I greatly enjoyed the experience because ice caves have always fascinated me. These caves were labyrinthian. They were also beautiful with their spectrums of deep aquamarine blues and purples. My 5 and 2-year old kids loved the ice slides most of all. My wife was a bit ho-hum about all of it, possibly because she had to do most of the child chasing. We lasted about an hour because temps were below zero. I wore my ice fishing gear and the kids wore their long johns, thickest sweaters, warmest coats, and thick socks with boots. I'm heartened that people still do things out of doors in the winter, but attendance was low (which was awesome for us because we didn't have to wait for anything!) and I worry that people are forgetting how to be outside.

We had 4 tickets for January 9th. After driving an hour and a half we were greeted with signs that said Ice Castle closed. I am sure it was weather related but we had bought our tickets on January 8th and received no notification of the closure . It has been virtually impossible to contact an actual person and as of this review are having difficulty finding out if we will be getting a refund.

1. It’s expensive. - For a family with 3 “adults” (over 12 yrs old) and 3 kids, and a $2.25 service fee PER TICKET, total came to just over $130.2. It’s unique. - I’ve never seen anything like it. I am glad we did it, but we probably won’t be making it a yearly event. 3. If you have younger kids I recommend coming as soon as it opens. No crowds, no lines for the slides (which are a BLAST!), and the daylight really allows you to appreciate the structure. 4. If you are just planning on walking around and observing then you can see it all in less than 30 minutes. We spent 90 minutes here, going down the slides multiple times, taking pictures, eating donuts, and going down the post-event sledding hill. 5. I recommend wearing waterproof boots, even if you are just walking around to look at everything. You are basically walking on sand made out of ice so your feet will get wet. 6. The St. Paul Ice Castles are at a newer location at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Free parking is available right at the event, which is by the grandstand.

I'm from WV - I never knew anything like this was possible - I had a blast. I went down all the ice slides - who said adults can't have fun. I was mesmerized by the skill and artistry to pull this off. Yes, it's not a huge area, but it is freaking water melted every night and hand carved by humans....... It is worth every penny for fun and to experience this artistic beauty on display. I was lucky enough to stop off on my way to the airport.

Not only was it expensive but it took only 15 minutes to see everything. We walked it all a second time to try to find something interesting but couldn't. Go to the Winter car oval events and snow sculptures instead. Skip the ice castles in name only.