Fun Things To Do With Kids in Chester County: Holiday Displays

Showing posts with label Holiday Displays. Show all posts

Fun Things Reviews ICE! at the Gaylord National featuring Frosty the Snowman

Fun Things Kids Family Friendly Travel , Holiday Displays

A must see event this holiday season is ICE at the Gaylord National in National Harbor MD. Each year the Gaylord plans out a different theme to recreate all in ice. This year's theme is Frosty the Snowman. Join Frosty and his friends through the retelling of a holiday classic. Favorite scenes come to life in more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures, including a two-story tall ice slide.

What you need to wear
Hats, gloves, winter coat, Anything else that will keep you warm, layers is the key. Once you get your tickets you will make your way to the blue parka section. They have coats in all sizes, believe me the coat will be a welcomed layer once you step into the exhibit.

Once inside
After you get your blue parka you will make your way to a tent to get your photo taken. Then you proceed to the ICE tent, once you are inside you will be happy that you wore those extra layers so you can enjoy the story of Frosty.

ICE features:

Walk-through holiday attraction, kept at a chilly 9 degrees
Two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures
Four ice slides
Six individual rooms depicting the story of Frosty the Snowman
The Frostbite Factory – a live carving zone

Tips

Purchase you tickets in advance online (they do sell out)
Bring a camera to take plenty of pictures (but make sure your camera can deal with the frigid temperatures). Just make sure you can work it with your gloves on
Try to visit during non peak hours
Take you time walking through there is so much to see
Definitely take a trip or two down the ice slides
No strollers are permitted inside the ICE exhibit
You can park at the The Gaylord National, or there are parking garages throughout the National Harbor area

Visiting ICE put my family and I in the mood for the holiday season. From the Philadelphia area National Harbor is about an 2 and 1/2 hour drive. Because there is so much to do in the National Harbor you can do this as a day trip or an overnight stay. Click here to read more about the National Harbor.

For more information: http://www.marriott.com

Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
201 Waterfront Street National Harbor Maryland 20745

This event is appropriate for: the whole family

Price: $16-$34

Disclosure: My family and I received complimentary tickets to visit ICE.

ICE! featuring DreamWorks Shrek the Halls

Fun Things Kids activities for kids in Chester County , Christmas in Washington DC

If you have been following me on twitter you may have read about an amazing attraction I had the chance to visit called ICE! featuring DreamWorks Shrek the Halls at the Gaylord National hotel in Maryland.

Ice! featuring DreamWorks Shrek the Halls is a one of a kind exhibit made from 2 million pounds of ice and kept at a frigid 9 degrees. I have never seen anything like this before, it's amazing how they carve the ice and add lights and color to each piece.

Our ICE! experience started off with a movie showing how the ICE! exhibit was created. They will also go over safety inside the exhibit, no heels are allowed on the ice slides, don't touch the ice and a few others. Then you move into the next room where you are given a blue parka jacket that goes over your coat to keep you extra warm. Remember it's only 9 degrees inside! Each room is filled with sculptures made completely of ice.The larger than life scenes that recreate the 'Shrek the Halls" TV special. You will see plenty of your favorite Shrek characters like Donkey, Puss in Boots, the Three Little Pigs and the Pink Dragon. My kids favorite part was the ice slide, they have both little and big slides. Be prepared to be in that room for a little while because the kids will want to experience the slides multiple times!

Tip: Wear your winter coat, hats and gloves, just like you would to go play in the snow outside.



Here is a video peak of my visit to ICE!

Does this sound like something you want to experience with your family? You may be in luck. Fun Things is giving away 4 tickets to experience ICE! with you family this holiday season.

**Please note this contest is for four ticket vouchers only to experience ICE!

Since this attraction is in National Harbor (right outside of D.C.) you should consider an overnight stay. If you would like to book a hotel room during your visit click here for rates.

Also the tickets are only good during "Non-Peak" dates Monday -Friday and not valid on 12/24, 12/26 - 28, 12/31 or 1/1 (considered peak days).

Please fill out the form below for your chance to win before December 1st

For more information:   http://www.gaylordhotels.com

Location: Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center: 201 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745

This event is appropriate for:   the whole family

Cost: $13.99 -$29.99

A Brandywine Christmas at Brandywine River Museum

Fun Things Kids Christmas Chester County , Holiday Displays

The Brandywine River Museum Railroad

presents a Brandywine Christmas

November 23, 2012 to January 6, 2013

With a collection of trains including 150 locomotives and 300 freight cars that run on nearly 2,000 feet of track, the model train display at the Brandywine River Museum is a popular holiday exhibition, delighting visitors of all ages. Toy trains in the collection are mostly Lionel products dating from 1915 to the present, often supplemented with trains loaned by visiting engineers. A "must see" for the youngest train fans is Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends from the Isle of Sodor, UK.

The museum celebrates the season with fabulous holiday displays including a display of antique dolls and thousands of whimsical "critter" ornaments on holiday trees.

The Museum is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Christmas Day, and with extended hours until 6:00 p.m. December 26 through 30.

