Ice Castles in Lake Geneva open for season

 

Construction for the Ice Castles started around Thanksgiving. They planned to open around the New Year. After a rainy winter season, it's now cold enough for them to open.

All 25,000 pounds of ice, laid one icicle at a time have children and adults in awe.

"We were like, 'Oh my God! It's amazing," said Barbara Spezzano with her mouth gaping. "It's quite a work of art actually," said her husband Mike.

"Where's Elsa?" asks a 3-year-old from Elkhorn to her mother. "I don't know where she is," said replied.

The inside does resemble something like Elsa's Ice Palace from the Disney movie, "Frozen."

"It's completely unique. It's a concept that takes a theme park mixed with a glacier/art project and allows you to interact with it. We have slides, tunnels, mazes, water features, lights, it's an experience you want to have," said Jesse Stone, site manager Ice Castles Lake Geneva.

People can warm up by two fires surrounded by Adirondack chairs with fur throws.

"We grow 5,000 a night, hand harvest them, place them, run water over them, and repeat," said Stone.

Stone explains the icicle farm used to build the Lake Geneva castle like a sprinkler in your backyard. They turn it on each night and icicles form like the ones on the side of a house.

The ice castles are open every day except Tuesday and will stay open until they melt. Organizers hope that will be March at the earliest. Learn more about the Ice Castles here.