Aurora Ice Museum Reviews

So I thought this was pretty cool but then we went to a smaller one in the city of Fairbanks that had way more sculptures and a slide and I thought the local one was better and you don’t have to drive an hour out of town to see it. So in comparison the aurora ice museum was a little underwhelming.

They provide parkas so your quite warm inside. Incredible sculptures that are lighted. Amazing that it is all carved from ice.

This was a unique experience. The ice sculptures were incredible, although the neon lights were a bit too much for me. It was definitely worth a visit, especially if you're already near the Chena Hot Springs Resort.

Many of the ice sculptures had melted due to a mishap recently. We were disappointed in what was there to view. If you're not into apple martinis I'd skip this.

This small building has some incredible ice sculptures. Everything in there was very well done and I am not surprised to know they compete with them. However it is a very small space and the bar was not very impressive. They only serve one drink - apple martini. It tasted ok but the ice glasses, while they looked impressive, were almost impossible to drink from. If you are there, it is something to see but I would not go out of the way to see it.

This place was twice as large as the place that is in Las Vegas. In Vegas, we went from 110 outside to subzero inside a Ice house like this one. Martini in ice glass and lots of fur placed over ice chairs to sit and enjoy your drink.

Cute ice museum. Small and it’s 1 hour start to finish. Fun to see before going to the hot spring. The drink is $15 and if you don’t buy the ticket ahead of time they only take cash. It’s more for the novelty. Really impressive sculptures

amazing experience and highly recommend to other travelers! get the appletini w/ the entrance fee. We get to see some marvelous talents in ice carvings plus to experience an ice bar inside while sipping good appletini:)

The ice sculptures are really, really good. I gave this a three rating because I have been to see ICE several times in Nashville, Tennessee. Although this is very good, it does not hold a candle to the ICE museum, which is huge with absolutely incredible ice carvings, including a whole nativity scene. Either way, I would recommend going to this. It's only $15.

Very small, and much of it was under refurbishment. Takes you maybe 30 minutes to see it all and have an appletine drink in an ice glass. The best part was watching them make the ice glass.

The museum was lovely on the inside. The appletini was ok, rather small however for the price. It did include the frozen ice glass, which tradition states, one breaks on the way out for luck.

it's a great part of visiting Chena Hot Springs Resort.
there is a lot of other Ice sculpture parks in Fairbanks area at winter, but this one is the best and it's year around place.

We enjoyed it, but you have to stay in for 45 minutes and only at certain times, so you have to time your visit.

My 14 year old daughter and I were visiting Alaska for the first time. Since it was April and what the locals term "break down season", a lot of things I wanted to do weren't available so we went out to Chena Hot Springs resort for one night. The ice museum was interesting, never seen anything like that before. Amazing ice sculptures. It is kept around 26 degrees inside. Our guide told bad jokes, but seemed like a fun guy. I had an appletini in an ice glass which I thought was very strong but I usually drink wine. The whole tour didn't take very long, maybe 1/2 hour.

The Aurora Ice Museum is part of the Chena Hot Springs Resorts and during my visit, I took a tour. They have all this really cool ice sculptures, just know it does get packed with a lot of people taking pictures. It's a unique spot and I recommend it to anyone thinking about going.

This huge work of art was amazing to visit. Great care has been taken to preserve the ice works inside and to maintain the integrity of the ice house itself. We enjoyed the mandatory tour guide and especially the optional appletini's offered in ice glasses at the end of the tour!

It absolutely is NOT worth the $20 per person and another $20 for the Appletini. It’s a cool concept and it’s interesting to see everything inside —for 10 minutes then we all were done. I think k they can do much better.

We visited the museum after dining and before hitting the hot springs. There were many interesting ice sculptures, all with fun colorful LED lighting. Tourists packed the place, most of whom waiting to get their sculpted ice goblets filled with their signature Appletinis. It was a fun display, and our young boys loved it.

We were going to Chena Hot Springs anyway so we went to visit this. The sculptures were really quite good but the tour guide kept a running dialogue of how many more minutes we had before the tour was over and it was really was not appreciated.

Quite a drive (approx 1 hour) from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs but well worth it. Bought ticket on the day. Tour provided warm jackets as it is only 4C inside and also a quick explanation of what each ice sculpture was. Very cool to have a drink at the ice bar. Watched the ice glasses being made. Only had about half hour inside and with a large group we needed more time. Overall worth the drive for something different.

Loved the Martini in a ice glass. Bundle up! Very unique experience. Great friendly staff. #Awesom. If you are in the area you definitely want to visit.

The Aurora Ice Museum contains a beautiful exhibit of ice art! We greatly enjoyed the tour and the opportunity to explore the various rooms and sculptures. We're also extremely grateful to Steven in the Activities Center for facilitating our visit and helping with our last minute change of plans. Thanks so very much, Steven! You helped to make our day perfect.

You think you might skip it, but don’t. Try and go on the tour with Liam, he makes the effort as a guide.

The appletinis are fun and the art work is quite stunning. I recommend this tour just before dinner and then you can eat straight away as the appletinis do go to your head.

Very unique place. Took the tour. Guide describes how the sculptures are made. after that you can walk around on your own and look at everything. If you pay extra you can have a martini at the ice bar. Fun activity.

We really enjoyed our visit to this ice gallery! The sculptures were all very well done, and the guide was friendly and gave us enough time to check out the pieces. The appletini glass was neat, but the drink was... an appletini. We reused the glass afterward with whiskey and ginger ale, and had a great evening.

Antoine made the tour! The Chena Hot Springs resort is a dump. The museum is pretty cool but small. Our guide, Antoine really made the tour worth it. He was so funny and had fun with the day!

This is a great little museum to go into if you are already at Chena Hotsprings. It is not worth driving the hour and a half as an activity of his own, but very supplementary to the other things to do there. I would not recommend staying overnight, but a day trip would be great

This is a small museum with some lovely ice sculptures. It seemed a little pricy for the number of sculptures you are able to see. For $15 each it might have been nice to see an artist working on a sculpture. We have probably been spoiled by our local ice carnival with free exhibits and artists working while you watch.

Meh, I was expecting more I guess...I know that they are currently under some repairs and so we didn't get the whole experience plus I was there with my 8 year old so I didn't partake in the Apple Martini which seemed to be more of the focus of the tour. If there had been a little more light, that would have been appreciated as well as a demonstration on ice sculpting? I am glad I didn't pay full price for the experience (or $30 for the drink).

The ace museum was it an absolute ball. I have been to many ice exhibit and this one was done very professionally. The lighting that was incorporated into the ice sculptures a very special ambience . The best part was sitting at the ice bar having an Appletini.

6 of us visited the Aurora Ice Museum . It is very small, so if you just want to take a quick look it would only take about 15 min, but most of us really took our time to appreciate the ice sculptures. It was fun putting on the parkas that were provided as we walked through the museum at 25 degrees. We watched the carving of the ice glasses. We took some fun pictures of us in the rooms, at the ice fireplace, etc. Considering the cost of maintaining this museum, the price was worth it,

It was fun to drink an appletini out of an ICE glass. It is fun, but nothing memorable. The ice sculptures could be improved upon.

Did the interesting drive to Chena Hot Springs for a day trip. We did the ice museum, snow machine tour, pools and ate lunch. Other than lunch, these were all 5 of 5 activities. Josh was our guide for both snow machines and the ice museum. He made both activities very fun and informed about the museum.

Not worth the money. The drive or the hype.
Our tour guide for the museum degraded the group left and right. The artist was in the museum and he even mocked the fact that people were interested in seeing him work by saying “oh so fascinating! A man drilling into an ice block!” While rolling his eyes. He then went on to make fun of a couple when a girl was getting up with her drink to walk away (which he let multiple others do up to this point) calling her stupid for doing that, then looking at the man she was with saying “at least she’s pretty”. This tour guide name is Tom. On top of this rude disgustingly inappropriate behavior the museum itself very small, compared to what is marketed. I would have found it more pleasing to view if I didn’t feel so outraged by this tour guides behavior.
I personally will never be back and will never suggest any of my friends, family and close companions every go to this ice museum tour.

Apologies to the artist- you do incredible work that not everyone in society can do but your work is not appreciated by the man who gave the tour and if I was you, I would find a new location for my pieces or a new process for hiring tour guides.

Chena Hot Springs is a great resort. Be sure to take the tour (the only way you can enter Aurora Ice Museum). Always 20-25 degrees F. All carved from ice. Statues are fascinating, but notice the ice bar. Perhaps order drink served in ice glasses. Bedrooms of ice. Ice bed, ice decor, everything is of ice. Local ice carvers on premises. Open year round. Recommend a visit here.

The sculptures inside the Aurora Ice Museum were lovely. One of them was even fourteen years old! What I didn’t like was that the $15 cost didn’t even cover the Appletini at the end of the tour. There were 3 of us, so the admission was $45. For another $45 we could each enjoy the Appletini at the end of the museum tour. Too much money grubbing here! You could go to the restaurant and have the drink for $7 if that’s what you really want.

It was nice to visit the Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs. Our family visited just before New Years day and it was very cold, approx. -20 F. The ice museum has ice sculptures and ice bar that serves apple martinis. One can also reserve the ice room for the night.

Take the time to experience this Museum it's very interesting for the whole family. The items you'll see are beautiful.

