This is the third post in a series I’m writing as a National Harbor
‘Funbassador’, but all opinions (and photos!) are my own.
For the days leading up to Christmas, I try to plan a fun activity to do each and every day with my kids. From making a gingerbread house, to baking cookies and donating canned goods to a food pantry, our 25 days of Christmas are a magical way to celebrate the Christmas season as a family.
Watching holiday movies is on our list, of course. The Christmas films and television specials that we watch year after year have become part of our family’s traditions. One of these is Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, the story of how Santa started giving toys to good girls and boys. Made in 1970, it’s a stop-motion film narrated by Fred Astaire. You can watch it right now on Amazon Prime, rent it from Netflix, or catch it on TV (ABC Family) one of the many times it’s shown throughout the month.
Because the girls were already familiar with Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, it was especially fun to learn that ICE! would be retelling this classic television special, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. ICE! is an interactive indoor attraction created entirely out of – you guessed it – ICE! and is the main attraction of Christmas on the Potomac, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center’s annual holiday celebration. Since 2008, artisans have traveled more than 6,000 miles each year, from Harbin, China to National Harbor, Maryland, to create this wonderful exhibit.
The numbers are pretty incredible.
3. The months – from production to final carving – it took to complete ICE!
5. The number of ICE! slides.
7. The individual rooms depicting the story of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.
9. How cold the tent is kept (in degrees Fahrenheit). This is the optimum temperature because if the ice is too cold, it becomes brittle, and if it’s too warm, it won’t chip properly.
12. The number of different colors of ice used in the attraction.
32. The days it took to carve the ice.
35. How many artisans traveled to Gaylord National Resort from China to carve the attraction.
400. About how many pounds each block of ice weighs before it is carved.
5,740. The number of ice blocks used for the exhibit, which are bonded together with “snow” and water to “glue” them into place.
15,000. The square footage of the insulated tent built specifically for ICE! It has 9-inch-thick foam walls, so it’s basically like a big cooler.
2,000,000. The number of pounds of ice that artisans carved altogether.
The fun begins when you walk into the Village of the North Pole.
So many heartwarming characters flawlessly carved out of ice. It’s amazing!
The girls already knew the story, but they read along anyway,
and it all came to life as we walked from room to room.
A frozen fountain. Just beautiful!
A highlight of ICE! are the slides.
You won’t experience something like this anywhere else!
This incredible tunnel is made completely out of ice.
While the colorful, larger-than-life ice sculptures were beautiful and impressive, my favorite part of ICE! this year was The Frostbite Factory at the end, where we were able to see artisans carving ice sculptures live right in front of us.
This is a one-of-a-kind chance to see a beloved Christmas story brought to life. Definitely go check it out if you have the chance! Tickets for ICE! can be purchased directly at the box office, online, or as part of a hotel package. Hours and ticket prices vary by day, but children under two are free, though I would recommend leaving them at home if you can. It’s the older kids (and their parents) that really enjoy ICE! the most.
After ICE! we walked through the Christmas Shoppe, took a ride on the beautiful indoor carousel, and warmed up with cups of delicious hot chocolate. There’s also a cute Gingerbread Decorating Corner that’s sponsored by PEEPS.
But the fun doesn’t stop there! We walked back into Gaylord National’s atrium to enjoy the Sounds and Songs of Christmas fountain show, a free nightly show that repeats at 6, 7, 8, and 9pm every evening.
Created by the same designers of the resort’s famous ICE! attraction, the new 55-foot tall suspended “Starlight” Christmas tree is the jewel of the show. It weighs nearly 4,000 pounds and is made up of 50 five-point stars, inspired by Washington, DC and representing the 50 states. The tree topper displays one large star – symbolizing the Capital.
It’s hard to tell from my photos, but the body of the tree consists of 11 star tiers wrapped in texturized green fabrics, finished with a metallic shine to play off both the natural lighting in the hotel’s atrium and the evening light show. The tree features a unique aluminum garland that illuminates to give the tree an animated effect that changes from day to night. Not your typical Christmas tree garland, this one features 2,100 video nodes that produce infinite possibilities of lighting. It’s a work of art that took at total of five weeks and 50 employees to complete.
