Minnesota Ice Castles Moving Back To Stillwater This Winter

Following a one-winter stint in Excelsior, on the opposite side of the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Ice Castles are set to return to Stillwater this coming winter. If you've never been, the Minnesota Ice Castles are one of only a handful of locations in North America constructed and operated by a company that goes by the name "Ice Castles".

Last winter, the company operated six locations on the continent. Located in Colorado, Alberta, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Utah, these elaborate structures draw large crowds to check out the colorfully-lit, massive ice structures.

Minnesota's Ice Castles had called Stillwater home in the winters of 2016/2017 and 2017/2018; but construction on the Stillwater lift bridge, near the park where the attraction sets up, led to the need to find a new home for last season. The decision was made to move to the western suburb of Excelsior during the construction project, looking to return in the winter of 2019/2020.

On Tuesday night of this week, the Stillwater City Council approved the application to set up once again in Lowell Park, near the river. Ice Castles organizers will be on site from October through March for setup, operation while the castles are open, and for demolition of the structures at the end of the season.

Being this attraction is weather-dependent, there is no set opening date for the upcoming season. In previous years, the Ice Castles have been open for at least part of January, February, and March. We'll see what this winter brings.

In the meantime, here's a look at the last time the Ice Castles were in Stillwater.