This was a new and exciting experience for me. The Ice Museum was constructed by World Ice Carving champions and they have been maintaining the museum for a number of years. the sculptures are breathtaking to see in person, and they provide you with an unforgettable apple-martini served in an ice martini glass.

If you have never done an ice museum tour, you could enjoy it. If you've been to any in Europe, it doesn't even come close. The outside is just a giant white pool barn and it smells like refrigerant inside.

The tour starts by seeing some workers in action sculpting, then you walk into to take photos of the other sculptures inside. If you pre-ordered an appletini you can get the drink in an ice glass (kinda cool), but it's not a full bar to order anything else.

30 minutes would be the max amount of time I would spend in there, making it not worth going to the Chena Hot Springs just for this given the drive time from Fairbanks.

The Ice Museum and springs were the highlight of our vacation besides seeing the lights. Easy day trip from Fairbanks, fuel up before you go. Once in a lifetime experience for us.

Right next to the Hot Springs, it was really cool. Be sure & bring Mittens, to hold your Apple Martini, served in a All Ice Martini Glass.

The ice museum was not large but the ice sculptures were so beautiful with colorful lighting. There was an ice bar where you could order wine served in handcrafted ice tumblers. A wonderful experience while staying at the resort.

Lots of fun to see how they make ice sculptures and then get to see a nice presentation on Aurora Borealis. Highly recommend.

Well preserved in low temperature, there are some ice sculptures, lighted with different colours. But all of them are very simple, and the ice cocktail overpriced.

Fun place to visit in downtown Fairbanks. Located in an historic theater building that is undergoing restoration. We had a great time with n the slide, visiting the ice “bar” and the various interactive sculptures. The highlight is actually watching a new creation by one of the amazing ice artists.

Located at the Chena Hot Springs Resort, this museum is extremely cold, but they provided parkers. What a great display of lce structures and detailed carvings.

Our trip to Fairbanks has been amazing except this place. It’s expensive for the little bit or stuff you see and the appletini is gross and overpriced. They should offer drinks in an ice glass that aren’t alcoholic.

The greatest disappointment was the attitude of the ice sculptor and the tour guide. They were both the only rude people I’ve met in Alaska so far. It gives the resort a bad look.

The hot springs are awesome but this part of the resort is not that exciting. Not worth all the money small museum and gross jackets

Heard about the ice museum for years but had never been, so I can scratch that off my bucket list . . .. though it might be fun to get a room there. The ice martini bar is fun and comes complete with your glass made of ice. The whole museum is really . . . cool. But don't worry-they'll give you a parka to wear before you go in. I think this is a must-do attraction for visitors and locals alike.

Loved the ice museum. So interesting to learn the history and all the details that go into making such amazing pieces of art. Get the cocktail with ice glass...so worth it! And our tour guide Joe was the best ever. He really made this tour exceptional.

The museum was pretty to look at but it was very small inside and they try to fit at least 20 people into this small area at one time. Our tour guide was kind of rude, but was expecting that from some of the past reviews, he was very full of himself. We paid for the beverage at the ice bar and we couldn't even drink it because this same tour guide said that he doesn't like using the measuring cups when making the drinks and put so much vodka into the drink that it was 90% that and tasted terrible. 10/10 would not go again.

It was a bit of a disappointment for me. Good things were tried to be done, but they were not successful. It's just an interesting place to take photos, apart from that there is nothing special about it.

25 degrees... we were given a parka and I purchased an appletini. We got to keep the glass made all out of ice. (I put it in our RV freezer, LOL). The sculptures are beautiful and the bar was fun. When we left, the 50 degree weather outside felt warm! We then went into the hot spring! Fun day.

This was a interesting and must see tour, Beautiful Ice carvings , an Ice bar and a tasty apple martini. Loved this so much, you can even stay over night in an Iced carved bed and have a back up room in the hotel if it gets too cold to handle for about 600.00... Check this place out.

OK it was COLD. However the museum provides heavy parkas for everyone. You're going to need it!. Thise tour was an great experience, and our guide fantastic. The ice scriptures are exquisite. I like the naked lady of course, but the knights on horses with lances was awesome, The have a nice alter where you can get married (to late for me). Apparently the ceremonies are short. Then there is the ice bedroom where you can stay (there is a room at the Resort when you've had enough. The tour wrapped up with a mixed drink at the ice bar, in a glass made - yep - of ice. . The ice scrupter is a world renown artist.

This is actually pretty interesting and cool to look at. Worth seeing if you are at the hot springs. The reason I gave it 3 is because our guide LITERALLY knew nothing about anything. He was a great guy with lots of charm and charisma, but could not answer a single question. Even the simple ones, like, "What temperature do they need to keep things at?" or "How long do the sculptures last?" If it was a free tour, that would be one thing, but we basically paid to look at some cool ice

I came here as part of a tour I booked that included Chena Hot Springs and seeing the Aurora. We arrived right at closing time so the guy took quite a bit of us in at one time and tried his best to be a gracious host. When I say quite a bit, I mean more than 50 people. I mentioned in another review that the people in Alaska have a very relaxed attitude about Covid. I don't know about anyone else in the group but I didn't feel comfortable crammed in like we were but then again the plane ride over to Alaska was just as packed. The ice sculptures were beautiful and I lasted about 30 minutes inside before I started trembling really bad. It's very dim inside and I don't fully understand why that is. It may be because most of the sculptures are decorated with some sort of colored lights to help them stand out. I would have appreciated brighter lighting inside so that I could see the sculptures a lot better. What used to be the coca-cola bear had no lights shining on it at all so it stood basically in the dark. Unless you're getting the $15 drink they offer, 30 minutes is more than enough time to spend in here.

I would only go if admission price was included in an excursion. We went March 31. Admission to the museum was only every two hours starting at 11 AM. The last one was at 7 PM and there was a group of about 20 people. We had to stand around waiting for the host to give his spiel about the sculptures before we were allowed to walk around and take pictures. When we finally got seated and had our apple martinis poured, there was very little time left. We felt sorry for about five or six people waiting to get seated. They had about five minutes to suck down their martinis. The highlight of this tour was the delicious apple martinis. Therefore, I recommend paying for the martinis but not paying for the price of admission. Why not have more frequent admission times with fewer people? Have the host answer questions after martinis are poured!

Very small walkthrough for the price and non existent friendly staff. Did get a half smile from the bartender for the $9 tip on the $21 martini. Half of the exhibit was blocked off and could not see everything. And it was so dark you could slip or trip on a lot of things.

We didn’t do the Appletinis that we’re being sold hard to visitors, but I did feel the ice glass. Cold! The room is at 25-degrees and jackets are provided. We spent a half our in this place. Plenty of time to see it all!

Fun visit! The ice sculptures are amazing, and the appletini in an ice glass is delicious! Be sure to watch them carving the glasses.

What’s a cool experience but looks like they need maintenance, the Appletini isn’t my thing but I had it anyways since it’s the only option and it was good.

This place has a bar, you can have couple drinks. All made out of ice. It's about an hour duration.
Worth it!!!

A MUST DO for the whole family .
Be the first one in line and have your camera ready !!! The $15 apple martini is so fun and once in a lifetime experience!

This is a small museum but what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality. Plan your trip wisely as they only open for tours at select times. We took the early tour had lunch on the grounds then enjoyed a dip in the hot springs.

We drove from North Pole to see the Aurora Ice Museum. It's a pretty long drive, and the word I would use is underwhelming. If you are going to Chena Hot Springs anyway, see it. If not, I don't think I would reccommend making the trip just for this.

The drive out from Fairbanks is beautiful. I've been told that this drive is the best place in the area to see moose, but we didn't see any. We arrived and the signage was poor, so we had to literally walk the entire resort in order to find where to get tickets.

Once we found the activity center, we were told that we could get into the 3pm or 5pm tour, that all of the others were sold out. We chose the next available, and so had more than an hour and a half to wait. We walked the grounds, then sat by a pond and watched the ducks. For a loooong time. It was preferable to not doing the tour after the long drive out.

Once it was time for our tour, we walked as a group over to the museum. In the arctic entry there are parkas available for anyone who needs them. Once inside, there is an explanation of the exhibits and apparently apple martinis are available at the ice bar, if you prepurchase them at the ticket desk. That was not conveyed to us when we purchased our tickets...so failure on their part to offer the complete experience and miss out on potential revenue.

The option is offered to leave at the half-hour mark, (as there are procedures for opening/closing doors to prevent a change in temp inside), and we elected to go as we had seen everything there was to see. The groups for the tour are large and taking photos can be a challenge, as well as just moving around through the small space.

Our guide was Jace, and he was great at involving the group and explaining everything involved, so bravo, Jace!

This is a rare gem and we were glad that we went there. Ice scultures were unique but the main item was the Ice bar where you can drink a Appletini in a ice cup!

It is plain fun to done thick down coats ( provided) in the middle of summer and walk into a "ice hotel" ( yes you could spend a night there !!! ).
Do NOT "belly up to the bar"...but If you feel like: have an " Appletini " sitting down !

We were expecting it to be bigger, to take longer to see it all but to us it was still worth the drive and expense of seeing it. Some people complain about the expensive bar but nobody makes you buy a drink. Think about all of the time and talent that it took to create it, it's stunning. Very fun stop on our 10 day tour of Alaska!

