Christmas Festivities Run Until January 1, 2023
by Mark Smiley
Advice: Lucy’s psychiatry booth is a running gag in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. In a parody of the lemonade stands which are operated by many young children in the United States, Lucy van Pelt operates a psychiatric booth.
Slide: Guests can take slippery rides down two-story-tall ice slides, and traverse through ice tunnels and arches.
Colorful Displays: Ice carvings range in size from details as tiny as a coin to scenes more than 30 feet tall. The environment is kept frozen by a chilling system that maintains the attraction’s temperature at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Colored ice is created by a chemist who mixes special food colorings to ensure sculptures maintain their bright colors the entire season.
Ice! is Back: ICE! features more than 10 scenes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and classic characters including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang.
The Gaylord Rockies Resort’s annual holiday tradition, ICE!, returned November 18, 2022, and runs through January 1, 2023. Using more than two million pounds of ice, the classic holiday story and animated special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” is brought to life by a team of 40 ice artisans who work for approximately six weeks to create the 17,500-square-foot, frozen attraction.
The artisans, using skills passed down from generation to generation, start with more than 6,700 massive ice blocks — created by three different ice manufacturers — and tally more than 12,000-man hours on the project.
ICE! features more than 10 scenes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and classic characters including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang. Ice carvings range in size from details as tiny as a coin to scenes more than 30 feet tall. The environment is kept frozen by a chilling system that maintains the attraction’s temperature at 9 degrees Fahrenheit.
“We can’t wait for our guests to experience the magic and wonder of ICE! during this year’s Christmas at Gaylord Rockies celebration,” said Suzy Hart, general manager of Gaylord Rockies Resort, back in November 2022. “ICE! is a one-of-a-kind attraction and we’re excited to welcome this Gaylord Hotels tradition back this year with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ and all the beloved Peanuts characters in the classic holiday story.”
More Than Ice
While ICE! is the signature attraction for Christmas at Gaylord Rockies, there are more festive activities, events, attractions, and decorations throughout the resort.
Mistletoe Village on the convention center wing of the hotel features a Build a Bear Workshop, cookies with Mrs. Claus, a gingerbread house decorating station, and gift shop. The west side of the hotel features decorations and holiday activities including snow tubing, ice bumper boats, Snowball Build & Blast, and ice skating.
Renovations Underway: Upon visiting the Gaylord Rockies Resort, you will notice construction around the property. The sign indicates that exciting new exterior enhancements are coming soon and guests can expect a revamped front drive and Pinyons Patio. A 10-year plan will see more enhancement and expansion projects coming to the Gaylord.
An original Gaylord Hotels production, “Cirque: Spirit of Christmas” features high-flying stunts, acrobatic feats, elaborate staging, and a dramatic musical score. This Cirque-style show, centers on Noel, a child dismayed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Throughout the 75-minute show, Noel is visited in dreamlike chapters by trapeze artists, acrobats, aerial silk performers, and others who help rekindle the Christmas spirit.
Exclusive Access For Overnight Guests
This year, Gaylord Rockies is offering perks and special access to overnight resort guests so they can wait in line less and enjoy more. These perks include:
- “Chill Pass” privileges to ICE!, offering front-of-line access and shorter wait times for this year’s signature attraction. “Chill Pass” is free for eligible guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.
- An invitation to “Extra Cool Hour,” which provides early-entry into ICE! and Mistletoe Village one hour before it opens to day guests. “Extra Cool Hour” is free for eligible guests. Attraction tickets are required and sold separately, in advance.
In addition to more than a dozen special events and activities during Christmas at Gaylord Rockies, guests can enjoy many of the year-round amenities. Arapahoe Springs Water Park is open to overnight guests, with three water slides, indoor and outdoor pools, and a 750-foot-long lazy river.
Gaylord Rockies is near Denver International Airport and is a Marriott property that opened in December 2018. The 486,000 square feet of convention space makes it the largest combined resort and convention center in Colorado. It is the fifth Gaylord property to open with the others located in Washington, D.C., Nashville, Orlando, and Dallas.
The Gaylord Rockies Resort is located at 6700 North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard. Guests are encouraged to book their experiences early, as advance online reservations are required for all ticketed events.
For tickets, more information, or to book an overnight stay, guests may visit: ChristmasatGaylordRockies.com.