A total of 2 million Christmas lights are used to decorate Gaylord National Resort, which would stretch over 12 miles. Whoa! Right underneath the Christmas tree is the Potomac Express. The girls loved taking a ride on this miniature holiday train during the light show.
The fountain is lovely with water that changes colors and “dances” to music… Christmas carols, of course! What’s amazing is that we stood directly next to the fountain and other than feeling a light mist coming down on us, we didn’t get wet. How do they do that?
A magical touch is the nightly indoor snowfall during the show. It’s a delightful surprise if you’re not expecting it! By January 3rd, around 11 inches total will have fallen in Gaylord National’s atrium. Probably more than we’ll see on the ground all winter. 😉
Before heading to ICE!, we were able to partake in Kris Kringle’s Holiday Feast at Pienza Marketplace, also at Gaylord National resort. Not only did we enjoy some delicious food, but we also met Kris Kringle himself, as well as his trusty sidekick, Topper the penguin. Our holiday dinner buffet featured Topper’s Tip-Top flatbread pizzas, a carving station, a seafood station, and tons of other options, our favorite being the Sombertown Sweets Zone!
Topper couldn’t stay away from the shrimp!
These snowmen were covered in coconut and filled with chocolate.
Breakfast is also available, as well as other dining experiences, like a brunch with Santa. Reservations can be made at ChristmasonthePotomac.com.
I’m sure we’ll be visiting Gaylord National again soon because my kids want to go back for The Elf on the Shelf Scavenger Hunt, which is new this year. You’re given a mission to find 10 of Santa’s scout elves that are hiding around the resort, solve puzzles, and figure out their names so they can get their Christmas magic and fly to the North Pole. Everyone gets a prize for helping the elves complete their mission. I bet this would be a fun (and affordable) way to spend a few hours on a cold December day!
Holiday on the Harbor
Besides Christmas on the Potomac, there are a host of other festive ‘Holiday on the Harbor’ events scheduled at National Harbor throughout the end of the year, from a holiday market, to live seasonal music, and holiday movie screenings on the plaza. Plus the huge waterfront Christmas tree makes a beautiful backdrop for holiday photos!
Saturday seems to be the day to visit, with live holiday music at 1pm and movies on the big screen at 2, snow or shine. Movies and events include:
- December 5: Holiday movie, Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Toys for Tots toy drive
- December 12: The Ugly Sweater Run; Holiday movie, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland; Toys for Tots toy drive
- December 19: Holiday movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation; Bobby McKey’s holiday family show
On those days there will also be Ho-Ho-Holiday Carousel rides with Santa in the afternoons, followed by photos with Santa at The Capital Wheel. Santa is a busy guy!
Speaking of Santa, there are lots of great shops for some last minute holiday shopping. I never leave National Harbor without stopping in at least one boutique (or 3) for some retail therapy! A Christmas to Remember, Alex and Ani, Charming Charlie, Fire & Ice, South Moon Under, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Peeps & Company, Marbles: The Brain Store, and Capital Teas are just a few of my favorites out of the more than 150 shops and boutiques around there. And don’t forget the holiday market, which will take place every Saturday and Sunday through December 20th.
Besides being a shopping destination, National Harbor also has more than 30 places to grab a bite to eat. I’ve shared with you in the past how much we love Rosa Mexicano and Redstone Grill. McCormick & Schmick’s is also a great restaurant, and I’m dying to try the newest addition to the harbor, Succotash. Just saying the name is fun! All of these restaurants I’ve mentioned will give you a bonus right now when you buy a gift card (i.e. a $20 card when you buy $100 gift card). This would make a great family gift! Even if you don’t live in the area, maybe you know someone who does. Visit NationalHarbor.com for more information!
Oh my! That looks like SO much fun! I don’t think I could handle 9° for very long, though. Brrrr!! 🙂
Haha, yeah! It is pretty cold in there but you kind of forget about it, especially when going down the slides. On the bright side, when you come out, it feels so warm!
