MAGICAL ICE CASTLES

I’m not usually one for outdoor activities in the winter, but if its a fun enough experience and I’m dressed warmly, the chances of me trudging outside greatly improve. My friend and I got the chance to go to Lake Geneva to check out the Ice Castles and we were both super excited.

The town I grew up in used to have a winter event called Flake Out and there were snow and ice carvings, ice skating, frozen turkey bowling, really anything you could do outside in the winter in a snow-covered parking lot. I always remember it being a ton of fun and visiting the Ice Castles was definitely on par with that, but with a bit more of an adult vibe.

Lake Geneva is about a 1.5 hour drive from Madison so we decided to go on a weeknight and were able to get tickets for 5pm. I really think it was the perfect time to go, we got in just after sunset so the lights were all turned on but it hadn’t gotten too frosty yet. There were only limited ticket sales and entry was timed so it kept the crowds from getting too large.

I can’t believe I took as few pictures as I did, it sure felt like I had taken a lot more with how cold my hands were from pulling off my mittens every few minutes. The colors were always changing and every angle was beautiful. I love how sculptural and natural it all looked, the elegant flow of frozen water cascading down into mammoth icicles.

There were not huge crowds, thankfully, and we were able to stand in the cave areas all alone and take in the cathedral of ice around and above us. The night was clear and the moon was almost full, so the air had such a crispness to it, that you could close your eyes and feel for a second like you were in the tundra, and not a golf club parking lot.

We spent about 45 minutes or so in the castle. We went down a slide made of rainbow-lit ice, we climbed through snow tunnels and we wandered several times back and forth in the icicle caves. As we started to get a little too chilly, we left the castle and wandered over to a beverage area where we got hot White Russians and a s’more kit, then we found a seat at one of the bonfires nearby. We warmed up and chatted, grateful for a sense of normalcy. As we were leaving we decided to stay and have dinner at the club house. It was really nice to sit and chat, eat some good food and feel like maybe this was a glimpse of getting back to our adventures that are looming in the distance.

I can honestly say that this was worth the entry fee and the drive. Since we aren’t able to enjoy far-away beaches this winter, I really wanted to make an effort to see what treasures we have here at home, even if it means wearing snow pants and having cold fingers. If you have the opportunity to see the Ice Castles this year, I hope you have a great time, I sure did, and I’ll be putting it on my list of things to do in years to come as well.

For more information you can visit the Ice Castles Website.