Adalyn Corwin, 9, left, and her father, Keith Corwin, of Morris, Illinois, complete their crawl through the Lake Geneva ice castle last winter.
TOWN OF GENEVA — Planners of the Lake Geneva ice castle today announced that construction work is underway on an outdoor winter attraction that could reach a full acre in size.
In announcing that work has started at the Geneva National Resort west of Lake Geneva, the company Ice Castles LLC said the frozen interactive funhouse could be open by late December.
Officials also said the attraction will be one acre in size — more than double last winter's ice castle on Riviera Beach in Lake Geneva.
"Mother Nature is our primary architect," company CEO Ryan Davis said in today's announcement. "And we are always amazed by what she allows us to create each season."
After its debut last winter at Riviera Beach, the attraction moved to Geneva National Resort, located about four miles outside of Lake Geneva. The attraction is being built on part of Geneva National's golf driving range.
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Officials said crews will spend a combined 4,000 hours shaping and assembling frozen icicles to assemble the ice castle.
The attraction is expected to entertain visitors with interactive slides, tunnels, fountains, crawl spaces and waterfalls. It also will include colored lights for nighttime crowds.
Pre-sale ticket vouchers are available at www.icecastles.com/wisconsin. Pre-sale tickets are currently $16.79 per person. Last year, admission ranged from $11 to $19 a person.
The Utah-based company is also planning ice castles in Midway, Utah; Dillon, Colorado; New Brighton, Minnesota; North Woodstock, New Hampshire; and Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.
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Among the first visitors to Lake Geneva’s new ice castle, Adalyn Corwin, 9, above left, and her father, Keith Corwin, both of Morris, Illinois, crawl through one of the frozen tunnels, while Maggie Finley, at right, of Beloit emerges from a slide that is another of the interactive features in the beachfront winter attraction drawing big crowds. (Photos by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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Visitors are greeted by a series of tunnels and trails inside the 20,000-square-foot handmade ice castle. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
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Many of the people who work in Lake Geneva’s tourism industry are low-income people who would benefit from more affordable housing in the area. (File photo/Regional News)
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Chloe Rasmussen takes her turn on one of the slides built inside the Lake Geneva ice castle, which was delayed by mild weather, but then enjoyed big crowds when cold weather finally settled in. (File photo/Regional News)
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Jeff Berman, left, and Lenore Berman, both of Lindenhurst, Illinois, wait their turn to try out the Lake Geneva ice castle attraction. (Photo by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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Open until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Lake Geneva's ice castle includes colored lights and music for a full sensory experience. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
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Chelsea Nebersell of Crystal Lake, Illinois, emerges from a slide inside the Lake Geneva ice castle. (Photo by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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Patrons file inside the 20,000-square-foot ice castle attraction, which was assembled on Lake Geneva's Riviera Beach over a period of several weeks. (Photo by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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The Gribble family from Burlington enjoys a family visit to the Lake Geneva ice castle, including, from left, Calder, Piper, Cian and Jade. (Photo by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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Despite bitter cold temperatures — or maybe because of — the ice castle drew big crowds during its grand-opening weekend. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
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A group of people pause at Lake Geneva’s ice castle to relax and warm themselves by a fire pit overlooking the lakefront.
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Amy Kosmicki of Pewaukee climbs out of a tunnel inside the Lake Geneva ice castle interactive frozen funhouse on the lakefront. (Photo by Scott Williams/Regional News)
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Tony Pizzuto, left, and Cynthia Pizzuto, both of McHenry, Illinois, take a breather during their visit to the Lake Geneva ice castle. (Photo by Dennis Hines/Regional News)
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Maggie Finley, left, of Beloit enjoys sliding out of one of the slides inside the Lake Geneva ice castle’s last winter.
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Shown in an aerial image facing north after dark, the Lake Geneva ice castle remains open to visitors six days a week all winter, with ticket information available at www.icecastles.com. (Contributed photo/Regional News)
