Ice Castles in Lake George plans to open to the public at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6 and run through the end of the month or into early March. The Polar Pub ice bar, a new feature this year, opened over the weekend along with a free light walk. A popular part of the winter ice sculpture are the embedded lights in the ice.
The pub serves a variety of winter-themed alcoholic drinks.
Ice Castles was supposed to open on Friday, but the unexpectedly warm temperatures in January kept the ice from forming.
Lake George Chamber of Commerce President Gina Mintzer said she has been speaking with hoteliers in the area, and thus far the numbers have held as expected. She was quick to add that the numbers are anecdotal and she does not have data for Friday and Saturday yet. She said the real effects will be seens this weekend as the attraction rearranges cancelled reservations and people make decisions about visiting.
“Fortunately, there was stews and brews and other things to do around the region” over the weekend, Mintzer said, referring to the event at area restaurants that pairs hearty stews with locally sourced beers.
She added that “some quick thinking" by front desk staff saved the weekend for those who arrived and may have been disappointed.
According to Mintzer, 3,000 stopped by the light walk or the ice bar over the weekend.
The attraction originally anticipated an open date of Jan. 27, but a warm start to January pushed back the event’s plans.
According to press materials, ice artisans are working around the clock to get the attraction in the Adirondack Mountains ready for the grand opening. The interactive experience will feature ice-carved tunnels, fountains, slides, frozen thrones, and cascading towers of ice embedded with color-changing LED lights.
Although Ice Castles will not be open in time for this weekend, the attraction's ice bar and light walk will be free to visit on Friday and Saturday night, February 3-4, the press release says.
“We’re excited to finally announce our opening day in New York,” said Ice Castles CEO Kyle Standifird in a press statement. “Mother Nature has thrown us a few challenges this season, which delayed our opening. While winter doesn’t always come on our schedule, we’re thankful that it does come eventually.”
The Lake George attraction should remain open through late February or early March, weather permitting. Ice Castles has four other locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Utah.