Dazzling Ice Castles draw tourists to New Hampshire, other states
NORTH WOODSTOCK, NH — An annual architectural celebration of ice cream is underway again in New Hampshire and several other states.
Ice castles, which are both temporary art installations and tourist attractions, feature towers, tunnels, arches and caves, all created by growing, harvesting and arranging thousands of icicles and then blowing them up with nozzles.
The company behind the displays has expanded since the first installation in 2011. This year it has locations in Utah, Minnesota, two locations in Colorado and New Hampshire, where the venue includes a snow tubing hill and an ice bar. After a mild winter last year, officials were pleased that temperatures were cold enough to open earlier this season.
“It’s one of the largest ice castles we’ve ever built,” said Jared Henningsen, the company’s vice president of operations. “We’re looking at about 25 million pounds of ice spread over two acres.”
If a winter storm brought biting cold and sleet to the south, visitors to New Hampshire Castle gathered Friday to explore its twists and turns.
Julia Jones of Gloucester, Massachusetts, said she travels to northern New Hampshire several times a year but had not seen the ice castles until her opening day visit.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said. “To be honest, I didn’t think it would get this big.”
Jessica Sullivan of Fairhaven, Massachusetts was also surprised, and not just by the frozen environment. Her boyfriend, Brian Jacques, proposed to her during their visit.
“It’s a beautiful place,” said Jacques, who got the “yes” he was hoping for. “I definitely thought, this is the time and place to do it.”
During the day, the walls and other structures shine with a light blue tint. After darkness falls, the lights embedded in the ice glow pink, purple and green.
“Once you enter an ice castle, you transition into something that is totally immersive and unlike anything most guests have ever seen,” Henningsen said. “I think it inspires people.”