Ice Castles Utah

Once and a lifetime? I thought this was a really cool attraction but more actually carvings of the ice would have been a little more exciting.

One of the prettiest manmade structures I have ever seen. It was a winter wonderland, and I’m glad I discovered this. A must visit for Utah during the season.
I went with a couple of friends. We got there at 5PM, which was sunset. We were able to see the ice castles in daylight and nighttime form. The structures are illuminated, flashing in different colors. There are some fun novelty things: a slide, hot chocolate, and even ice princesses on display.
I have some tips!
1. Go right at sunset so you experience it during the day and night
2. I went on a weekend. If you can go on a weeknight, I believe it should be less crowded
3. I suggest taking the sleigh ride from Rocky Mountain Outfitters to the Ice Castles. This is better parking wise, and it’s a fun ride!

Wow! Our first year checking out the ice castles. It was very cool (no pun intended). Pretty amazing what they can do with some water and cold temps! Very unique experience. The staff here is really busy spreading sand and making sure the structures are safe (although you do have to sign a waiver lol). We really loved it and have great pictures that do no justice to this amazing attraction in real life.
Just some things to be aware of:
— First — It’s cold up there people — you will freeze if not properly dressed in layers and appropriate boots. There are some parts that are hard ice and some mushy snow. Sneakers will do you no good
— Second — it’s so darn crowded. Avoid Saturday’s at all cost. Especially 4 – 7. Kids running all over the place. The lines to the «big slide» was at least an hour long. You will be waiting hence another need for proper attire.
— Third — pay attention to the sun set time. If you are intending to be there in daylight until night fall to see the ice light up, make sure you arrive 30 mins or so before the sun dips. It’s stays light until about 30 – 40 mins after the sun starts to set, at least. But. It is worth it and spectacular.
Would make this an annual tradition!

Wear boots! It’s super deep sno/​ice inside and it sucks a lot to walk in with only shows! Go at 5:30 you can see it in the day as well as see with the lights best of both worlds! Also prepare yourself traffic the sooner you go the less traffic you’re in! Great place to go! Just dress as if you’re visiting Santa! (not the mall Santa, the one in the North Pole)! Super fun though!

One of the most wonderful experience on ice. Highly recommended!
We reserved our entrance from 4:30 — 5pm, so we could enjoy 1 hour with daylight and then 1 hour more after dark when they turned on the lights… That made our 2-​hour visit well worthwhile.

A-​OK.
Yes, beautiful, cool, unique, gotta-​do-​at-​lease-​once. I get that. I went, brought the kiddos, and good times were had, but I left with an «eh. That was pretty cool I guess» feeling.
Staff: I wouldn’t say they were all as cold as the ice itself, but it was close. A few of the girls in the parking lot looked absolutely miserable. And nothing gets you excited like spending $ 50, pulling up, and then having your first interaction be pure misery. The rest of the staff was… ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. Some were very happy & helpful, others looked like they would have rather been cleaning toilets.
Atmosphere: If you have kids, go early. The lights at night are really cool, but keeping track of your kids will be an absolute nightmare. And this place is absolutely swamped with people by the afternoon. We arrived at 12 and there was a good amount of people (pretty tough to get a picture without strangers in the background), but by the afternoon it was just a mess. The parking lot was full, and there were people EVERYWHERE.
The actual Ice Castles themselves… very cool. They’ve got a couple built-​in slides & slot canyons, and it’s just a really neat looking structure. The big slide typically has quite the line, and it can be very slippery on the way up, but a great feature to have — the kids loved it. (If management is reading this, a 2^nd «big» slide would be worth it!) The kids slide is fun too, but very small/​short. As you’ve most likely seen in the photos, they’ve got lights embedded in the ice as well, so it’s a very cool place at night.
All-​in-​all, I’d recommend you go at least once, especially if you have kids. Ignore the reviews where people are complaining about not getting a refund. I’m sorry, but the website is very clear about their policy. The ice castles are very unique, you’ll get some cool photos, and the kids will have a great time.