Tourist trap is an underwhelming description. We had visited the Ice Sculpture Festival at the Fairbanks fairgrounds and .....WOW! The ice sculptures at the Ice Museum are not in the same class. We paid $17 dollars for the Ice Sculpture Festival and $20 for the Ice Museum. For $20 we were herded into the exhibit by Heather who seemed to be having a bad day or was being forced to do a job she did not want to do. She hurried us in and then hurried us out. We had 20 minutes to look around vs all day and night at the Ice Sculpture Festival (again let me mention $17). Don't waste your money. Go to the hot springs and enjoy yourself.

I would give this 2 stars based on the check in process. As it was, most people checked in at the activity center, then walked over to the ice museum. There was a small crows there already- maybe 10-15 people. The guide asked if they'd checked in already, and they said "yes" but I highly doubt they'd checked in at the activity center. In other words, those folks likely didn't pay to enter this place, but were able to enter anyway.

Now, for the suckers like my husband and me who paid the price of admission, was this "museum" worth the price of admission? Not really. There were a few ice sculptures that were pretty interesting, and the rooms in the back were interesting, but mostly it was just sort of something to do. A guest there told me that back in the day, maybe 10-15 years ago, the place had a lot of ice sculptures, and that it's currently a shell of what it used to be.

We didn't bother with the appletini, and I did see a lot of the people buying them, but it just seemed kind of like a gimmick that was not needed for me or my husband.

Ultimately, I'm not sad I went, but if we go to Chena Hot Springs with our kids next Spring, we won't spring for the ice museum again. I can show them the pictures I took, and they'll get the idea.

Well worth the drive out to Chena hot springs. The ice museum is super impressive and the owner is a fabulous host.

This was a waste of money. Saw everything in less than 10 minutes. Yes, there were 4 or 5 ice sculptures, and the "hotel rooms" were interesting, but not impressive. There was someone making "glasses" of ice for the appletinis, but no one in our group purchased one. Maybe I could have made a down payment on dinner at the hotel restaurant if I hadn't gone to this "museum".

The ice museum is part of the Chena hot springs resort and entry to the museum is batch wise like a tour. The entry fee of $15 is reasonable as it is a experience worth trying out.
The ice sculptures are beautiful and the place is well maintained. They also have a small bar set up inside the museum - the specialty is an apple martini ($12) which they serve in hand carved ice glasses.

We were already staying at the Chena Hot Springs resort for the hot springs and the aurora viewing tours. We got an admission to the ice museum as part of our package so we went to check it out. It was interesting enough, but I wouldn't venture all the way out there just for that. We left after about 20 minutes.

I loved this tour. It’s freezing inside but they have extra coats for guests to wear if they’d like. I grabbed one and I barely felt the cold inside, I just forgot to bring my mittens in as well. Great sculptures to look at, and there’s 4 rooms and an igloo to go inside and check out. I bought the extra drink package so I had an apple martini inside an ice glass. The drink does cost $15 while the tour alone costs $15, so if you get both you’re looking at $30, but hey, how often do you get to drink out of a martini glass made out of ice?

The museum is pretty small with a few exhibits. The highlight was the ice bar and Apple Martini that they serve in ice cups. Unique place and nice exhibits. They also have an ice bed, igloo and other things worth seeing once.

Fun adventure. It was part of an excursion we purchased and the Ice Museum is very interesting. Our guide was very entertaining and makes a great martini. It is a little pricey for the entire excursion which included either an hour time in the hot springs or a tour of the aqua garden and energy plant. We did the later two items which also were very interesting ... growing vegetables in -40 degree temps.

Visiting Chena Hot Springs with the natural hot springs, also don't forget to visit the Aurora Ice Museum - for a chilling visit and be sure to pre-order a icy drink!

Okay. So let me preface this with the fact that after you are allowed inside the museum, you're really on your own to explore the ice sculptures and it's your responsibility to ask questions and make it a museum-like experience. If you're okay with that, this place is actually very legit and interesting. We walked in, and first thing we witnessed was a guy in his workshop working on a piece. Continued on in and you're instantly amazed by the perfectly sculpted pieces, and then you see the bar and the rest doesn't matter much (yet). They offer appletinis on an ice souvenir "glass." Cash only and the guy was limited on cash so try bringing exact cash ($15 per drink) or purchase vouchers ahead of time. Our bartender was very well informed in the history of most pieces and the facts to run this museum year round. After the drinks kicked in, the rest of the place was more enjoyable and you definitely see the attention to detail, patience, SKILL, and time it takes to create these pieces of art. If you're in town, may as well give this place a shot!

Our visit to Ice Museum was indeed enjoyable..Had a great time watching the Video, taking pics on Ice trains, Sculpture making 1st hand. .....Good to see that Fairbanks has earned a niche on International Ice Sculpting map

It was fun to see this attraction. There were many ice sculptures inside it. The ice glasses were unique, and we were served appletinis in them. The time allotted to be inside seemed short for the number of people being served, but maybe they have to keep the time short to protect the interior from the sublimation that takes place.

Simply amazing like you are in an Ice Cathedral! Our guide/bartender was so friendly and made the most delicious appletinis for us to sip on in our ice glasses as we wandered around and checked it out ...from the bedroom to the igloo to the chapel...to just watching the guy carve the ice glasses...totally enjoyed it!

The tour leaves from the ticketing area, not from the front door. We made the mistake of running back and forth between the two and were freezing. The tour itself is not overly informative, but gives a bit of information about the ice sculptures and the rooms there. It was mostly just fun to see the sculptures and rooms. The apple martini is delicious, and served in a glass carved from ice, which is fun! It's well worth doing.

This is a cool experience but I wouldn't call it a museum. There is a small intro when your brought into the museum but then the rest of the tour is focused on serving drinks. It is cool to walk around the hotel rooms and see the different styles.

I loved celebrating my 50th state milestone at this ice museum and bar. The place is really cool (literally and figuratively) and the bartender, Keegan, is very jovial. It's worth a visit.

The ice museum was interesting and the martini- sweet. The martini is served in an ice martini glass. The hot spring, nice and warm and restaurant was delicious.

Included in our Chena Hotsprings and Northern Lights tour. Can get pretty crowded but it thins out fast. Wrap up warm as it really is cold. Some amazing ice sculptors and the colored lights really make for a good show. You only need about 15 minutes here. Choose the Appletini option if you drink alchohol as you drink from an ice glass sitting at an ice bar. $15 for the drink and gloves recommended.

It is an unusual place. Inside there is a bar that will serve you drinks in glasses made from ice. The glasses are made in the work shop at the from of the museum. If you are so enclined, you can actually reserve one of the 4 bedroom and stay the night

Beautiful, picture worthy sculptures. Sat at a bar made of ice and drank from a glass made of ice. Really super cool.

Very much worth the money. Not at all what I was expecting even though I had seen pictures. Don't be afraid of the cold it wasn't bad and they have you wear heavy coats. Plus you can go in the Springs after and warm up. Don't ride the horses it was a ripoff we were shorted 10min.and they are expensive.

This was a neat place if you have never been a an ice museum before. The sculptures and furniture are truly works of art and so neat to look at. The appletini is very overrated, although I loved the martini glass. :) Worth a visit if you are at Chena Hot Springs.

Beautiful place a must see and don’t forget to order the apple martini in ice glass! Delicious!

The ice sculptures are amazingly carved and back lit.

I don't know that I would drive to Chena just for the ice museum but if you are there it's a definite must. Great tour guide.

We made a trip to Chena Hot Springs to swim in the springs and to view the ice museum. It seems a bit of a tourist trap at first, but the ice sculptures are amazing. The Appletini served in an ice glass is $15- its large enough for a couple to share.

Happily, the drive to the museum from Fairbanks was lovely (no traffic). But really, you should plan to go big or go home. Don't only look at the ice sculptures--eat, drink a martini from a glass made of ice after looking at the amazing ice art, swim in the soaking pool, get a massage...plan to spend a few hours and a few hundred dollars.

Or do what we did.

We mapped the trip to arrive in time for one of the strict-start entries into the museum (get there 15 minutes early to park, find the lodge to purchase your tickets, and wait for the guide). The loaner parkas don't zip up, so bring some warmer clothes as well (it was cold as promised--and required--for the ice sculptures to stay frozen). We only stayed about 20 minutes in the museum before we had seen all there was to see. There wasn't too much to look at, but when are you ever going to see a bed or staircase made of ice? When else will you see a life-size ice polar bear or jousting knight? We didn't drink a martini, as we had children with us. We went to the soaking pool to have a dip despite the steep price-point, but when we saw you had to rent towels for $5 each (we hadn't thought to bring any), we thought that pushed the price-point out of our comfort zone. So we just left. If we were to do it again, we would bring towels and plan to do the whole shebang. Otherwise, it was a "meh" experience with a long drive.

I’ve never see anything quite like this! I would suggest purchasing the Apple-tini ice glass, it a unique experience.

The tour was ok and a little cheesy, but fun to see the workshop of the ice sculpture professionals and some of the couples works in the museum. But the fun was having a cocktail in an ice glass sitting at an all ice bar. If you are out at the Hot Springs, and enjoy a cocktail, check it out. When in Rome;-)

Liam was the best ice museum guide/bartender. Very knowledgeable about each piece and the museum itself. Lots of laughs. Great time 😃

The Aurora Ice Museum was an interesting take-in. Learned about ice sculpting, enjoyed seeing the carved items as a walk-through and photo op. Good learning and entertainment experience.

