ICE! Gaylord Texan

As we waited in a very long, winding line near the entrance, we felt puffs of frigid air hit us.  Even the blue light escaping around the giant, floor-to-ceiling curtains that separated us from our target looked cold.

As a general rule I try to avoid arctic locales.  But I made an exception this year.  I couldn’t wait to don our big blue parkas and head into the frosty 9-degree ICE! experience.

ICE! brought the “Polar Express”’s festive story to life through mind-boggling, giant ice sculptures. My parents had been to previous ICE! events and loved them. But Covid created a two-year hiatus.  This year, though, the event charged back into the station with gusto at Grapevine, Texas’ Gaylord Convention Center.

While we waited in a long line to be issued the famous blue parkas, we learned about the people behind the ice.  Forty talented ice sculptors arrived six weeks before the event opened.  These artists from Harbin, China, carved multiple enormous, 300-pound blocks of colored ice.  The blocks contained special chemist-created food coloring to ensure the brilliant colors would hold up throughout the festival. 

Following a 300-page design book, the artists used a variety of tools like chisels, chippers, tongs and saws to carve scenes from the beloved Christmas book and movie.  All totaled, they carved 1,000 tons of ice! 

I was intrigued by the artists.  Their hometown of Harbin hosts the world’s largest annual ice and snow sculpting festival, thanks to temperatures that stay below freezing for half of the year.  (Insert shudder here.) The artists traditionally learn how to carve on wood as children and then progress to ice.

Frozen in Astonishment

By now we’d reached the people handing out the blue parkas.  We donned them on top of our coats and followed the mass of people around the corner.  As we walked toward the actual entrance, we began to really appreciate the extra layer of protection.  It was cold, y’all! 

After passing through the door, we stopped and stared.  And then we stared some more.  A life-size train, complete with a conductor and a train station, glistened in the blue lighting.  It. Was. Amazing.

Snowflakes dangled from the ceiling, evergreen trees dripped with snow and the conductor’s lantern even appeared to be glowing.  The size and detail of the ice sculptures blew our minds.

So did the crowds.  I won’t lie.  We were packed like sardines.  But I managed, with a great deal of patience, to work my way close enough to each scene to take photos.  My parents took a more distant view of the sculptures and were waiting for me outside, away from the chaos.

I was so engrossed in photographing scene after scene, I almost didn’t notice my hand was half frozen.  I had to take my gloves off to make adjustments with my camera.  But it was worth it to capture the magic of the ice.

Frosty Fun

Two spots seized my imagination.  For the adults, the “On the Rocks Ice Bar” looked positively chill.  No crazy crowds, just dads, mostly, hanging out while the moms and kids saw all “the things.” 

Second, the long and frosty ice slides just a short hop away from the bar promised fun and adventure.  Real, usable ice slides!  Kids of all ages were having a grand time slippin’ and sliding.  I chose to keep my rear end warm and my dignity intact.  But it was fun to watch everyone else.

Just before the end of the experience, a room opened up with a giant Christmas tree and trumpeters.  Amazing.  The details on the tree, to include sparkling gold tinsel and the illuminated compass base, were sublime.

Just before the end of the experience, a room opened up with a giant Christmas tree and trumpeters.  Amazing.  The details on the tree, to include sparkling gold tinsel and the illuminated compass base, were sublime.

While our frosty experience ended when we tossed our blue parkas in a bin near the exit, the fun continued outside the exhibit.  At the Gaylord Texan’s Lone Star Christmas, parents had purchased tickets to go ice skating, see a Christmas village, watch Cirque Winter Wonderland, take photos with Santa, match wits in a Holiday Heist Escape Room and much, much more. 

We didn’t have any kids with us on this trip, so we wrapped up our adventures at the Gaylord.  If I had to be cold for 40 minutes, ICE!’s cool artistic sculptures made the sacrifice worthwhile.  We did, however, defrost in front of the fireplace at home, where Dad promptly took a long winter’s nap.

Closest Military Installations

MWR Locations Nearby

If You Go:

• The event runs mid-November through January 1.
• Purchase timed-entry tickets online

• You can purchase tickets online for a multitude of other Christmas activities at the Gaylord.  Expect to spend a fair amount of money. 
• DO NOT go to the drop-off area of the hotel.  We hit a massive traffic jam of people dropping off family members, trying to check in to the hotel or waiting for valet parking.    

• We parked at the Gaylord’s Convention Center garage and paid $30.  The garage is on the left at the four-way stop sign before you get to the main hotel.
• Take your parking ticket with you and pay at the kiosk near the entrance to the convention center.
• Dress warmly.  The ICE! portion of the convention center stays a frosty 9 degrees.  A winter coat, gloves, hat and scarf make the event more enjoyable.

• Expect big crowds.  Try to go early in the season and during off times of the day to make the experience more enjoyable.
• Bummed because you’re not close to Grapevine, Texas?  Good news!  Other Gaylord resorts offer ICE! (each with a different theme):  Gaylord National (National Harbor, Md.), Gaylord Rockies (Aurora, Colo.), Gaylord Palms (Kissimmee, Fla.) and Gaylord Opryland (Nashville, Tenn.).