Guess what I totally agree with you Soledad. I cant stand the cold at all, Yet this looks so much fun I would probably forget it till we got done 🙂
Wow Mariana this looks absolutely fun-tastic. I wish I had thought of this at start of the month but hey ho its better late than never. Christmas has just begun in our house and off I go to plan a surprise fun thing to do with the little ones…until Christmas THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH….
You are very welcome! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
How fun! We are usually down that way in the spring/summer, but next year we should come around xmas.
Definitely! It’s so beautiful around here at this time of year, as I’m sure it is in Massachusetts, too!
Oh my goodness it looks amazing here and that tree is so beautiful. By the way that’s a lot of ice and I can only imagine what happens when it finally melts.
Amanda || Growing Up Madison´s last blog post ..Jones Natural Chews Are Too Good to Resist – #MakingDogsSmile
Haha! Good point! I never thought about what happens when the ice melts… the colorful stuff must make quite a mess!
WOW!! I want to go to something like that! That is so crazy that people have worked with Ice to that capacity. One day hopefully me and my little guy can test that place out and those yummy looking snowmen! 😀
We have a Gaylord Hotel 6 hours away from us, so I always see my FB friends post pictures of the Christmas awesomeness. I’d love to take my kids.
Years to come these are the things they will remember, trust me! They grow up so fast so capture every moment
I try! Sometimes I think I may take TOO many photos, though…
I love seeing all the pictures from Gaylord Christmas events. It looks like so much fun, especially the slides.
One day I’m going to get the chance to go see an ice display there. They did such an incredible job this year.
WOW!! This is amazing. What thought and work that had to go into this. I am blown away with the detail of it all. Such dedication to bring Christmas to life.
Wow, your pictures and ideas are inspirational.
Your work shows an amazing level of parental devotion!!
Thanks so much! If only my kids felt the same way about the parental devotion, LOL! 😉
This is incredible I wish that this was available in the UK I love looking at ice sculptures. What was your favourite part of the night?
Ana De- Jesus´s last blog post ..November Recap
Oh, it’s hard to just pick one part… the slides are always fun, but I must say that the sculptures were particularly stunning this year. That fountain!! So beautiful.
That’s looks amazing! I wish they had something like that here in Cincinnati! It looks like you and your girls had a blast! 🙂
I wish I could go! I love this story and this looks like so much fun!
Milena´s last blog post ..StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream #StriVeSTORY #Review #Beauty
That looks so fun & amazing. I love the Ice santa!
This looks like an amazing event to include in the holiday festivities! It’s really incredible what can be created out of ice!
Oh wow this looks absolutely amazing – what a fantastic place to start the festive season off at!
Gosh those sculptors are so talented. The ice sculptures are just so amazing! I recognize some of those characters!
I have never seen anything place like this! The frozen fountain is just magical.
It really was!
This looks like a super fun place that my little cousins would never want to leave. That Christmas trees is magical.
This is simply breath-taking. So much hard work and detail. I am blown away.
Oh my goodness this looks like so much fun!! Love it! Makes me wish I had something like this close! I wouldn’t even need to have my kids with me (ok, I know that’s wrong), I’d go there alone! Ha!
Linda Carmical´s last blog post ..Shhh⦠itâs #wordlessWednesday flower power
Oh I don’t blame you! I probably would sneak away and go alone if I was staying at the hotel. I constantly had to be telling my kids “don’t touch that,” “button up your coat, it’s 9º in here!” etc. At least no tongues got stuck to the ice, haha! They warn us about that at the entrance.
This is awesome. I wish there was something like this here in our area. How fun! That tree is beyond words gorgeous!
I have never seen anything like this. It is just absolutely amazing. 2,000,000 pounds of ice. Wow. I would really like to see this in person.
Some of the pictures will not load, but man does that place looks awesome and fun!
Hmm… I’m not sure why. Maybe I included too many photos on one page. Thanks for letting me know!
That is beyond amazing! It would be nice to go there! I can’t believe that everything is made out of ice. It’s all so detailed and beautiful!