A lot of work backed by a lot of skill went into making the sculptures inside this quonset-hut looking building. And it's bigger inside than you might think. My favorite sculpture was the jousting knights. This is not an all-day or even all-morning activity. For us, it was about 45 minutes, and we took our time.

The ice museum carvings are truly amazing to witness. Must have the appletini served in a glass made from ice.

For me, the highlight of my ice museum experience was their apple martini. Drinking apple martini from a cup made entirely with ice was such a unique and unforgettable experience! In addition, after you finish your drink you can smash your cup and make a wish :)

We drove to the Ice Museum from Fairbanks and were pleasantly surprised with the resort. The hot springs look fantastic, unfortunately, we couldn't use them as they are for over 18 only and we had our daughter with us but they do look quite fun. The ice museum was incredible with the exception of the tour guide. The carvings are spectacular and clearly created by very talented people. Our guide was very patronizing and looked like she couldn't be bothered and she came across as very rude. This was the only downside to an otherwise great day. The restaurant/pub is good with some delicious food.

The movie that is played at the beginning of the tour has much to be desired; however, I will say it adds to the surprise when you see the ice sculptures. We didn't realize it would be as interactive and had a great visit. A great way to spend an hour in Fairbanks.

The Ice Museum is small ... and the tour is short ... but it is a fun look-see - the ice sculptures are lovely - we all are glad we visited it - and we unexpectedly enjoyed the cocktails in ice martini glasses.

We missed the 3:00 tour, so we paid our $20 each for the 5:00 tour and grabbed a bite to eat from the restaurant. We met the tour guide as instructed, and we all walked over to the Ice Museum as a group. When we arrived, there were approximately 30 more people waiting outside. The guide never asked any of them for their tickets, and just let everyone inside. A few people said they purchased tickets online, but looks like the majority had not paid. Of course the sign outside said you could not enter without a tour guide, but it did not say that you had to buy a ticket. Once inside, the guide spent around 5 minutes giving his canned spiel, then we were left on our own to walk around. Not really much to see. Forgot to mention that for an additional $20 you could purchase an Appletini in an ice goblet. Overall, we felt this was a waste of time, and felt ripped off since many others entered without paying. Other people we spoke with felt the same. If you go there, the Chena Hot Springs were nice, but I would skip the Ice Museum.

Must see .. Worth the time and money.. I love the tour guide who had great enthusiasm. Details kept you engaged. Loved the extra coats ...
Don't miss

The ice museum is not very large. There are a few nice ice statues, rooms and structures but nothing to wow you.

The ice bar is unique and impressive. With extra $20, you get an ice glass of appletini. Later you can smash the ice glass outside and make a wish. That was fun.

The tour guide is friendly. Overall, it is a good experience.

We could have spent hours more if we would had dressed warmer.
The highlight of our trip. After dark, it got even more beautiful. Make sure that you take a camera and lots of storage and battery. If you get lucky, one of the volunteers will be available for some of the background of the Sculptures and the carving teams.

It was very unique experience, very enjoyable. Great pictures were taken but I wish it was a bit more interactive . Also don’t forget to buy your drink token. No one told us and we missed out on the ice glass.

The ice museum was very pretty and interesting. Unfortunately, the experience was sullied by the rudeness, arrogance and self-promoting tour guide. He started by scolding us for not checking in at another building for our tour, saying all tours check in at the activity center, not at the museum. How would we know that? With great annoyance in front of the entire tour group, he radioed someone to check us in. (We had bought our tickets the night before, and the clerk made no mention of an alternate building for tour check in) Tour guide was very impressed with himself and made sure the tour group knew it. I certainly wish he would have given us more information about the sculptures.Instead his negative attitude regarding everything but himself, made the group look at each other in disbelief, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes. We paid a total of $90 for 3 tickets and 3 drinks in ice glasses only to be embarrassed and disrespected by a young man who clearly wanted to show off to make himself seem important.

We had a 2 person tour of the Ice Museum. Interesting to see the sculptures and tools. We missed the actual artists doing the work but was still a good experience.

I've seen Ice sculpture places before but this was special. I liked seeing the tools and work area and the sculptures themselves were pretty amazing. Part of our group tried the appletini's in the special, carved ice glasses. Very tasty. Our guide was informative and funny. Another group entered as we did and they were pretty disruptive but the guide did a good job 'wrangling' them!

The ice museum features many sculptures including horses, beds, ball designs, and even an ice glass you can drink a martini from. If you’re staying at the resort this is a must do.

The ice museum was interesting, but pretty small, and the tour guide did a good job, but kept referencing parts of the exhibits that used to be there or previously looked a certain way that they no longer do. I think it could be spun a little more positively so that the visitors don't feel like they're missing out on seeing things. We're glad we did it and if you're already planning to visit Chena Springs it's an interesting thing to do, but I wouldn't make a trip specifically for the museum.

The visit began with a 20-minute movie, then 20 minutes to explore a small selection of hands-on ice exhibits, followed by a demonstration of ice carving by the proprietor. There is an ice slide for kids and plenty of photo opportunities. Tours are given on the hour. There is a gift shop. It's a little underwhelming but very fun.

Enjoyed the drive to Chena Hot Springs too - saw a moose. The Ice museum was a once in a lifetime experience, along with the martini in the ice glass. They provide heavy jackets. Don't wear sandals as you are in 30 degree or less for over 20 mins. My toes got cold! The sculptures were fabulous!

You want to see cold and sculptures made of ice? That’s the place and if you need a drink to warm me up? You got it they have it. Dj played music for all ears.

The tour was supported to be 45 minutes. They allowed for those that wanted to leave at 30 minutes could. The rest stayed and drank their drinks.
We saw everything in about 15 minutes. That is all the time that was needed. The ice sculptures were fantastic. But 15 minutes was more than enough to ohh and ahh.

For the price (was 15 for an adult) you get 45 minutes of entertainment which is good. 20 minutes was a video that was pixelated and hard to watch. The video and projection needs to be updated big time.

Of course you are here for the ice sculptures. You get to play in the ice room for 20 minutes which was enough for the very small group we were in. Only 10 of us in this case. If a large group was there I'd expect it would be hard to enjoy the way we did. The host was a lot of fun and an artist that then ended with a 5 minute ice sculpting demo. We enjoyed watching his demo. Would have rated higher if either the video presentation was redone or the time in the sculpture area was much longer.

have always wanted to look inside, but are not usually there at a time it is open. it is cold enough year round to support good ice. it was very interesting. had seen a tour on TV previously.

Beautiful, Cold, and tasty drinks!! Bartender was funny and informative! We took some cool pictures and visited for about an hour, so bundle up and have a drink!

This is a fun, different type of experience. The film showing many incredible ice sculptures was nice. Getting to have our pictures taken with some beautiful ice sculptures was great. We were happy that they provided coats to go into the room where the sculptures are. Highly recommended.

You need to book this tour, but it is well worth the experience.
Located on the grounds you will experience ice carvings which are spectacular when lit by lights.
Guided through the museum, you will experience an apple martini in your own glass crafted from ice consisting of vodka and some sort of apple drink. Be warned they are potent.

We went to the ice museum as part of our day at the Chena hot springs. The tour itself is not long, then you have the chance to walk around and take pictures. We enjoyed watching the gentleman carve a glass from a piece of ice. He answered our questions and was friendly. It is cold in there. Be sure to grab on of the coats available.

Access to the museum is by tour time only. Check the website for tour times. Tickets to the museum are purchased at the Activities Center. I highly recommend purchasing an AppleTini drink along with your access ticket. It is not the best appletini, but it is a great experience to enjoy it in a hand-sculpted ice glass at the ice bar. As we entered the museum, we walked past the studio where the ice artists create all the ice sculptures. Steve and Heather Brice are the onsite champion ice carvers. Steve carved the huge scene of jostling knights on horseback. There was arctic flora suspended in ice, ice globes, an ice xylophone, igloos, and so much more. Everything was lit by undulating mood lighting. We spent about an hour in the museum, but guests have the opportunity to leave sooner if they so desire.

We’re a party of 6 handicapped family members. We were delighted that the ice museum could accommodate our mobility requirements. The gentleman running the place was very nice and knowledgeable. We enjoyed the aurora show and the ice museum. We highly recommend it for others visiting Fairbanks!

I love ice sculptures and previously visited the ice museum in Fairbanks. However, I was a bit disappointed. The sculptures were wonderful but I guess I expected more. They had someone making martini classes out of ice which was neat but at the one in Fairbanks, they had a video of the ice being removed from the frozen lake (?) and cut into blocks. They also had someone demonstrate cutting the ice and making different textures. They also had a huge slide. I preferred the one in Fairbanks.

This converted movie theater has a living room sized area kept at 20 degrees with multiple ice sculptures and many photo ops. The ice slide is fun. We paid $10 to get in. About right. Plan on 30 minutes here.

Our group of 6 read the mixed reviews. Yes, it is small and one could easily walk through in 15 min. But we are glad we went in. It was fun to put on the provided parkas in the 25 degree buidling. We had fun taking pictures in the "rooms", at the ice fireplace and at the ice bar. It was fun to watch the ice glasses being carved. considering the cost of maintaining this building, the cost was worth it!