This place puts a unique spin on freezing your butt off! In all seriousness I had an awesome time here.
Just being here and seeing it all is something amazing in and of itself. I will say, it wasn’t very big and it didn’t take a long time to make it through all of it but its just amazing to look at and squeeze the little cracks and crevices they have created. The flashing lights that are synchronized with the appropriate ice castle music is a nice touch as well. There were quite a few people there and we went on a Tuesday night. I cant imagine how it would be on a weekend.
There is a nice little place to buy hot chocolate on the inside and every worker i ran into here was a young, energetic person who literally looked like they LOVED their job. I have nothing but good things to say about the workers.
This is a great place to experience and either take the kids or take a date. I will say that you are going to want to bundle up. Bring boots, hats, gloves, scarves etc. We layered up and we were still pretty freaking cold. I know, I know its an Ice Castle and that’s why I’m not blaming the management or taking away any stars, but I just want people to know that it is COLD and you need to be prepared for that if you want to truly enjoy it.
Everyone needs to experience this at least once. Loved it. My girlfriend loved it as well. Go try it out.

Let me just start by saying WOW!!! We were so amazed and impressed!!! We visited the ice castles on Wednesday, January 13 @ 7:30 PM with a total of 10 people. We all loved every minute of it! In fact, we are returning today for round 2 because we enjoyed it so much the first time.
We purchased our tickets online and the prices for both the online and the standby tickets were clearly listed. The online purchase process was very easy. The Ticket Policies and the fact that All ticket sales are final is very clearly stated. They also have useful information listed like recommendations on what to wear and parking details. The website gives you all the information you need so you know what to expect.
When we first arrived it was a little crowded, but the crowds started to thin out after 8 PM. We stayed until close to 9 PM and it was really nice seeing the castle without the crowds. The kids loved the tunnels and the slides! We had reviewed the website recommendations regarding what to wear before arriving, so we were very well prepared and did not get too cold. We wore ski pants and jackets, hats, gloves, and snow boots. It was a great night!
We would highly recommend a visit to the ice castle. It is like nothing you have ever seen before. We hope to make this an annual visit on our list of winter things to do!

These were pretty neat! My husband and I went during the day because evening times were sold out, but I still enjoyed seeing them. We only spent about 45 minutes there, and so without a groupon I do think this is a little pricey (although it is clear a lot of work went into creating it). Previous reviews have also stated that you could go during the day and then come back at night, but that is no longer the case. You have to arrive in the 30 minute window you buy the tickets for and you can stay as long as you like. If you’re traveling and want to wait to buy tickets in case the weather is bad you may end up having only daytime choices (that’s what happened to me). Still it was an enjoyable experience. It’s not something I would do every year, but once I have kids I would visit them again, as it seems to be a really good family activity. We also paid $ 3 for a cup of hot chocolate, which may seem overpriced but we thought it was worth it. Also in addition to dressing warmly I recommend specifically wearing snow pants if possible because they had a slide you can go down, but it didn’t work well in jeans.

More magical then Disneyland. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life! Make sure you are dressed warm, because it is entirely outside, but it is definitely a must see. The perfect date night!

Let’s acknowledge the obvious fact: The Ice Castles are beautiful, cool to look at, and cool to have as a photo subject or backdrop for your family/​couple/​baby photos. Okay, so now I can move on to information that will actually help when you visit:
If you are thinking about coming, please pick any other time but Saturday from 4−7PM. It was so busy that taking a step in any direction resulted in me bumping into a stranger. As soon as you arrive, you will be in a line and you will stay in a line throughout your whole visit. Even exiting the castles requires standing through a line that slithers through a gift shop. If you hate waiting and being packed like a sardine with a few hundred strangers, then I would recommend picking any other time.
Also, when you buy tickets online, you are given times from which to choose. These times are a guideline. We did not come at our assigned time and no one told us it wasn’t okay. In fact, when they scan your ticket, they pay no attention to anything except that green blip on their ticket scanners. Don’t stress out if you’re a little behind or ahead of schedule. As long as it’s the right day, you’ll be fine.
Another tip, wear shoes/​boots that are meant for icy conditions or are slip-​proof. Most of the area is slick and icy. Even though the staff is constantly throwing sand on the ground, you will have a moment or two where you grip an icicle just to steady yourself in the tunnels. I assume it’s because of all the heavy traffic and people huddling together to snap a group photo in the tunnels. The Ice Castles also have a snack shack by the exit that offers hot chocolate and baked goods.
In the end, I’m glad I crossed it off my Winter Activities to-​do list. However, I wouldn’t feel the need to return to this attraction. It’s actually pretty small and it wasn’t organized or maintained in a manner that made me feel like it was a worthwhile experience but if you’re going to go, please read the tips above.

It was alright. I guess I was expecting something different but it was very crowded and cold. Not worth all of the hype.

