, a popular family-friendly winter attraction, is getting an adult upgrade this year when it returns to Colorado with two installations in the mountains.
Artisans will build these life-size winter wonderlands out of millions of pounds of ice in Cripple Creek for a third year running, as well as in Silverthorne. In addition to the ice caves, tunnels, and slides for people to climb on, the installations in Colorado will also feature an area called Frozen Tap, a frosty ice bar serving alcoholic seasonal drinks.
While Ice Castles has offered adult beverages at select locations in the past, it’s upping things a notch this year and including Frozen Tap as part of the experience at its five locations nationwide, said spokesperson Amanda Roseth. The pub will be located in an igloo on-site, where attendees age 21 and up can grab a drink and chill by a firepit or play an outdoor game.
“We try to create a little space for some outdoor winter drinks and fun for adults because a lot of Ice Castles is geared toward kids,” Roseth said.
Cripple Creek offered this adult amenity last year, but it was only available at the Eagle location on the weekends. It proved so popular, though, Frozen Tap will now be a staple of the experience, Roseth said. Past seasonal drinks included options like Boozy Hot Cocoa, Fire Cider and Polar Pina Colada.
Ice Castles, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2025, has moved around Colorado the last couple of years as it sought to find spaces with the right temperature and amenities, like access to water and sufficient drainage, to make it work. Opening in Silverthorne is something of a homecoming since that was where the “first commercial Ice Castles came to life,” founder Brent Christensen said in a statement. This is also the first time the installation has reached Summit County since the pandemic, when it ceased operating in Dillon.
“Celebrating 15 years of magic here feels like coming full circle,” Christensen said.
The newest location will come to the Outlets at Silverthorne (125 Stephens Way) while the Cripple Creek location returns to its usual home near downtown (339 Irene Ave.). Construction usually begins in late October with anticipation of opening in late December, weather permitting. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 2 at .
