to go on a monthly day adventure in order for me to make sure we took the time to make the two-hour drive down.
Just to give fair warning, this post will be more picture-based than word-based because when you’ve got an adorable baby in a fluffy pink snowsuit, that’s just what happens.
In case your Facebook or Instagram feed has somehow been devoid of pictures of the Midway Ice Castles and you’ve never heard of them, they are man-made ice structures down in Midway, Utah that you can walk through, get lost in, or even wait in line at to go down the ice slide (which we didn’t bother doing because Raven, though not crying, had let us know by the end that she was about done with this whole being-out-in-the-cold business).
We were lucky in that the day we went, it was actually sunny (although that meant we were constantly getting dripped on as we wound our way through the various tunnels and passageways). Because of the weather, we not only got to escape the terrible inversion that the Salt Lake Valley was suffering through that day, but I also got away with wearing just a light sweatshirt and boots, which made me feel like we were only days away from spring (until we got hit with another snowstorm this morning, that is).
Fun fact: when we put Raven up on this ice ledge (below), literally everyone behind us stopped and started saying stuff like, “Ooo!! Check out that baby!”, or “Aaaahh…that baby is just the cutest!” See? I’m not biased…my baby really is adorable!
Stuff You Should Know About the Ice Castles:
Address: 2002 Soldier Hollow Road, Midway, UT
When to Go: The ice castles are open to the public from early January to mid- or late February, depending on the season (I believe that they’ve closed already this season, but check it out for next year!)
Price for Admission: Our tickets were $13.50/adult with us reserving the tickets online. Tickets are more expensive if you go to the location and try to get standby tickets, and tickets are cheaper if you go on a weekday. Sometimes people trying to get standby tickets during busy times are unable to get in at all, so it’s highly recommended that you just purchase your tickets online beforehand.
Other notes:
**Even on a sunny, warm day like we had, it can still be quite cold inside the ice castles, and you definitely will want to wear boots that can withstand a lot of snow and general wetness. On a colder day, pretty hefty coats, gloves, scarves, and hats would be best.
**Because of the drastic increase in the popularity of the castles, try to go on a weekday (not a holiday) to try and avoid some of the crowds. We went on the last Saturday of the season (I believe), and it was SO packed with people as a result.
**At night, the ice castles are lit up with all these different lights, and judging from the pictures I’ve seen, that’s probably the prime time to go. However, even in the middle of the day (which is when we went), there was still plenty to enjoy and plenty of awesome photo opportunities.
Only two monthly adventures in, and already I’m patting myself on the back for making such an excellent new year’s resolution. Can’t wait to see where our monthly adventures take us over the course of this year!
Now, for more picture overload…