The Museum is more of a collection of rooms with exceptional ice sculptures. The work and presentation was worth the drive from Fairbanks. There are other things to do at the Chena Hot Springs facility, but this was well worth it.

While back in the Chena area we decided to tour the Ice Museum. Beautiful sculptures within. Rooms in there are rented out to sleep in 🥶 It’s kept at 25° within. Only about a 20 min tour. Bring your heavier coat or borrow one of theirs that hang inside. Great information on different parts within. Interesting to see if you are in the area.

The ice museum is small but it was such a cool experience. I don't think I'd do it again but it's definitely something to try once.

This exhibit is located at Chena Hot Springs, which is a huge attraction and resort. Inside the museum there are some very lovely ice sculptures and an ice bar where you are served an appletini in an ice glass if you have purchased a ticket before hand ($15).

Not as many ice sculptures as I expected - but the drink (apple-tini) at the Ice Bar is not to be missed!

For young and old alike. This is a neat way to see the artist display of their creations in ice. Plus have an adult beverage in a ice glass.

This is must see. The museum is not that big but is very beautiful. They serve martini in the ice glass.

Drove all the way out there only to have guide's voice drowned out by two workers grinding out more martini glasses. Half of allotted time is serving martinis.

Once you get your online tickets, you’re directed to meet at the “Activities Center” where the tour guide leads you back across the ice covered parking lot to the museum. There are approximately 50 people waiting to get into the museum. Warm parkas are provided if you need (but, eewww-have they been washed any time this year????). The inside is much colder than you might think, and dark. There are no windows and only a few lights. The ice sculptures are beautiful, but the detail is lost in the dimly lit building.
The appletini was, meh. You have the option to leave after about 30 minutes if you are too cold. I left, I had my martini, took my pics and had other things to do.

Yes it was cold in there, but very unusual structure made of ice.
There was a bar that served drinks in frozen barware. Very unusual feature of this resort which had a cafe, airport and several overnight structures and a geo thermal heating plant.

I know when we were there it was the height of tourist season so we expected crowds. But they should of been ready for it. I feel they took way to many people on the the tour with only one person handling the tour and making the drinks Appletini. They ran out of the drinks and ice glasses that they serve them in. We were standing shoulder to shoulder 2 to 3 deep waiting to get our drinks and then moving around the museum. This probably would have been a wonderful experience had we not been run through like cattle. Once we got our Appletini the drink was really good.

We got to go to the Aurora Ice Museum! We were blown away by all the ice sculptures, rooms, & most of all the Apple-Tini!

We were a little unsure as to what we should expect from this place... but it was amazing! Thankfully they provided large parkas for us because it was quite icy inside, but with the parka, I was just fine- even though I had shorts on. The sculptures are amazing and you could spend forever looking at each one. We especially enjoyed the ice bar and the apple martinis they served in glasses made from ice. How cool!

This was a lot of fun. We have seen many spectacular ice sculptures so these were not extremely impressive to us. The ice bar was a lot of fun and appletini's were great! Kind of a pain to get the tickets and a really long wait in line for that. Overall a fun experience though.

The Aurora Ice Museum is really cool. The tour itself was short and fascinating. You get to explore the art solo and take tons of pictures. When you're done the guide will make you an Appletini, which was delish. They're served in ice glasses. Overall, it was a nice little museum. We really enjoyed our visit.

located downtown Fairbanks on 2nd Ave in the old Lancey theater is this museum. $14.00 admission with NO military/senior discounts. you start with a minute film on ice sculpture contests held annually in Fairbanks. after the film you will enter the "freezer" where you may slide down an ice sled ride, or take your picture siting on or standing behind numerous ice sculptures. very small gift shop at the entance.

Great experience. Awesome experience that many should try out. So much fun. If you have time make sure you bring proper clothing.

This was recommended by a lot of people in Fairbanks, so we rented a car and headed out. It was worth seeing, for sure. It's smaller than the photos look, but the ice carvings are beautiful. The tours go several times a day for 2 hours each. They give you a chance to leave after an hour and we did. An hour was fine. If you're drinking, which is an option, you may want to stay longer. Definitely worth a visit.

This is something we had not planned on doing but for fun glad we did. They have done a lot of work . Cool rooms you can walk into them and sit down in .

We were on a group holiday to Alaska and took a evening trip to ice museum. WE were provided with a van for transport and some form of commentary would have been helpful on the way. Craftsmanship of ice sculptures were excellent. Lighting could have been bit brighter to my liking. We were able to taste nice cocktail at the bar. They provide you with extra coat. It is advisable to have warm clothes and gloves

I think you're not supposed to go in the hot springs after having alcohol, but we waited a while after the incredible appletini in a ice carved martini glass, then drank a lot of water before and after. About 25 degrees inside the ice museum and 100 degrees in the hot springs. An amazing contrast. The ice sculptors were there (husband and wife). Everyone gets a heavy coat but you should still have a sweater or coat of your own and gloves, if possible. Hard to handle the ice martini glass and you might want to miss this since it's such fun. The ice sculptures are amazing. Interesting that some have been there, and maintained, for a long time. Recommend buying tickets in advance (we did). Even though we arrived 15 min early, it takes time to get everyone ready for the tour. Also only a certain # of people allowed for each tour due to the number of coats available. It's a long drive and it would be awful to get there and find they're full for the time you planned.

Loved the ice sculptures. Don;t miss a trip to Chena Hot Springs. The food, the springs and the ice museum are great.

We had a wonderful experience at Aurora Ice Museum. To see different sculptures,rooms,stools and many other things made with ice is incredible.

This experience is difficult to share in words too.
For 15 dollars they serve you wine in an ice glass which is an unusual and great thing. But don’t forget to take your personal identity card because without it they don’t serve alcohol.

People generally break their ice glass once they come out to have fun.

This place is cold to wear enough woollens including gloves.
Though they provide you with heavy coats if you want but still I will recommend one to be fully prepared.

One is not allowed to touch any thing .

We enjoyed it thoroughly.

Amazing ice sculptures that we really enjoyed. Don't forget to try out the Apple martini in the ice goblet and break it outside. I wanted to take it home instead !!!

This place was so neat! The tour guide was funny and knowledgeable. The ice sculptures and rooms were beautiful! I would definitely experience the appletini in an ice glass.

This is a scheduled tour. You will have to be aware of the showing times to make sure you are there with enough time to buy your tickets and walk up to the museum area (short distance from ticket purchasing building). I suggest you buy the drink option since at the end of the tour you'll be able to be part of the 'ice drinkware disposal tradition'. It was fun!
They provide you with a coat, but I suggest you bring your own if you don't want to 'share' a used coat. Worth the cost of the ticket!

Enjoyed touring the Ice Museum with my family. The ice sculptures are amazing and it was fun learning about the various stages/history of the different pieces. You can even get married there! They provide parkas before you enter if you don't have warm gear, but I recommend gloves for sure, especially if you spend the extra money and get the apple martini in the ice glass. Don't forget to take your glass with you and make your wish.

Enjoyed the ice sculptures very much. The ice bar and apple martini in an ice martini glass was a big hit.

Good place to visit. A bit touristy but worth ther visit. The hot springs are a must. Make sure you get a seat at the ive bar!

What a fun time in 25 degrees! We had fun checking out the beautiful sculptures! Wow! And the drink, so with the money, I mean, when will you be in an ice house and drink from an ice glass??

The ice museum contains well-maintained ice sculptures and cool rooms, no pun intended. Get a martini at the ice bar in an ice martini glass....!

While the road getting to the resort was all ice and very slow going, it was worth the trip. The Ice Museum was fun and fascinating! The ice art was incredible and the appletini in the ice glass from the ice bar was a perfect addition to the experience.

Actual visit date: June 2017 - Hubby & I drove up from Fairbanks to see the hot springs and stayed for the day visiting everything at Chena Hot Springs. It was a warm day - nothing like shorts and a wool coat inside an ice museum. Good ice sculptures.

Have a fun time with seeing great ice carving, a martini in and ice glass, nice atmosphere, and you get even a parker if you have not the right warm clothes with you,BUT make reservation this is really important.

I have been in a few different ice bars, but this one was certainly the best so far. The tour was great, the ice art work was very impressive. My girlfriend had ordered the apple martini it was sweet like an apple jolly rancher.

Great fun and unsurprising extremely cold. Very enjoyable and interesting experience. The Apple Martins in an ice goblet are not cheap but well worth the money for the experience.

This was such an amazing place! The ice sculptures were beautiful and the rooms made into hotel rooms were unique as well as beautiful! Definitely glad we got to see such an amazing place.

Such a neat attraction near Fairbanks! The ice museum has incredible intricate details and is the work of a husband/wife duo. The left of detail they have put into the ice castle at the Chena Resort is phenomenal. The jousting knights on horseback is worth the trip to the museum alone. We enjoyed the ice glasses and taking part in the tradition to make a wish and crush them upon exiting!

Fun and unique place to see. They provided coats which was nice. We really enjoyed exploring it. Definitely worth a visit!

Funny how trip advisor and Google show they're open yet we wasted two days coming by for a guy behind the door telling us closed. Why? We'll never know.

