Thanks to The Gaylord National Harbor for hosting us for the Gaylord ICE! show.

Several years ago we went to the Gaylord National Harbor to see the ICE! show.  My daughter had won tickets, I think she was in 6th Grade maybe, now she is 16.

I remember the awe of my three kids as we passed through this magical and cold exhibit. The show’s theme was the Grinch. This year I decided to make it a girls’ weekend and get the teens excited about Christmas. My daughter brought along two friends and we headed to the Gaylord to see Rudolph. (one of my favorites Christmas stories)

Taking Teens to Gaylord ICE! Show (Gaylord National Harbor)

What is ICE! ? It’s Gaylord Hotels’ signature holiday attraction. Experience favorite scenes from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer brought to life in this walk-through winter wonderland carved from more than two million pounds of ice. That is a lot of ice and they keep it at 9 degrees so be bundled up.

They provide each guest with a freezer jacket, but this will go over your winter jackets. Be sure to wear gloves and ones that are tech savvy if you plan on taking pictures. Two of the three girls have never experienced this before and I was not sure of their reactions.

While their main intention was to take photos for their social media, I believe they were reminded of their not so far off childhood as they strolled through scenes of an iconic holiday movie.

Kids big and small can read along with the story of Rudolph as they pass from scene to scene.

Don’t forget the ice slide. Yes, these girls did it. Unlike when Caitlin was little, she only asked to do it once this visit.

Everyone agreed the abominable snowman was the cutest but also the scariest when they were younger. I am just amazed by the sculptures, the red checks on the Jack in the Box are each separate pieces of colored ice.

To end your tour, you will find a stunning crystal clear ice sculpture scene of the Nativity to remind you about the true meaning of Christmas.

 

There are several more activities to occupy your younger visitors but we skipped by those quickly.

 

We spent the night at the Gaylord National Harbor. The room is pretty standard, but the view is priceless. Make sure you get an atrium view.

The teens were free to explore the atrium of the hotel where the kids enjoyed listening to the JOY show that was going on. There can buy seat tickets but these kids are young and were able to view it from a distance.

They then got their bathing suits on and enjoyed some pool time.

After returning in time for one of the three, tree lighting shows. The tree lighting show included lasers and water orchestrated to music. They watched one from the atrium floor, where they were snowed on.

The second one we watched from our balconies. Wonderful both ways of course.

There are plenty of restaurants and shops surrounding the National Harbor and teens love to shop and eat. I hope this experience put them in the holiday spirit and let them feel like kids as they start studying for finals. Still time to get discounted tickets to ICE!  for Cyber Week!