10/29/2025
BETHESDA, MARYLAND (October 29, 2025) - The Christmas season is officially underway as more than 240 master ice artisans arrive at six destination resorts to begin hand-crafting Gaylord Hotels' original holiday tradition ICE!™ Starting this November guests can step inside worlds hand-sculpted from millions of pounds of ice which showcase cherished holiday stories and meticulous artistry. This year's attractions feature "A Charlie Brown Christmas" at Gaylord Opryland, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at Gaylord Rockies, New Line Cinema's Elf™ at Gaylord Texan, Warner Bros.' The Polar Express™ at Gaylord National, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™ at Gaylord Palms and Frosty the Snowman™ at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country. Tickets are on sale now at ICE.marriott.com.
Inspired by the world-renowned Harbin Ice Festival in China, Gaylord Hotels created the ICE! experience in 2001 to bring the magic of hand-carved ice displays to the U.S. Artisans from Harbin spend over a month sculpting at each resort, bringing to life intricately designed stories. Using techniques passed down through generations, a 300+ page design book and an array of tools, these expert carvers transform over 36,000 ice blocks into vibrant, walk-through scenes from treasured Christmas classics — enhanced with colors, lighting and detail that spotlight their craftsmanship.
Each ICE! Christmas showcase spans 20,000 square feet and features more than 10 immersive walk-through scenes, two-story ice slides and passageways carved from over two million pounds of ice. To preserve the intricate artistry, the attraction is kept at a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Guests don the event's signature blue parkas as they explore this dazzling winter wonderland filled with photo-worthy moments.
This Christmas season, six adored holiday stories will be presented at resorts across the U.S.:
Experience the hand-carved ICE! attraction during the following dates:
Beyond the frozen wonder of the ICE! experience, overnight and local day guests can also participate in over-the-top holiday experiences. Each resort builds on Gaylord Hotels' signature all-under-one-roof experience with a robust lineup of classic and unique Christmas activities designed to check off every item on a holiday bucket list. With activities like exhilarating ice tubing, festive character dining, Broadway-style Cirque shows, interactive scavenger hunts and photo ops with Santa, the magic of the season comes to life across the resort.
Guests can further customize their stay with rooms overlooking stunning holiday décor and a variety of dining options, creating a well-rounded merry escape. For those staying overnight, exclusive benefits such as Chill Pass offer front-of-the-line access to the ICE! attraction, adding even more value to the seasonal getaway. Offerings vary among resorts.
Each resort offers multiple booking options — from bundled room packages to individual attraction tickets — allowing guests to tailor their experience whether they're coming for the day or staying overnight. To purchase ICE! attraction tickets and overnight packages, visit ICE.marriott.com.
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About ICE! An Immersive Christmas Experience
Gaylord Hotels' original ICE! Christmas experience immerses guests in beloved holiday stories hand-carved by master artisans from Harbin, China at resorts across the United States. Created in 2001, the ICE! attraction debuted at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee. Since then, tens of millions of visitors have traveled to experience this frozen tradition, where more than 2 million pounds of ice are transformed into memorable scenes and characters, two-story ice slides, photo-worthy tunnels and more. The ICE! Christmas showcase takes place at select resorts, including Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Md., Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn., Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, Colo., Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas and at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio, Texas. More information can be found at ICE.marriott.com.
About Gaylord Hotels
Gaylord Hotels, part of the Marriott portfolio of brands, brings people together in extraordinary ways across its six destination resorts. Purpose-built to host exceptional meetings, events, and celebrations of all sizes, Gaylord Hotels offers a unique, all-under-one-roof experience with more than 3.2 million square feet of meeting space, expansive atriums, five water parks, full-service spas and a wide range of dining and shopping outlets. Gaylord Hotels provides unforgettable experiences, including the beloved holiday tradition, ICE!, which brings classic Christmas stories to life in more than 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice. Gaylord Hotels are in prime locations across the country, including Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee; Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida; Gaylord Texan on Lake Grapevine, Texas; Gaylord National on the Potomac in National Harbor, Maryland; Gaylord Rockies in Aurora, Colorado; and the newly opened Gaylord Pacific in Chula Vista, California. For more information, visit www.gaylordhotels.com.
About Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences
Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences (WBDGE) is a worldwide leader in the creation, development, licensing and operating of location-based entertainment based on the biggest franchises, stories, and characters from Warner Bros.' world-renowned film, television, animation, and games studios, HBO, Discovery, Cartoon Network and more. WBDGE is home to the groundbreaking locations of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks around the world, award-winning Warner Bros. Studio Tour locations in London, Hollywood, and Tokyo, the iconic Harry Potter New York flagship store, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, The WB Abu Dhabi, The FRIENDS Experience, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour and countless other experiences inspired by Harry Potter, DC, Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Game of Thrones, FRIENDS and more. WBDGE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery's Revenue & Strategy division.
About Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Founded in 1993, Dr. Seuss Enterprises is a global entertainment company. Our mission is to educate and entertain generations around the world by promoting and protecting the literary and artistic works of Dr. Seuss. We provide world-class content that drives joyful learning and creates hopeful futures.
All Dr. Seuss Enterprises' profits benefit charitable organizations that focus on causes such as education, science, health, animal conservation, and the arts. For more information, subscribe to our YouTube channel, visit DrSeussEnterprises.com, or follow us on Instagram.
About Universal Destinations & Experiences
Universal Destinations & Experiences, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe the world's most innovative, thrilling, and popular entertainment experiences. Our portfolio is comprised of world-class theme parks featuring the industry's most thrilling and technologically advanced attractions, exceptional hotel and resort properties, and unique merchandise, games, culinary, virtual, and live entertainment experiences. All are designed to create immersive, memorable, and emotionally fulfilling moments for people of all ages looking to take their accommodations and entertainment to new heights. For more information, visit corporate.universaldestinationsandexperiences.com.
About Peanuts
The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students.
ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc.
THE POLAR EXPRESS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and all related elements © & ™ under license to Character Arts, LLC. All rights reserved.
© 2025 Peanuts Worldwide LLC.
TM & © 2025 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.
TM & © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. & Classic Media, LLC. Based on the musical composition FROSTY THE SNOWMAN © Warner/Chappell.