Due to the large number of visitors during the busy holiday season, the Museum regrets that it cannot accommodate baby strollers.

For more information: www.brandywinemuseum.org.

Location: The Brandywine River Museum is located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

This event is appropriate for: the whole family

Cost: Admission is $12 for adults; $6 for seniors ages 65 and over, students, and children over six; free for children under six and members

Christmas on the Potomac at the Gaylord National

Fun Things Kids Christmas in Washington DC , field trips with kids

Gaylord National Resort Presents 2012 Christmas on the Potomac

Are you looking for something different to do with your family this holiday season? The Gaylord National has you taken care of this holiday season with their Christmas on the Potomac. Where can you meet the world-famous DreamWorks characters …. see a 60-foot-tall glass Christmas tree … experience an indoor snowfall…. gaze at two million dazzling lights ….or walk through an icy wonderland? It’s all part of the fifth-annual Christmas on the Potomac celebration, taking place Nov. 16, 2012 to Jan. 6, 2013, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, just south of Washington, D.C.

ICE! featuring DreamWorks’ Shrek the Halls©

Hand-carved from TWO-MILLION pounds of colorful ice (all kept at a frigid 9 degrees), this indoor frozen attraction returns with an all-new hilarious theme: ICE! featuring DreamWorks Shrek the Halls. As they walk through ICE!, guests will experience the heartwarming story of the “Shrek The Halls” animated, holiday TV special featuring Shrek, Fiona, Donkey and Gingy, as they celebrate Christmas in their own special way. The story follows Shrek as he tries to plan the "perfect Christmas" for Fiona and the kids, only to have plans disrupted by chaos and commotion. But, in the end, Shrek learns the true meaning of the holiday. Guests will walk through jaw-dropping scenes carved entirely of ice, and can even slide down incredible two-story-tall ice slides.

ShrekFeast

Got an ogre-sized appetite? Join Shrek, Princess Fiona and Puss in Boots for a fairy tale feast including Shrek-shaped waffles and a Magic Fountain bubbling over with chocolate potions. Solve riddles and puzzles to become an honorary Ogre or Ogress.

DreamWorks Character Meet & Greet (with Scavenger Hunt)

Enjoy up-close-and-personal time with your favorite DreamWorks characters. Get a big ogre hug from Shrek; show Po your best Kung Fu moves; let Puss in Boots purr his way into your heart, and take silly pictures with Alex the Lion in Madagascar! Then, the whole family will have fun exploring our spectacular indoor atrium on an interactive scavenger hunt inspired by the new DreamWorks’ movie: The Rise of the Guardians.

Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating

This fun, sticky, decorating tradition is now a whole lot sweeter! Hosted by Gingy (from the Shrek movies), this fun activity lets guests choose from four unique gingerbread shapes: a delectable Gingerbread Family, Tree, Train or Gingerbread House. After they've decorated their creation – don’t forget the gum drop buttons! – guests will meet Gingy himself for a heart-warming hug and photo.

And much more

The Gaylord National also has packages for overnight stays.

For more info: www.gaylordhotels.com

Celebrate the Holidays with a Visit to the Charming New Dollhouse Display at the Brandywine River Museum

Fun Things Kids Chester County free family fun , Chester County holiday

A Brandywine Christmas features a large dollhouse once owned by Ann Wyeth McCoy

with furnishings crafted by hand by members of the Wyeth family,

plus O-gauge model trains on 2,000 feet of track!

The Brandywine River Museum is all dolled up for the holidays with a "step-in" dollhouse whose rooms are filled with exquisite hand-crafted furnishings, a large display of rare antique dolls, its popular O-gauge model train display covering 2,000 feet of track, and thousands of whimsical "critter" ornaments made from natural materials, all on view from November 25 through January 8.

This year is the debut of Ann Wyeth McCoy's dollhouse, measuring 8 x 10 feet and standing 9 ½ feet high. While the dollhouse is large enough for two adults to step inside, the rooms and furnishings are sized for dolls measuring 16 to 24 inches. Because of space limitations, visitors will see the facade of the dollhouse, surrounded by re-creations of its rooms, filled with Mrs. McCoy's antique dolls and hundreds of miniature furnishings.

A Brandywine Christmas also features thousands of adorable "critters," created from natural materials by Conservancy volunteers, on view throughout the museum. Critter ornaments may be purchased at the Museum's Annual Critter Sale on Saturday, December 3, and Sunday, December 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Following the sale, critters can be purchased in the Museum Shop. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Volunteers' Art Purchase Fund, which has added more than 200 paintings, drawings and prints to the Museum's holdings since 1975.

Christmas at the Brandywine River Museum also includes a spectacular O-gauge train display, which fills an entire gallery. As many as five of the 150 locomotives and 300 freight cars in the collection run simultaneously on more than 2,000 feet of track, winding past a village, stone quarry, oil refinery, mountains, a Herr Foods plant and running waterfall, as Santa and his sleigh fly overhead. A "rail cam," mounted on a snowplow, gives visitors a view from the perspective of a miniature locomotive driver.