I love winter and the cold. Living in Texas only makes me appreciate it more. Cold days come few and far between, so they’re a treat rather than a chore. I had been to the Gaylord Ice show a few times with my family as a kid, and I loved it.
This year, my friend and I drove an hour to the four-star Gaylord Texan resort. Walking through the revolving doors into the elaborate lobby made me feel like some kind of celebrity. On the way to the impressive indoor atrium, we passed through the lobby, full of over-the-top, elegant decorations and ornate mirrors comprising the walls. Cozy, red-carpeted lounges equipped with wood burning fireplaces sat toward the edge of the lobby, leading into the riverwalk.
Instead of heading directly to the ice show, we decided to walk around the winter wonderland of the riverwalk atrium. They also had a Starbucks conveniently located near some tables overlooking the “river,” so we had hot cocoa by the massive, indoor fountain imitating a natural geyser.
We were smart and went on a Monday afternoon so it wouldn’t be too crowded. The place was nearly empty. I was glad that my friend drove there; parking alone was $15 (unless you valet). When we walked into the cavernous ballroom, we saw huge indoor slides covered with “snow”. Since the place was a ghost town, no one was sliding on them yet. The carpet, the tall, ruffled curtains and the slides were a deep red. They had popcorn shops, souvenir stands and a Build- a-Bear Workshop (all Christmas themed) in front of the entrance to the ice show, which we learned was really the exit.
We walked back around the right way, and a friendly employee scanned our tickets. We entered the pale blue room with fake snow fluttering about and were given fluffy, blue parkas to keep us warm in the nine-degree Fahrenheit chamber. My friend Mckenna whipped out some mittens from her purse and handed a pair to me. We walked down the usually crowded walkway and went straight up to the chamber doors where an employee made sure we were physically prepared to withstand the extreme temperatures.
Walking in, I noticed the walls were dotted with blue LED lights, giving all the ice a pretty, luminescent quality. One of the sculptures particularly stuck out to me because it resembled the Ice King, a character from the popular show Adventure Time. There were several ice sculptures of him in one room. All the hand-carved sculptures were from the 1970’s movie Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. The last time I went to the show, it was Shrek themed, so I was a little disappointed by the basic Christmas theme, but it was still amazing to see.
One of the hallways we walked through was like a real-life igloo. Actual ice blocks were carved perfectly to brick-shapes and melted together to make an archway that extended to a hallway. On the other side of it, there was a giant ice slide made of rainbow colored ice. It was mainly meant for young children, but I slid down it anyway, of course. The most amazing part of all of this? I learned the ice was delivered to the Gaylord from an ice factory in 36 truckloads over 3 weeks.
The very last sculpture was of the nativity, which made out of completely clear ice. The clear ice was achieved from deionizing the water, which removes impurities and allows the water molecules to line up perfectly (such as those of a crystal), giving it a perfectly transparent, sparkling appearance. The lights on the backdrop were blue, and behind the nativity was an illuminated angel sculpture that stood at least nine feet high.
The walkthrough was a bit shorter than I expected, but that’s probably a good thing since our noses were red and our hands were freezing at that point.
At the exit, we passed a cupcake stand, a large souvenir store, a booth to purchase the photos of yourself and all the other stands we passed initially. It was absolutely worth the $25.98 ticket and the almost two-hour fight through traffic to get back home. For kids (or really cool adults), they have other activities like scavenger hunts, cookie decorating and meeting Santa. The snow tubing was crazy expensive, but not necessary to get the full arctic experience, unless you’re adventurous at heart and the ice slide just won’t do it for you.
