Ice Castles

I finally made it to the Ice Castles in Lincoln NH!  I have known of their existence for a few years now but for whatever reason (perhaps simply the two hour drive to get there) I didn't make it til this year.

Mike and I had planned to go a few weeks ago, taking time off from work for our adventure. Tickets are required and as we approached the day for our visit, there was no way to buy tickets. It wasn't listed as sold out that day on their website, you just couldn't click on the option to buy! So strange.

I was under the impression that the castles close at the end of February, so because of our schedules, we wouldn't be able to make it this year. "February can suck it" I told Mike.

On a whim, I looked again last week and yay! They were staying open one more weekend. I bought the tickets and off we went.

I got tickets for a 5-5:30PM window of entry (you can stay as long as you want but they stagger entrances) which was perfect because we got to see the castles in daylight, and then got to see them glow once the sun (finally) went down.

Although crowded, it was an amazing place. The ice climbed into the sky and beautiful icicles hung down as you walked through tunnels and "hallways". There were lots of little hidden tunnels for kids (and Mike) to crawl through, a slide (with a very long line of dedicated visitors), a fountain, and a throne to sit in for photos.

After about two hours, our toes and hands were frozen. It was time for dinner. We headed to The Common Man restaurant just up the street which a few people had recommended to us. The place was a mob scene with a ninety minute wait. A good sign, really. We put a name on the waiting list and headed to the bar. The Common Man knows what they're doing, that's for sure. They had a table out where you could eat all the crackers and cheese you wanted while you wait for your table. There was a huge fireplace with a large, cozy lounge area, and dining tables making use of every available space both downstairs and up.

As Mike waited for our drinks at the bar, he spotted a group getting ready to leave their area in the lounge. We, along with a family of three, took it over and were able to order dinner right there with the fire blazing next to us. And the food was amazing!

There was about a 45 minute wait but Mike couldn't resist the slide!

Obligatory selfie

The Common Man Restaurant