July 27th 2023
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — ICE! featuring A Charlie Brown Christmas, will highlight the Christmas at Gaylord Palms celebration this holiday season from Nov. 17, 2023-Jan. 3, 2024. In honor of the 9-degree attraction, here are some frosty facts:
A LONGTIME TRADITION: The very first ICE! experience was presented more than two decades ago, in 2001, at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn. ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort debuted in 2003.
TONS OF FUN: More than 2 million pounds - or 1,000 tons - of ice will be carved by artisans at Gaylord Palms. That's approximately the weight of 250 African elephants, the world's largest land animal.
BLOCK ON!: Carvers will use more than 6,700 massive blocks of ice to create ICE! If you stacked all the ice blocks used at Gaylord Palms this year, they would reach higher than 17 Empire State Buildings.
ICE & EASY: The temperature inside ICE! is a steady 9 degrees Fahrenheit. That's colder than Orlando's record low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit, way back in December 1894. (Guests need not worry in ICE!, as Gaylord Palms provides parkas to keep them warm and toasty.)
COLD & COLORFUL CHEMISTRY: Gaylord Hotels hires a chemist to prepare the special food coloring used to bring color to the ice sculptures. The chemist's proprietary formula ensures the colors will not fade or lose their luster during the lengthy holiday celebration.
ICE-COLD SQUARE FEET: Nearly 20,000 square feet of space is covered by the ICE! attraction and the air handlers that keep temperatures at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. That's about the size of a professional hockey rink.
BIG & SMALL, ICE! HAS IT ALL!: Artisans sculpt details out of ice that are as small as a coin, and scenes that soar 30 feet in height - as tall as most residential telephone poles.
