8 Tips for ICE! at the Gaylord Texan 

It’s not just beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Gaylord Texan Resort. It’s an explosion of Christmas cheer in every hallway of this enormous hotel! I’ve always loved to visit the giant Christmas trees, nutcrackers, and holiday lights inside the main courtyard. But this year, we got to experience something really special: the ICE! exhibit.

Our sweet blogger friend Crystal from Travel and Table shared a 50% OFF coupon code with us for ICE!. (You can check out her blog post about all of the Christmas activities in Grapevine here!)

This was our first ICE! experience, and we wanted to share some insight to help you make the most of your visit. So, in addition to sharing our pictures, we’ve got a list of things you will definitely want to know before you go. Here are eight tips for ICE! at the Gaylord Texan.

1. Look for coupon codes online before you buy tickets.

The tickets for ICE! are normally $30 per person. Austin and I are always looking for ways to keep things affordable, so we were delighted to discover a code for 50% OFF our tickets. 

For anyone who still wants to visit ICE! this year, the coupon code word is MAGIC. Enter it at the end of your online check out process and your tickets will only be $15 per person! 

For future reference, you can almost always find a code for at least 35% off ICE! tickets on Groupon and similar websites. Make sure to do a quick google before you pay.

2. Choose your arrival time carefully. 

When you purchase tickets for ICE!, you will see a long list of arrival time options in 30 minute intervals. The time displayed on your ticket is NOT the time you will actually enter the exhibit, though – you are just eligible to get in line during your arrival window.

Moving through all of the lines and taking pictures throughout the exhibit takes a total of about 1.5 – 2 hours, so make sure you factor that in to your plans for the day. We chose tickets for 12:30 p.m. and we left the exhibit at 2 p.m. (without doing the ice slide or shopping in the gift shop). Ideally, plan to spend the bulk of your day at Gaylord or in the Grapevine area so that you won’t feel rushed! A hot chocolate from Starbucks inside the hotel is the perfect treat to warm up after you enjoy the ice sculptures.

3. Take an Uber or pay for parking in advance.

Parking is available at the Gaylord, but on a particularly busy day you might want to park a mile or two away and just taken an Uber to the front door to save time and money.

If ride services aren’t your thing, we recommend paying for parking in advance. We got stuck in some pretty long lines because we paid on site instead. We’ll know for next time!

4. Dress super warm.

The inside of the ICE! exhibit is 9 degrees. Fortunately, Gaylord provides every visitor with a free blue parka to wear over your clothes. This is perfect for us Texans who are used to mild 50-degree winter days! Make sure to dress in layers and bring a hat, scarf, and gloves with you to ICE!.

I wore tights under my blue jeans, a warm sweater, a rain coat, and a blanket scarf with gloves. I think I should have brought a hat, and I wish I had upgraded from sheer tights to fleece-lined leggings under my jeans. For guys, under armor stuff is probably the way to go. 

5. Make use of the FREE slide inside the main exhibit.

ICE! offers combo tickets that let you walk through the frozen wonderland and ride down a large snow tubing slide. The snow tubing experience costs extra money, but there is also a FREE ice slide inside the exhibit! 

You have to wear completely flat shoes to slide, so don’t wear heeled boots if you want to take a turn. Keep in mind: the ice slide is a lot smaller than the snow tubing, and the line to ride is located inside the chilly exhibit rather than outside near the gift shop. 

6. Carve out some time for the ice bar.

If you are visiting ICE! on a date or with a group of adult friends, the ice bar inside the exhibit might be worth a try. $15 grants you access to the bar (if you are 21+) and buys you two drink samples and one full sized drink.

We didn’t know about the ice bar until we were waiting in line, and unfortunately we didn’t have time to add it to the itinerary. But it looked like a very unique experience that would make an impressive date.

7. Bring a nice camera if you have one. 

I highly recommend bringing a larger camera with you to ICE! if you have one. This will help you capture the best possible photos in the dimmed lighting.

There are no restrictions on the size or number of bags and items you can bring into ICE!. We were really thankful to have our Nikon and Cannon DSLR cameras with us to better capture the experience. 

8. Plan on long lines when leaving the parking garage.

Full transparency: we were stuck in line for about 30 minutes waiting to get out of the parking garage after ICE! this year.

If ICE! is not the only thing on your agenda for the day, and especially if you are planning to visit on a high traffic day, take the parking garage lines into account. Plan on 15-30 minutes to park, 2 hours to wait in line and see the exhibit, and 30-45 minutes to leave the garage. 

We hope these tips help you enjoy ICE! at the Gaylord Texan to the fullest!

We were charmed by this year’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer theme at ICE!. Below are some of our favorite pictures from ICE! at the Gaylord Texan. We will also be sharing some more on Facebook and Instagram, so stay tuned!