KISSIMMEE, Fla. - After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the popular holiday exhibit ICE! will return to the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee this year!
This year's theme is based on the Dr. Seuss Christmas classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" which is the first time it has been featured at the Gaylord Palms Resort holiday event. The story follows The Grinch's journey from his mountaintop cave to ruin Christmas for the residents of Who-ville, only to find the true meaning of the season in the end. The walk-through attraction features 10 scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special.
About 40 ice carvers from Harbin, China will travel to Central Florida to hand-carve 2 millions pounds of ice that make up the elaborate, 20,000-square-foot frozen exhibit. The artisans have created ICE! for many years, but haven’t been able to travel to the United States the past two holiday seasons because of international travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19.
Once you enter the exhibit, guests will be handed a blue parka and walk through a variety of rooms that tell the story of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" Every display is completely made out of ice, so the temperature inside is kept at a very chilly 9-degrees! Gloves and scarves are recommended.
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ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) An ice carver creates a backdrop made of colored ice at a prior year’s "ICE!" event at Gaylord Palms Resort. This year’s signature event during the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration, "ICE!" will feature the classic Dr. Seuss tale, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" and be sculpted from more than 2 million pounds of ice. "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" will be held at the Kissimmee, Fla. resort from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023. "ICE!" is returning this year to Gaylord Palms after a two-year hiatus, which was caused by international travel restrictions that affected the artisans. Gaylord Palms Resort is a 64-acre hotel located in Kissimmee, Fla. (Gaylord Palms/Handout Photo) HAVE AN ICE DAY: Ice slides are popular part of "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort. Two-story slides, completely made of ice, will be among the elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, for the "ICE!" experience at the 64-acre Kissimmee, Fla. resort. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. This year’s theme is the classic Dr. Seuss tale, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" (Douglas Scaletta, photographer) ICE IS BACK: Elaborate sculptures, hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice, will soon tell the story of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" at "ICE!" at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. It will be the first time "ICE!" has been presented since 2019. The 20,000-square-foot display will be created by approximately 40 artisans from Harbin, China. Also known as "Ice City," Harbin is home to the world’s largest ice festival of its kind, and artisans use carving techniques handed down from generation to generation. "ICE!" will be open Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. The walk-through attraction features scenes from the classic Dr. Seuss story and animated TV special. "ICE!" was not presented in 2020 and 2021 due to international travel restrictions due to COVID-19. (Doug Scaletta, photographer) In addition to seeing characters from the classic Dr. Seuss tale, guests can also take rides down two-story-tall ice slides, explore ice tunnels and arches, and visit Carver’s Showcase to see live sculpting demonstrations. The ICE! experience concludes in a separate area dedicated to a Nativity scene, carved and shaped in a dramatic display of crystal-clear ice.
After you leave ICE! you can grab some hot cocoa and explore Alpine Village which features Bavarian-style village storefronts, live shows, characters, Snowy’s Snack Shack and a giant Christmas shop.
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Some of the family-friendly activities you can enjoy include:
- Naughty or Nice Escape Room
- Ice tubing
- Elf Training Academy
- Gingerbread Decorating Corner
- Build-A-Bear Workshop
Families can also check out new live stage shows this year, including the Cirque: Spirit of Christmas stage show, which features acrobats performing incredible tricks and stunts, and Journey of the Three Kings, that honors the date Jesus was visited by the Three Wise Men.
On Snow Flow Mountain, guests hop in inner-tubes and speed down atop real ice at Gaylord Palms during its annual Christmas celebration. Located inside the Snow Factory, admission to the attraction allows unlimited tube rides on the date specified on the ticket. It’s all part of the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023. Gaylord Palms is a 64-acre resort located in Kissimmee, Fla. (Gaylord Palms/Handout) CENTERPIECE OF THE CELEBRATION: Gaylord Palms Resort’s 60-foot-tall Christmas tree lights up the hotel’s 4.5-acre atrium. The tree, along with the animated LED curtains suspended from the atrium ceiling and dozens of dancing spotlights, come to life each night in a kaleidoscope of color during a holiday-themed, musical light show, "Shine." The show will be presented during the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023. Gaylord Palms is a 64-acre resort located in Kissimmee, Fla. (Gaylord Palms/Handout) The exterior of Gaylord Palms Resort lights up for Christmas at Gaylord Palms. The annual holiday celebration features ICE! this year, along with live shows and family friendly special events. The hotel decorates for Christmas with more than 3 million lights and hundreds of Christmas trees. The event will be presented from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023. Gaylord Palms is a 64-acre resort located in Kissimmee, Fla. (Doug Scaletta/Photographer) A clock by the chimney counts down the time to escape from Gaylord Palms’ holiday-themed "Naughty or Nice Escape Room." In the experience, Jack Frost has added the guests’ names to Santa’s infamous Naughty List. Jack then challenges guests to sneak into Santa’s office, solve a series of puzzles and remove their names from the list. The escape room will be open select days from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023, during the annual "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration. (Gaylord Palms/Handout) EDIBLE ART: In the Gingerbread Decorating Corner at Gaylord Palms, guests let their Christmas creativity run wild while they adorn gingerbread treats to reach confection perfection. It’s all part of the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration from Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1, 2023. Gaylord Palms is a 64-acre resort located in Kissimmee, Fla. (Dan Ham/Photographer) High-flying stunts, acrobatic and athletic feats are set to a musical score and showcased in "Cirque: Spirit of Christmas," one of the live shows presented Nov. 18, 2022-Jan. 1-2023 during the "Christmas at Gaylord Palms" celebration at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. An original Gaylord Hotels production, the Cirque-style show centers on Noel, a child dismayed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Throughout the 30-minute atrium show, Noel is visited in dreamlike chapters by trapeze artists, acrobats, aerial silk performers and others who help rekindle the Christmas spirit. (Gaylord Palms/Handout) You can also walk around and take in the dazzling decorations throughout the Gaylord Palms Resort, including more than 3 million lights, elaborately themed Christmas trees, and miles of garland.
ICE! runs from Nov. 18, 2022 - Jan. 1, 2023. Tickets start at $39.00 per person. You can find more information HERE.