Don't let frigid temperatures keep you from Lake Geneva's Ice Castles; 'It's almost cozy'



LAKE GENEVA -- After a mild start to our winter, the cold temperatures have finally kicked in -- and that is great news for the Lake Geneva Ice Castles. But could it be too cold?

Ice Castles in Lake Geneva



"It took a long time. But we're in a winter wonderland," said Joe Tominaro of Visit Lake Geneva.

The mild start to winter was not so hot for construction of the Ice Castles.

"Mother Nature threw a wrench in the works -- hot, warm rain and everything," Tominaro said.

Now, the single-digit temperatures are just what the castles need -- to create the perfect winter wonderland.

"Just a couple weeks ago, we were a couple feet off the ground -- and now we're 30 plus feet up there," said Joe Weiler, Ice Castles.

Ice Castles in Lake Geneva



The Lake Geneva Ice Castles officially froze up -- and opened on Wednesday, Jan. 23 -- a few days later than expected. But now, is it too cold to even be outside?

"In this case, it's kind of more of an insulating factor because you're outdoors. It cuts the wind down," Tominaro said.

"The castle does a really good job at blocking the wind," Weiler said.

Crews working on Thursday say the colder, the better. In fact, it is actually warmer inside the castles than simply walking around town.

Ice Castles in Lake Geneva



"In the castle, it's almost cozy to be honest. I know it's made of ice, but we got little fire pits you can warm up on," Weiler said.

Ice Castles in Lake Geneva



"We're going to have some sub-zero temperatures. But it's actually warmer in here than walking outside of the castle," Tominaro said.

From the ice slide to the long icicles, it does not get any more wintry than this.

"It's like having a mini glacier castle here in Lake Geneva," Tominaro said.

Ice Castle workers say the weekends are sold out. But they hope to stay open until the first or second week of March -- depending on the weather. CLICK HERE for information on tickets and hours of operation.

Ice Castles in Lake Geneva