By Crystal Sulak/reporter

It may not snow much in the metroplex, but 2 million pounds of ice await visitors of all ages in Grapevine.

Located at the Gaylord Hotel and Resort through Jan. 5, the third ICE exhibit features a variety of new sculptures.

“Our ICE exhibit is over 65 percent different this year,” Mindy Clark, human resources project manager of the Gaylord Texan, said.

The new ice sculptures include a train depot, igloo, gingerbread family and walk-through nativity scene. The exhibit is more than 14,000 square feet.

All of the sculptures are hand-carved from ice by artisans from Harbin, China. The artisans are flown in a month before the exhibit opens and spend countless hours sculpting the 15,000 blocks of ice used to make the exhibit. To keep the sculptures from melting, the temperature inside the exhibit is kept at 9 degrees.

One of the most anticipated and favorite parts of the exhibit is the huge ice slide, Clark said.

“The slide is 5 feet taller and 15 feet longer than last year’s slide and will curve around the interior of the exhibit,” she said.

The slide includes three levels this year.

Tickets cost $10 for children and $20 for adults on weekdays and $12 for children and $23 for adults on weekends. Discounted tickets are also available for military and senior citizens. The event is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Visitors to the ICE exhibit also can enjoy a complimentary cookie in the resort’s Java Coast coffee shop and shop in the ICE souvenir shop.

The ICE exhibit is part of the Gaylord Texan’s annual Lone Star Christmas, which includes more than 1.2 million lights, 15,000 holiday ornaments, 2,300 feet of garland, 5,600 wreaths and a 40-foot Christmas tree.

More than 400,000 people visited the ICE exhibit in 2005 and 2006. For more information about ticketing and the ICE event, visit the Gaylord Web site at www.gaylordhotel.com or call 817-778-1000.

So You Know
Location
Gaylord Hotel and Resort
1501 Gaylord Trail 76051
www.gaylordhotel.com

Exhibit Hours
Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Admission
$10 for children (weekdays)
$20 for adults (weekdays)
$12 for children (weekends)
$23 for adults (weekends)
Discounted tickets available for military and senior citizens.