They show a short movie first on ice sculpting and then you go into the room to see the ice displays. You can take pics on them and they have a little ice slide the kids loved.

This was worth the money, well displayed and beautifully lit ice carvings. They lend you a coat at the door. For $15 more, you can get an appletini in a martini glass made of ice.

We believed all the hype about the only US ice hotel etc. . So off to the "ice castle"we went. We had to drive over one hour once you turn off the main highway from Fairbanks. The trip we felt wasn't worth it. The building is a metal building with ice carvings inside. The international ice carving festival had more carvings in Fairbanks .
We got the tickets at the store by the hotel. It took us several attempts to get the tickets. First, we went to the hotel. She told us" no ,you have to go to the yellow building". So, we went to the yellow building. We stood in one spot that had a ticket sign for tours and when we didn't have anyone come over, we went to the gift shop. They told us we must go back to the spot we started . Someone would help us eventually.....
They only have 4 tours a day so we waited until 1 PM. By this time they had about 25 people to put in a small space. They then lock you in?! The best part was watching the man make ice goblets for the bar . We would not recommend driving to this area just to see the this .

Place was interesting but much smaller than I expected.. the appletini was very good .... would recommend if you are already up there, not sure I would drive up in snowy weather just got that

I don’t really know what I was expecting prior to visiting. The ‘ice museum’ is in a hangar on the Chena Springs resort. It is hard to say it is a museum and would be better placed being referred to as an ice display. You arrive and go through some large wooden doors than take you to the entrance. You can grab a coat, if required but we didn’t find it too cold and were sufficiently prepared with just gloves.
You then pass an area where they do sculpting and then get to see some pieces. You are then led to the bar. There are about 4 ice bedrooms at the end of the ice display. There are also other ice sculptures. We were with a child so we’re done in 10mins. Those without children were there for much longer, enjoying the martinis at the ice bar. It is somewhat over priced for what it is and the marketing is very confusing. The guide was very limited and as such it was a self guided walk around. I am not sure the connection with Chena Springs and the plane on stilts outside. However, it does go along with the state of confusion that you get when you arrive at Chena Springs.

Really interesting to see and Andy provides a quirkiness to the tour. I would consider it something you have to see when in Fairbanks.

There's video is interesting on what goes into ice sculpture.

We recently visited the Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs. The ice museum is amazing and the ice sculptures were gorgeous. Enjoyed an Appletini in a frozen glass. The only draw back was that we were ushered out as apparently the tour was up sooner than we had wanted. Worth the price of admission.

Generally, we thought Chena Hot Springs Resort (the location of the museum) was a rip off. It is very worn and tacky with minimal services, bad food in the restaurant (it is the only place to get food for many miles) and the rooms are pretty awful, BUT the Ice Museum is kind of a kick. Campy, in a way. To get the full effect, I'd suggest going whole hog and buying in for the Appletini in a hand carved ice glass for $15.00.

Small ice museum located within Chena Hot Springs/hotel area. If you are coming here just for the museum it may be a bit small for the distance you have to drive. The skill and time that goes into these creations are amazing! If a piece breaks off a sculpture they are able to add ice and "glue" it back together. They have an ice bar where they serve you drinks out of a hand carved cocktail glass, pretty neat. the drink is $15, not strong, mostly apple flavored but you pay for the experience.

You can’t go to Fairbanks and not go to see the Ice museum. With a film about the northern lights and ice sculptures it is a great place

This was a very cool experience. It’s a short walk through tour through some amazing ice sculptures and you can even stay overnight in one of the 2 “ice bedrooms”! We stayed for the $20 apple-tini in a glass made out of ice, but that was a bit of a waste - unless you want the full experience and like apple-tini! The tour guide, Carlos, was very pleasant.
VictorB

This museum was fun -- loved our guide and enjoyed seeing all the ice carvings. Seemed like a number of the carvings were still in progress so it felt a little underwhelming, but not terrible. I definitely recommend it if you're going to the Hot Springs, just for something fun and different to do. Definitely get the Appletini for the experience of drinking it out of the ice glass. Then smash the glass outside and make a wish!

I wish we could have stayed longer in the Ice Museum and had a couple more martini's.....our tour went really fast (not sure if this was because of COVID). There was not much social distancing at all but it was very difficult to do so with a large group in the small space. They had coats with hats and gloves from small to extra large for those who needed/wanted them. It would have been nice to see some ice carving in action - perhaps that is done during the early tour; it was not part of our evening tour. Nonetheless, it was a unique experience that should be done when you visit Chena Hot Springs Resort.

Some neat ice sculptures. Some really large. Hard to get decent pictures and the woman leading the tour was rude and seemed like we were bothering her just by being there.

After riding the 12 hour Alaskan train from Anchorage to Fairbanks we rented a car to drive to chena hot springs because we were told by several people that it was a must visit. It wasn’t. Perhaps it was the time of year at the end of April that ther was not much going on. So we decided to view the ice museum. For $15 each we were led into the museum by a worker with very lame jokes. An ice sculptor was at work but no explanation of what was being carved or how. Only an introduction that the carver was world famous. Into the museum there are a carving of a woman, two jousters, and a big face. Then 4 rooms that you walk inside that look like ice bedrooms. And an igloo empty inside. The rest of the museum is a beautifully carved bar of ice complete with ice stools. Unfortunately the only drink offered is a $15 ‘famous’ appletini served by the tour guide. We chose not to have one and were on our way after about 12 minutes

It is absolutely worth going there to the the sculptures and the light. It is a great area and attraction to walk around with young kids and appreciate both things: the museum and the environment around it. My kids loved it.

Went just to see the ice sculptures but just had to try the Martini even though I don't drink Martinis, but served in an ice carved glass I couldn't resist.

What can I say? It could have been better. Drinks (non-alcoholic) could be included with admission for the experience of drinking from the ice glass and having something to do. We can see the entire place very fast, so there should be some kind of distraction or entertainment to keep people engaged for the duration of the tour.

We had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The bar has fur skins in the ice bar stools so you can relax while sipping your apple martini out of a glass martini cup. The ice is definitely fun to check out - some pieces are 14 years old! Fun for the kids too, but I didn’t see many kids on the later tour. A must if in the area!

Really awesome to see some ice carving. Have a drink from an ice glass. The carvings were amazing to see. They did stuff with ice I couldn't even imagine.

Interesting but little disappointed in the tour. The tour was very short, the museum was small and we didnt see anyone other than construction workers working with the ice. The guide was nice and the appletini was good but not really worth the $40 (tour is $20 plus $20 for the drink). Checked it off the bucket list but probably would not go back.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend going here. The sculpting and craftmanship is beautiful. The appletini was quite nice as well. :)

This is a significant distance to drive to get here, my elderly mother ,.my son and I drove from Fairbanks after we travelled over 3,000 miles to get to AK. Drove to Chena Hot Springs Autos ice museum for a tour. We arrived at 7:01 in parking lot, and the large group of 40-50 people were just walking to the doors and lining up. By the time I walked to the Activities office it was 7:05 pm.
I tried to buy tickets for my 81 year old mother and my son (so they could see the ice museum we had told her about). The young girl at the counter refused to let us on the tour because we were five minutes late. I told the girl-"we just saw a huge group of people walking over there!" She said, "We can't it's 7:05." I returned to the car and spoke with my daugher who lives in Fairbanks. My daughter said did you tell them this is Grandma's only opportunity? My daughter decided to go ask. My daughter walked to the office it was now 7:10- the same girl told her the "because you are 10 minutes late we can't do it, if you were only 5 minutes late we could still do it"...Wow! What pathetic customer service! My daughter told the girl that her mom was here when we were only 5 minutes late and you wouldn't sell her tickets. Clerk just kept making excuses. This is was such poor customer service, and disappointing that these employees have no sense of quality or good service and they don't care. She was indifferent as if it was as simple as walking across the street to return again tomorrow. There is so much to see and do in the Fairbanks area, if you are on a time schedule like we are- skip the Ice Museum and Chena Hot Springs because your business doesn't matter to them, they don't need you or care if you come ever...

Tourist Trap. Terrible experience. Over priced and most of the sculptures are old and in disrepair. Not worth the money, $84 dollars for two adult entry tickets and Appletini drinks totally wasted on a broken down exhibit. Aurora ICE Museum needs to invest all the money they ripped off past tourists with and actually take care of the Ice museum, rebuild it, and give you the experience you paid for. Please for the love of God, if you’re reading this and thinking about going, don’t. Save your hard earned money, gas, and time driving to this remote location. If you do go it will only lead to disappointment and you will leave feeling like you were taken advantage of. I’m writing this review to save others from being disappointed, period.

When I read the title as museum, I thought it must be large enough to see many things. It much smaller than we imagine. The martini is not that great. Just another tourist destination.

The museum is under construction but it is a cool thing to do while in Fairbanks. We enjoyed the Appletini and the environment. We didn’t get to see a sculptor working. It’s about a 45 minute tour and people were leaving sooner. Wear your warm clothes and embrace the fun of being in an igloo! Let others go first then enjoy the back areas with no one back there!

