Gaylord Texan's ICE! 2025

 Check out the video: The Gaylord Texan and ICE!

The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center is a hotel and convention center opened in Grapevine, Texas on April 2nd, 2004. It has 486,000 sq ft (45,200 m2) of meeting space and 1,814 guest rooms.

The Gaylord Texan is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties, and operated by Marriott International. It is a sister hotel to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, and Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.

Standing on the shores of Lake Grapevine, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center guests get a one-of-a-kind experience. There’s a 10-acre Paradise Springs Water Park and lots of family-oriented activities for the entire family. Guests can explore the four-and-a-half acres of indoor garden atriums, four award-winning restaurants, bars, the world-class Spa and a state-of-the-art fitness center.

We’re here today to visit the hotel to see the annual ICE! holiday event. It changes every year and this years theme is the movie ELF! the character Buddy the Elf, played by Will Farrell in the 2003 movie.

But first we had to check out the decorations within the Atrium with the Texas Star hovering over us as we walked. And, of course, wander through all the shops surrounding the Atrium.

ICE! traces its roots to the early 2000s, when the Gaylord Hotels sought to create a signature Christmas attraction that would set its properties apart. Inspired by the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China, the ice carving capitol of the world. Gaylord began importing the artistry of Harbin’s master ice sculptors to the United States.

The first ICE! event debuted in 2001 at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, and by the time the Gaylord Texan opened in 2004, the tradition was firmly established. Each year, a team of 40 artisans from Harbin, China travel to Grapevine to carve over two million pounds of ice into elaborate walk-through exhibits.

We get to suit up in Eskimo gear and wander through iconic scenes from the film brought to life in 6,700 blocks of hand-carved ice. There’s even a two-story ice slide for the brave at heart.

The Gaylord builds a giant covered tent, refrigerates it to 9 degrees. Sculptors, using their master sculpting skills passed down through generations, carve these amazing sculptures, creating the brightly colored sculptures for us to enjoy.

Special machines freeze water slowly from the bottom up, pushing air and impurities out to create crystal-clear, bubble-free ice blocks. Dyes or colored gels can be added to the water before freezing to create colored ice blocks for special effects. Sculptors start with large blocks, sometimes stacking and freezing them together, and they use chainsaws to cut out the basic shapes. Hand tools like chisels, ice picks, die grinders, and specialized bits are used for finer details. A blowtorch or heat gun is used to quickly melt the outer layer of snow and frost, creating a smooth, diamond-like shine. They go back in daily to touch up their creations.

We braved the cold to sample some beverages in the On-the-Blocks Ice Bar. We were served by a wonderful bundled up bartender who whipped up a “Banana Bread Pudding Old Fashioned” with a dash of flavored Whiskey that darned near tasted just like your Granma’s Bread Pudding. She even offered me a shot of Cinnamon flavored Whiskey in an ice shot glass. Definitely warmed us up. I asked how long she had to serve there. Thankfully, she said, they rotate out bartenders every hour. They had too; it was super cold and frostbite would be a real threat.

We were there in the middle of the week just before Christmas Break so it was easy going through the event. When you exit, you return your Eskimo suit and get dropped off into a giant Santa’s Shop of Christmas and ELF! themed merchandise. If you need some Christmas jammies or a tree ornament, this is the place to be.

There’s another giant slide for the kids and grownups and a food park to grab some munchies and hot chocolate.

All-in-all, a great day filled with fun, food, drink and Christmas cheer. A great way to get yourself in the mood for the holidays. We’ll be back again next year!