Waist of time, advertise price online is not what they charge you at the door ! Not worth paying the money (there are other places better to visit then this)

We went to this a couple years ago and were super impressed. We had a great time, my wife and I and looked forward to bringing future kids back when we started our family.
We have a little girl now and we excited to go and take pictures with her there. We purchased tickets online and had a reservation for mid afternoon. We were coming from Spanish Fork and halfway up Provo canyon the roads got really bad (heavy snow). We were worried about getting there safely and returning home safely afterwards so we turned around and tried to reschedule our reservation for a different day. They were not helpful at all and pretty much told us we wasted our $ 20. As they don’t provide any kind of reimbursement and only allow rescheduling 24 hours in advance, it’s likely worth NOT making a reservation if you’re worried at all about the weather and don’t live in Midway/​Heber. Just try getting in on standby. They aren’t very flexible.
I understand that as a business grows, you have to make policies to keep things in check, it’s just too bad management doesn’t cut you any slack.

Very impressive ice castle. A lot of younger kids and slides for them to go down. As long as you have boots and warm clothing your good. I’d highly recommend this for a family trip.

You may read my previous review, but unfortunately, the newest policy change and situations that have happened to people I know, have forced me to remove my 5 star review and no longer recommend this place. Saddens me that a location that prides itself on family tradition cannot fit in other people’s family traditions and events.

A dear friend of ours purchased tickets for his family, but due to circumstances beyond his control, he was not able to go. Much to his and his kids’ dismay, the business owner would not refund his money due to a 24-​hour advance notice rule and is clearly stated on their website. However, it would have been nice if the owner of this business would have offered admission for another date and time.
How can anyone foresee that there would be a family emergency or mechanical failure in their vehicle? Or an accident or even a death in the family? While I agree that rules are set in place for a good reason, there’s also such a thing called «leniency» and exceptions to set rules, especially when it reflects the owners sense of compassion, or rather, lack of.
Wouldn’t it be practicing good customer service if the owner were to say, «Hey, I understand that shit happens, accidents happen and I can clearly see that this is beyond your control. I’m sorry, we’re sold out for today, we cannot refund your ticket because it’s less than 24 hours notice, however due to special circumstances as to why your party couldn’t make it, we can accommodate you and your party at a different time and date.»
Economy is tough, I get it. But this friend of ours saved up and spent $ 47 on their tickets. It’s not that easy to simply write off that kind of amount as a loss unless the person’s filthy rich. I feel sorry for our friend, he’s upset and understandably so. I hope, in the future, the owner of this business would show a bit of understanding and compassion. Sometimes, things happen beyond anyone’s control and instead of making it harder on that person, showing a bit of kindness and understanding would definitely go a very long way. Especially since he, my friend, already does a lot for his community.

Pretty cool! A fun weekend event for the kids. Lights, ice, flames! All to music.
Slides made of ice, small caves to go in, ice mountain mazes, water fountains.
It doesn’t take long to go through but still worth the drive and expense at least once.
Be sure to dress really warm and wear good snow boots, it’s slippery in spots and chunks of ice and snow in others
Check the website or call before going they are only open during the winter pending the weather at the time. When it’s too warm they close the doors until it gets cold enough again

Yes, it is really cool and yes, you missed it for the year!
When they aren’t prepping for Swiss Days, the fine folks in Midway are literally growing an ice castle for you to run around in, climb through, slide down, and other wise enjoy the wonders of. «How do they do that?» and «How long did it take?» are all answered by the friendly employees walking around in the climbing helmets.
You want to take some time to really look around. More than just snow and icecicles, there are some cool water features and hidden caves that the minions will enjoy. The day we were there they even had two «ice princesses» taking pictures with the kiddies. And when I say Ice Princess, I don’t mean my ex-​girlfriend. Full dresses, done-​up hair, and smiles that lasted the entire time they were there. The little girls were ga-​ga and stood in line 30+ deep to talk with them and have their picture taken.
Pricing is a bit steep at $ 10 for an adult and you may have to find an ATM to get the family in but hey, you just spent $ 50 in gas to get here so what is another $ 10?

The Ice Castles in Midway are in a word, AWESOME! These beautiful castles of ice are wonderful to see and explore.
I have always wanted to see the castles and now they’ve finally brought them to Utah. This is something worth seeing and a great reason to brave the cold.
Make sure and dress warmly and arrive early to avoid the crowds. They turn lights on around 5pm, but the ice castles are spectacular anytime of day or night.