I give the Ice Museum a 5 star rating based on the absolute uniqueness of the experience. This is a climate controlled (25 degrees) building which houses all things ice - the walls, the bar, the chairs and stools (covered in animal pelts), a castle, an igloo, exquisite carvings, and even real rooms that you could choose to stay in overnight, for an additional price. Our tour included an apple-tini served in a handmade ice glass. Delicious! They make about 200 of these a day and you can watch the craftsman as he works. After laying in the ice bed for a photo op, go inside the igloo. You have to sing here in the igloo! Stand in the middle of it and sing. It is absolutely the best acoustics of anywhere I've ever sung! Short tour, fun experience, great tour guide, delicious libation. Dress warmly.

The ice museum was a really unique attraction and was really interesting. The downside was that they had sold way too many tickets for the tour of what is a relatively small space, especially the bar area. I'd recommend they run more frequent tours and limit numbers

The museum is beautifully lit with lights accenting beautiful ice sculptures, an ice bar, rooms to stay the night. You are served an appletini in a freshly carved martini ice glass (if you paid in advance for the drink). The fellow carving the martini glasses from a block of ice is also interesting to watch. Definitely the coolest (27degrees) that I've ever shared a drink with my travel buddies.

So it was interesting, but maybe just not what we thought. We did the 3 pm tour and there were 43 people in the group. And it’s a pretty small space! We were expecting a tour with some information but the tour leader basically just opened the door and turned us loose. Not bad, just not what we expected. The bar experience was fun, but maybe offer two cocktails instead of just one? Overall, it was fine. Just a little underwhelming.

My wife and my adult son drove up from Fairbanks for the day to do the hot spring pool and the ice museum. The museum was really cool. I liked it a bit better than the one in Fairbanks, but that may have to do with the martinis we were being served in Cheyna. If you are a Georgia Bulldogs fan, keep an eye out for the hidden Georgia 'G' that is somewhere in the building. They have coats you can use if you happen to be there when it's warm outside. Didn't need them in April as I was already dressed for freezing temps.

The ice sculptures are simply magnificent. They also have a hotel in the museum where people can actually stay. We watched them make the appletini glasses then serve the drinks.

Hands down this was one of favorite stops! The sculptures are amazing, and to top it off Appletini’s at the ice bar! A must do!

Great for your teens Instagram or snap chat story. But 15min max. It’s the only thing at Chena hot springs you could consider. The rest of the resort is a tourist trap and absolutely way too expensive for what it is. We were with a 6h tour but could have left within 30min. Not worth it.

Some interesting ice sculptures by local ice carvers, a cool bar where you can have a $15 Appletini (we passed) and a couple other small bedrooms (not being used). Overpriced at $15 when you only need to be in there a short time, because there’s not a lot to see, and because its 24 degrees!

Went to the ice museum as part of a tour group. It was 20 to get in and the an extra 21 if you wanted an appletini drink out of an ice glass. Exhibit had some interesting pieces but seemed like none have been updated for years and one of the small rooms was closed. Would only recommend if you were at the hot springs already.

It was exciting to see Heather (world champion) at work demonstrating ice carving. We were impressed by the detail and enormous size of the sculptures.

The apple martini was deeeelicious. Drinking from a sculpted ice martini glass made me giddy. We followed custom made a wish and smashed the glass once outside.

You can pay extra and spend the night in of the ice-beds. They provide proper gear and blankets. We did not try it thought.

The 45 minute tour is guided and takes place every couple of hours.

The coca-cola bear was my favorite sculpture.

Very unique experience. At 25F the Ice Museum was warmer than the -25F outside.

Great add on for the Chena hot springs. We did not do the martini because that seems a little expensive. Its in an ice glass which I would not have been able to do anyway. I was too cold...LOL They give you parkas when you walk in but I wish I would have thought to bring my hat and gloves. 25 degress inside.

The museum isn’t very big but it was a fun experience and drinking an apple martini in a frozen martini glass was super fun. The sculptures are beyond amazing.

Came 10 years ago and amazing how much it has changed... As in how almost nothing has changed but everything that was there 10 years ago is looking so sad/bad. So many things are “work in progresses”, tools were just laying around and looked messy, no ice carving was going on… they didn’t even carve the outrageously expensive ice glasses for the drinks in front of you. I truly wish we could get a refund as they shouldn’t be able to get away with charging for this when you can go to the world I’ve championship for free or the ice art park for less. I would maybe spend $5 at most to go see this, but I would not recommend. Chena, you really need to get your act together and invest in this if you are going to charge this much.

Ps- the only saving grace was the guide/bar tender. He was funny, engaging, positive and just so great. I hope he gets a raise because he kept peoples attitudes positive.

If you go up to the Hot Springs, the Ice Museum is worth the extra $15 to check it out. We enjoyed it almost as much as the hot springs.

The tour guide for the museum was so kind! He offered to take videos and pictures for all of us, and he made a great appletini! The ice museum was beautiful and definitely worth a visit!

We wanted to see it, but we were crammed in with a bunch of people as close as we could possibly squeeze. Beautiful ice sculptures. Would have loved to hear more about the process from the artists instead of general info about people falling down and stuff melting from a guide who didn't seem too interested in being there. It's a cool thing to see, but 10 minutes would have been enough.

Cold inside, but OK with provided parka. Large sculptures impressive. Best part was ice bar. For additonal charge you get an ice glass filled with appletini. Hard to drink out of glass, but fun. Hard to believe that some people have their wedding there and stay in ice rooms. Once outside, you throw your glass down as you make a wish. My wish was that the mosquitoes would go away.

A great tour of the Ice Museum. Get the Appletini. This ice glass & martini are great. The tour by Garvin our guide was fun. It is a constant 24 degrees so bring a hat & gloves. They provide a heavy jacket...wear it.. You are in the room for 45 minutes so stay warm..

Incredible works of Ice Art, and amazing location to enjoy a drink or two. Hopefully they begin serving more than just 1-2 apple martinis, to more drink choices. Bring a good camera as ice and low light makes it difficult to take good picturesin this environment controlled room. (Its actually warmer inside the Ice Bar here than the outside AK winter!)

I appreciate the incredible artists of the Ice Sculptures
Having experienced the most AMAZING Ice sculptures in Kirkenes, Norway....this was a huge let down. Albeit brilliant in the ice carving...there was hardly anything to make a $15 entry ticket worthy. I am sure the talented artists will agree when compared to Kirkenes.I suggest a reduction in price for entry.

My wife and I took our 9 year granddaughter to the resort this past weekend. She was real excited to see the mueseum and play in the resorts pool. She had a great time see the ice carvings. She was wearing flip flops and shorts inside the mueseum and found it to be cold.

This museum was really awesome. Guided tour and amazing ice sculptures to see. You can even buy a martini in a martini glass made of ice!

Is it worth it? Yes! It’s a fun thing . . . And it’s a hotel too . . $600 per night for each room. There is an ice bar . .

They have coats for you to use, but on the day we visited they were wet. The sculptures are amazing, I had fun taking photos here. You can rent out the place for overnight visits, but we were told no one makes it all night! A tour and a visit to the bar are enough. The Appletini is served in a glass made of ice. I enjoyed sitting on the carabao covered bar stool and drinking. I would have had another if it was an option. There was a wedding scheduled in here the day after our visit. No thank you!

This was part of our Chena Hot Springs excursion, but certainly not the highlight. It's a small space, obviously very very cold, and not very interesting. We purchased the appletinis, which were served in ice martini glasses--not the best drink I've ever had.

Okay, you see the dome shaped building in all pics. That's the museum but that's not where the tour starts.

It was very cold and we were all lost, finding out where to buy tickets because ours was a same day plan and we couldn't buy online. It was extremely cold and we saw a registration desk. From there, someone guided us to a place marked ACTIVITIES......this is where you buy tickets and the place where the tour begins. They have a small cafe so if you are waiting for the tour, you can grab something to eat too. You cannot visit the museum apart from the tour times. It's locked otherwise. HOLD ON TO YOUR TICKETS.

So the tour guide then unlocks the museum and takes you inside. It is a very small and dark place. It was so cold in Chena the day we visited, that we found the museum warmer.
There are a couple of sculptures and small igloo type rooms. Avoid taking backpacks as they could damage the sculptures and also hinder your movement inside.

The tour duration is of around 45 mins but you will take around 10-15 mins to check out the entire place. So if you are not having the famous appletini, you will be done in that time and you have to ask the guide to let you out. The apple martini is okay. But if you are driving back, do not have it.

Overall, it's a one time experience. Enjoy!

Cool museum, the sculptor making the martini glasses (who also was the employee of the month) was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain the process to us.
Not your average museum!

We made the scenic drive up to Chena Hot Springs to check out the Ice Museum (couldn’t enjoy the hot springs because we had littles with us). Our guide did a great job of sharing the history and adding humor to the tour. The sculptures were amazing, and we loved hearing about how they were created. The appletini was the perfect end to this stop. I would definitely recommend!

You will tour the whole museum in 5 min a bunch of sculptures and its a1hr from Fairbanks.Would not do again then you have to pay 15$ for a drink.

It could have been better. There were some neat things inside and but overpriced. This could actually be included in when you are staying at the resort. Drinks are good but overpriced as well.

Great! Few places you can experience this. If in the area go for it! The oldest sculpture is 16 years old. Some were done this year.

Yes, the price is a bit much. Yes, it is cold when you go into the "Ice Museum".

That being said, it is 100% worth it. First off, you are provided parkas before entering the museum.
A quick run down of its history and you can roam throughout the museum. If you dress appropriately and can handle the cold, stay towards the back of the crowd. You won't be rushed and can enjoy each sculpture, room, and area.

