Maine Now Has Its Own Awesome Ice Castle You Can Go See Yourself

Did you build snow forts when you were a kid?

I sure did. It was the best part of winter. It was the only good reason to shovel snow when you were a kid. I'd pile it up as high as I could. Or even better, the snow blower would make a decent pile after a couple storms. Then all of us neighborhood kids all set about the task of turning snow banks into our winter homes, haha.

It was no joke where I lived. Our "palaces" would have multiple rooms, and even occasionally tunnels that would lead to other forts. Heck, even as an adult, my wife likes to go out every now and then and dig through the snow banks to make a little shelter, just for fun. Why not?

New Hampshire has an ice castle too, but why drive so far?

For real, it's a near 4-hour drive if you want to go see the ice castle in New Hampshire. It's totally amazing, no doubt. But from here, that's an overnight trip. Who wants to drive 4 hours to hang out for a while, then turn around and drive home. But now, you don't have to. You just have to make the trip up to Bethel, according to News Center Maine.

Don't get me wrong, from the Bangor area, Bethel's not exactly next door.But, it cuts off enough time that you could make a trip there and back, because we now have our own ice castle right here in Maine thanks to Northeast Ice Palaces. The photos on the website look truly amazing.

Tickets go on sale this Friday.

They're $15 for a daytime visit. Nighttime tickets are going to set you back $19. Definitely check out the FAQ section of their website. There's all sorts of great info. And... they have food trucks! So you could totally make an afternoon or evening of it. Food and ice castles? Yes please.

What else are you gonna do this winter? It's already been the longest winter in years, it seems. Having something like this to look forward to is key in the cold months. It keeps you from going totally bonkers, right? Put this one on your list.