MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Though it's just starting to feel like fall in Minnesota, we all know that winter weather could be only a few weeks away.
And a sure sign that the coldest season is right around the corner is the return of the Ice Castles.
But this year, the towering ice palace will have a new home.
Experience Maple Grove posted on Facebook Wednesday morning that the Ice Castles are coming to the city this winter at the corner of Main Street and Weaver Lake Road. "Crews are already on site... and the fun part - freezing a castle! - will begin once Mother Nature allows."
“The decision to move to Maple Grove comes after careful consideration and a desire to continually improve the guest experience,” Ice Castles CEO Kyle Standifird said in a statement Thursday. “In addition to our regular attention to improving the ice features we offer, one of the overall improvements we will see in Maple Grove is the availability of ample parking. We are dedicated to enhancing the guest experience in every possible way.”
Progress on the Ice Castles will be posted on Explore Maple Grove's website throughout the coming weeks. This year's winter wonderland, which is projected to open in late December, will have all the classic attractions Minnesotans have come to recognize at past Ice Castles, including ice slides, sculptures, crawl tunnels, an ice bar and tubing hill.
Tickets aren't on sale yet, but keep an eye on the Ice Castles website for updates.
Since 2020, Ice Castles have been erected in New Brighton's Long Lake Regional Park. Last year's Ice Castles season ran from Dec. 31, 2022 to March 12, 2023.
This year, the company will also create castle sites in Midway, Utah, North Woodstock, New Hampshire, and Cripple Creek, Colorado.
And new this year in neighboring Wisconsin and New York, the Winter Realm attraction will have winter sleigh rides, ice skating and a "whimsical light walk."
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