Jacksonville, did you know that about 2.5 hours away is a winter wonderland your entire family will love? Gaylord Palms every year hosts an array of events dedicated to all ages and will definitely unwrap the joy inside and provide the most dashing good time! The most popular event at Gaylord Palms is back this season, called ICE! This indoor wintry wonderland walk though is the perfect winter day trip or weekend getaway with the family. You’re sure to feel like you’re in a magical winter northern land far away. Plus, there’s dazzling decor in the massive glass atrium, Santa visits, live stage shows, snow tubing, Christmas markets, workshops, Christmas sing-a-longs and so much more for the whole family to enjoy.
Gaylord Palms Resort Orlando
With over 3 million sparkling lights throughout the resort and 60 plus feet tall Christmas tree, Gaylord Palms knows how to make a holiday statement that is sure to ooh and awe both kids and parents. The best part about the grand Christmas tree is that it also comes alive each night in a musical show that is an experience on its own. Over a hundred more Christmas trees are all around the Gaylord Palms resort among the beautiful gardens fulled with décor and displays that will truly make you feel like you have been transported to a winter wonderland.
ICE! Gaylord Palms
ICE! is the main attraction each year to Gaylord Palms and this year it features ELF. ICE! is an amazing 20,000-square-foot arctic attraction features giant sculptures and scenes, hand-carved from 2 million pounds of ice which is used to create the elaborate scenes and detailed characters. This production features the beloved holiday film stars originally played by Will Ferrell as an oversized elf who, while on a mission to meet and bond with his biological father, winds up saving Christmas. Guests will experience Buddy the Elf’s journey from the North Pole to New York City, and along the way, they’ll encounter favorite characters, including Papa Elf, Mr. Narwhal, Jovie, Walter Hobbs and Santa! Guests staying at Gaylord Palms during the holidays receive special perks including front-of-line access, early entry, and the ability to book special dining experiences.
Other Holiday Events
Other events available at Gaylord Palms during the holiday season that are continuously popular include a cirque-style Christmas show, meet and greets with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Christmas lights and a tree trail, festive menus and themed entertainment for hotel guests. The convention center area — which houses ICE — also becomes a winter wonderland village with shops, a Build-a-Bear experience, holiday arts and crafts, and a snow play area with ice slides and snowball throwing.
Yule Be Amazed: “Cirque: Spirit of Christmas” features high-flying stunts, acrobatic feats, and an original musical score. The show features Noel, a child trying to rediscover holiday cheer. Noel is visited in dreamlike chapters by acrobats, aerial performers, and others who help rekindle the Christmas spirit.
Storytelling Celebration, Set to Song: Guests can experience a retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ through the eyes of six storytellers in “The Greatest Story,” a musical stage show and celebration of faith and everlasting love.
St. Nick Takes ‘Santa’ Stage: Guests can chat with the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus, to make sure they’ve secured a spot on his prestigious Nice List. Santa will meet guests inside Alpine Village from Nov. 15 through Dec. 24, before he heads back to the North Pole for his annual, gift-giving journey.
Snow Much Fun: A snowy play space awaits guests in the Snow Factory. After climbing Snow Flow Mountain, guests hop in inner tubes and speed down atop real ice. (Admission allows unlimited ice tubing rides on the date on the ticket.) Guests can also head over to Snowball Build & Blast, where conveyor belts deliver tubs of real snow for guests to make snowballs and toss them at targets.
Seasonal Scavenger Hunt Fun: Families can work together to find all the clues hidden in the Gaylord Palms atrium in the TwElf Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt. With a little elf magic, guests can find all the hidden surprises and solve the puzzles in their booklet.
Ready, Set, Glow!: The night will light up at Gaylord Palms with more than 3 million sparkling, holiday lights. In total, more than 100 decorated Christmas trees will be on display, including the 60-foot-tall tree in the main atrium, and elaborately themed trees along the atrium’s Christmas Tree Trail.
Things to Remember
Bookings tend to fill up fast as this is only a seasonal offering. So get your dates and tickets squared away as soon as you are able to. You can make reservations for the resort and ICE! attractions right on the Gaylord Palms website.
Parking is not included in any tickets for the Gaylord Christmas events. Parking for day visitors is $38 to self-park, or $50 for valet parking. Some restaurants, such as MOOR, may validate your parking ticket if you spend $75 or more on dinner, but call first to check.
Lindsey has lived in Jacksonville now for over 12 years and is originally from the southeast Georgia area. She is a business and data manager for UF Health Emergency and Trauma services downtown by day, a travel agent, social media influencer, and BLS instructor by night. She is also the mom of three kids, Lily, Logan, and Ruby. She is married to a very talented musician, Cody who plays locally all around in the Bold City Classics and Blue Muse and with the symphony as well. Lindsey started posting on social media about her trips to Disney and beyond on social media in the last few years as a means to document the joy and help others with planning their trips, balancing traveling and motherhood and finding the true magic in it all. As her presence grew she was invited to become a travel agent specializing in Disney and other theme parks because of her expansive knowledge. You can follow Lindsey on Instagram and tiktok as well as request a free travel quote for your trip @magicmomlife or send her an email at [email protected].
