Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have decided to spend their holidays in Kissimmee!
The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center is kicking off the holiday season on November 18 with Christmas at the Gaylord Palms, an annual celebration including ICE!, a walk-through attraction displaying two million pounds of ice, hand-carved to create iconic scenes from A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles Schulz, featuring their holiday play rehearsal, Snoopy's decorated doghouse and Charlie Brown choosing the perfect Christmas tree, all inside a frosty 9-degree environment.
Other cheerful offerings for 2016 include Breakfast with Charlie Brown and Friends, A Gingerbread Decorating Corner, indoor snow tubing and more. Check out our previous blog post on the many things coming to Christmas at the Gaylord Palms this year!
For those of you interested in visiting ICE!, especially Floridians who have no real concept of winter, I've compiled a list of Pro Tips for visiting the attraction:
- Wear pants: ICE! is kept at a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit and while all guests are provided calf-length, hooded winter coats to keep them warm, your legs will be exposed to the cold environment. Hooded coats run from infant sizes all the way to 4XL.
- Wear closed-toe shoes: All pathways through the ICE! exhibit are carpeted so boots are not necessary but closed-toe shoes are required. Your toes will thank you!
- Dress in layers: With year-round beautiful weather, Kissimmee is the perfect place to soak up some much needed sunshine-but you won't be able to do that if you decide to wear your ski pants and jacket outside of the exhibition!
- Invest in touchscreen gloves: Normal gloves do not work on smartphones and taking your gloves off every time you want to take a picture is a nuisance.
- Bring a cross-body bag: The coats that are provided at ICE! do not have pockets, so bring a cross-body bag to keep your camera, cellphone and selfie stick handy.
- Conserve battery life: The drastic change in temperature may cause your phone's battery to drain. Make sure to keep your phone on "low power mode" and/or bring a portable battery charger.
- Visit ICE! during the week: The exhibit opens at 10:00 a.m. every day and tends to get busier the closer it gets to the nights, weekends and holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's).
- Enjoy dinner at the hotel: Make a date out of it! Grab a beer at Wrecker's Sports Bar or choose from one of the many fine dining options at the Gaylord before or after your visit to ICE! Oh, and did we mention most restaurants validate parking? Score!
- Additional activities: Don't wait until the last minute to enhance your ICE! experience. From going on an epic The Elf on the Shelf® Scavenger Hunt around the resort to building your very own furry friend at the Build-A-Bear Workshop® to zooming down an eight-lane tubing hill at Alpine Rush, you won't run out of unique ways to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones.
- Have fun and don't forget to use the hashtags #MyKissimmee and #CAGP16 (Christmas at Gaylord Palms) on your social media posts!