Wow! That Christmas tree! Everything looks so beautiful!
Jes´s last blog post ..Yellow Chalk Painted Wooden Rocking Chair
what an amazing event something to build memories upon. I love all the great behind the scene numbers and information you shared as well
We have items on our bucket list! Can’t wait to take my son to fun places! Love your pictures! It looks like you’ve had so much fun!
Claudia Krusch´s last blog post ..Seasons Greetings Con Alegria
I love the Gaylord National at Christmas time. It’s pure magic! Any area around the Potomac is fun but it certainly does get cold {I live 90 minutes away}. Aren’t the outdoor Christmas trees awesome?!
So you’re practically a neighbor! 😉 I love this time of year when we still have some mild days to enjoy the outdoors before the bitter cold really hits in January and February.
Now that is really super cool! I would love to do that!
Wow! that was really cool, and such a fun place to visit. I want to visit their soon.
Nicole Escat´s last blog post ..Track your Belongings with your Smartphone!
What a great memory you created for your family. I love the frozen fountain!
Amanda´s last blog post ..And Just Like That My Baby is Two
This looks so amazing. I would love to go see all the ice in person.
That cold would get to me but sounds like a blast
It’s Christmas time. Enjoy loads
OMG that looks like the most fun ever! I don’t have kids, but I would totally rock out on those ice slides!
ICE! is incredible. I went to my first ICE! exhibit when I was younger. I lived in Nashville at the time and the ICE! exhibit comes to Gaylord Opryland every year. I went when the theme was How The Grinch Stole Christmas and it was awesome! So glad you and the girls had fun and how cool that you got to see them carve the ice.
michelle´s last blog post ..KIIS Jingle Ball Village
I’d love to visit the Gaylord Opryland one day. I heard this year the theme is the Nutcracker!
I have been there but never at Christmas time – I bet the kids had a blast. Happiest of holidays to you and your family!
Thank you, Carol! Same to you! 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun. I wish i can go there with my two boys they will be enjoying there
I would love to take the kids here during Christmas break! It looks like a lot of fun and it’s really so amazing!
I was initially a little ‘bah humbug’ in attitude when first scrolling through this post, till seeing the happy expressions of your children 🙂 I appreciate all the effort that has gone into building and creating the attraction – particularly the ice sculptures.
I wondered how long it took to carve the ice. I think it would be great to visit. My son and his wife went and they loved it.
This looks like sheer fun!!! So many kids – large and small – will enjoy this this Christmas!
Claudette´s last blog post ..How To Make This December Matter
This is just gorgeous. I didn’t know this existed. I’m emailing it to myself to ale plans to attend next year.
This looks like a wonderful place to visit. It was such a treat to see your photos and how your family enjoyed everything.
What a fun place for the whole family. I wish we lived closer, so we could go there.
That looks like an amazing place to take the kids. Beautiful, lots of fun activities, and like their imagination can just soar.
That looks like a whole lot of fun. I love the coconut snowmen. I’d probably eat them all!
Patty´s last blog post ..A Delicious New Year’s Dessert Featuring Cherry 7UP® Caramel
We love the National Harbor but I had no idea they did this for the holidays! Guess we will have to plan a trip during the holiday seasons. How FUN!
We have an ICE exhibit in Nashville every year too! It’s always so much fun!
Wow! What a super cool place (literally and figuratively)! I bet kids and adults alike would have a blast here. 🙂
Czjai´s last blog post ..Party Makeup Tips.
looks like you had a lot of fun.
That is really beautiful place, this would be perfect this coming Christmas, I’m sure my family would love this .
Wow! That ice exhibit is amazing. I would love to see that for myself and of course, the kids would love it!
Wow! This is amazing! I can’t believe all of that is carved out of ice!
Shaylee´s last blog post ..Our 2015 Wearables Gift Guide – All Nerd Approved!
Wow, so very cool and interesating would love to do this
Eileen´s last blog post ..Braised Chicken with Potatoes and Vegetables
How much fun is this! I like that you plan activities for your kids throughout the holiday season, they must really appreciate that 🙂
I sure hope they do!