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NH Ice Castles Open Friday in New Location

Hand-crafted ice castles are about to open again in New Hampshire.

The castles that have been under construction for weeks include art made up of more than 20 million pounds of ice spiraling to heights around 40 feet. The ice also embedded with color-changing LED lights set to a musical soundtrack.

Opening day is scheduled for Friday. This year, the castles are on Clark Farm Road in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, a few miles from their previous home of the past five years at the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln. This year, guests can buy tickets for horse-drawn sleigh rides.

The ice castles are open Tuesday to Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Tickets are $15.95 on weekdays and $18.95 on weekends, with discounted rates for children.

The construction process involves elaborate sprinkler systems that spray water onto metal racks to produce thousands of icicles. The icicles are then harvested and stuck to the ground around sprinkler heads, where they are drenched in water and grow in various shapes and formations depending on the temperature and wind. After a few weeks, towers, tunnels, archways and caves emerge.

Other Utah-based Ice Castles locations in North America, include Dillon, Colorado; Excelsior, Minnesota; Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Midway, Utah; and Edmonton, Canada.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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