We took our three children (4, 6, 13) and we all enjoyed this experience. There is an Igloo with an ice Xylophone, rooms to check out, an ice bathroom (not to be used, lol), and at the end you get a Apple Martini inside of a hand-made martini ice glass. You get to keep the glass, but it doesn't make it very far after you leave the Museum.

We would recommend appropriate clothing (i.e. sweater, socks/shoes, beanie, gloves), a camera, and a tip for the bartender.

Would highly recommend this on your travels to Fairbanks.

Nice little tour, Its just one warehouse size igloo with ice sculptures and a couple different themed rooms. They also serve Apple Martinis in ice glasses (for an extra $15) which was cute. 30 mins to 45 mins is enough time to do this activity.

The best part of our visit to the Aurora Ice Museum was the beautiful drive up and back. The snow covered scenery with the mountains and trees, with the dim light of long sunsets, it was amazing. The ice museum itself was disappointing. You must go in tour groups into the museum at specific times. Our group probably had over 100 people in it which made it very cramped and busy inside the museum. The ice sculptures are beautiful and they do some amazing things but it would be so much a better experience if you were able to go in at any time with fewer people going through.

This museum was definitely a tourist trap (not that we weren’t expecting that). The grounds weren’t very well kept (bathrooms were dirty and smelled and the hot springs didn’t appear to be well cared for) and the “tour” of the museum was lackluster. The guide tells you to stay on the carpet and not touch the ice. Be sure to note you can only view the museum during the times listed on the site. You can’t go in on your own outside the tour times.

Apple-tini is a rip off, but again we figured it would be. We only purchased them for a photo opportunity and to at least try them (not very good btw). The sculptures were cool, but the museum is small and there are very few to look at. If you are near Fairbanks in winter go to George Horner Park which has over 200 sculptures and ice slides for $15.

We took the tour of the Aurora Ice Museum on a day trip to Chena Hot Springs and thoroughly enjoyed it. The museum is located in a large Quonset hut on the property, which is kept at below freezing temperatures to preserve the ice sculptures inside. Parkas are provided, but visitors may want to bring gloves and hats. The ice sculptures inside are beautiful and range in size from small, but intricate globes to life-sized knights on horseback. In addition to the ice bar, where appletinis are served in glasses made from blocks of ice, there is also and igloo and two bedrooms in the back of the Quonset which visitors can enter. The guides give the backstory on a few of the larger pieces in the museum. There's a work area by the entrance where visitors can observe the carvers at work. The tour was nearly fully booked when we visited, which made it a little crowded.

This is fun on a hot day. They give you an extra coat to keep you warm. The ice sculptors are so talented.
Trust me, pay the extra $15 to drink an Appletini at the ice bar from an ice martini glass.

If you're at the Hot Springs, a tour of the on-site Aurora Ice Museum is definitely worthwhile. Shaped like a giant igloo, the entire museum is made out of ice blocks, and everything inside is ice, including the 4 guest rooms you can actually pay to spend the night in. A couple of dozen ice sculptures, some of them amazingly intricate, make up the main focus of touring the museum, and according to our guide, everything in the museum is maintained by 2 on site expert ice-carvers. All quite extraordinary and beautiful. The admission price of $15 per person seems a little steep for a fairly small museum, but I imagine the constant upkeep (including climate control when it isn't frigid outside) must be considerable.
If you care to imbibe, there is a bar carved entirely from ice also (with caribou covers on the bar stools) where you can drink an appletini from a martini glass also hand carved from ice. The bartender jokes, with a perfectly deadpan face, that the souvenir glass is yours to keep. At $15 for a drink that cost $7 at the restaurant bar the appletini also seems pricey, since you've already paid the $15 entrance fee to enjoy the ambiance, but what the heck. Sometimes you just pay for the experience. Your time in the museum/bar is limited to about 45 minutes, by the way.
My one question- the bar in the restaurant serves a drink called an Aurora Martini, which is essentially an appletini with layers of grenadine and blue curacao, so I wonder why that's not the drink they serve in the Aurora Ice Bar?

This museum is exceptional. The detail and work involved in creating this museum is a must see. Make sure you plan ahead as there are specificly scheduled visiting times

Loved this museum. Lucked out and got to see the artist at work. Beautiful sculptures. You can get an apple martini and enjoy it while at the bar. You can also spend the night if you are brave enough. Worth a visit.

Chena hot spring is far from downtown, you can drive your rental car here, and visit this after hot spring and dinner.

They have your visit hours like 1, 3, 5, 7pm, we joined the 7pm tour after dinner.

Price is $15 for adult and $10 for kids over 6. Martini in ice glass costs another $15.

I will rate this as average, but we have driven so far, let’s visit the spot as well.

We visited the museum as part of our visit to the Chena Hot Springs Resort. This is a little but nice museum. My 7 year old boy enjoyed it. Also, the Appletini served in the ice bar, is delicious!

Our guide was so detached, not much explanation finished the tour in 5 minutes. We just walked around. The sculptures are amazing. There was a workshop . wanted to know some more details. just for the experience we tried the $15 horrible martini

It’s a cool place to go once. It’s 25 degrees inside and everything is made from ice. They have an igloo and stairs and different rooms. It is smaller than you would expect. You get a cool appletini at the end in an ice martini glass and once you’re done you can throw it outside and smash it out front which is tradition.

From the appletinis in ice glasses to the amazing wall of ice and sculptures to rival any gallery-this was a world class exhibit with the fun down to earth flavor only found in Alaska!

The ice museum was quite pretty. Many beautiful sculptures and ice art with things frozen inside of the ice. It was on the smaller side only needing about 15-25 minutes to tour the whole building.

One less than convenient aspect of it is that you need to sign up for one of their guided tours to be able to enter the building. Each ticket costs 15$ and once you get in, they lock the door and you cannot leave until the whole group leaves. I feel calling it a guided tour is a bit of a misnomer because they just brought us in and that was it. We were running late to the designated time and despite telling us we could catch up to them, they locked us out of the building. We had to go all the way back to the activity center to get someone else to open the door for us. After we got inside, the “tour guide” sped at us and in a somewhat accusatory tone asked us how we got in and where we came from.

Other than the ice sculptures and other ice art they also have a small ice bar set up. At the bar, they serve only one drink, an appletini in a cup carved out of ice. The drink costs 15$ and they only take cash. While the cost of the drink is a bit overpriced for what it is, the novelty of the ice cup somewhat makes up for it. We got 45 total minutes inside from 3-3:45. It was a good amount of time for what it all is. It is something to do once maybe.

We had to travel a bit out of Fairbanks for this ice museum, but it was absolutely worth the trip. The skill, craftsmanship, and overall experience was just outstanding. It was an impressive display of creativity and ingenuity, with a tasty little appletini (an optional add-on) to boot! We found the tour guide to be entertaining and personable. We were a bit late for the first tour, so we had to wait in the cafe for the next one (2 hours later), but it was still a good experience. The cafe lattes were nothing to write home about, but we entertained ourselves for a bit and were pleased to have seen the museum. Before we visited Black Spruce Dog Sledding, this was my husband's favorite activity of our trip!

The museum gets better the more you investigate it! Every corner has something and the light displays are perfect. I LOVED their ice chiseled chandeliers that hosted warm colors! We had a short line to get tickets, our tour guide was great and when we went inside, it was refreshing to be out of the "cold" weather outside LOL(we were there in January 2019) The apple martinis were yummy, just do it, it makes the experience special. You get to take your ice chiseled glass and get to smash it outside too. They have guest jackets for warmth if you come in the summertime (it is open year round).

Waste of money would not suggest. you see a few little ice scupltures. If you want to see amaizng ice carvings good harbin ice festival.

I loved this! Although we decided against swimming in the hot springs. There were many in the water having a great time.

Cold inside, so where a jacket. It is nice to get some info and for sure the sculptures are amazing. If you are driving out to the Chena Hot Springs and you are there, I would take the tour for sure. YES, the sculpture artists are amazing and the place does have a interesting history. We happen to be there at the same times as the international world art ice championships. There were so many sculptures on display there, and we happen to be at the championships before going to the museum! Either way, still worth a visit if your out in the area.

We didn't go dressed for it (wearing flip flops) but still very much enjoyed seeing the immense talent displayed in this unique venue. We stayed through the entire time allowed (parkas are provided but bring your own gloves & hats). It was cold but well worth a little shivering to completely enjoy the sculptures inside. You can lie down on an ice bed, climb into an igloo, play an ice xylophone, or even sit at the ice bar & have an apple martini in an ice glass (extra fee for the drink). Definitely recommend seeing this if you make the trip to Chena Hot Springs...just do it before the hot springs instead of after when your hair is wet :).

This was part of our Aurora Borealis tour that we took. But It was fun to do on its own. The over priced appletini was part of the experience.

It was fine. We felt like we should do it since we were there. The lighting was ok. The sculptures were of good quality but was a bit kitchy especially after seeing the world ice championship in Fairbanks. Best part was them making the glasses that you can get a cocktail in. My daughter and wife were done after like 15 minutes.

this was such a unique experience. I really enjoyed it. You have to have an appletini. It's an experience of it's own.

Though it is a bit of a drive it was worth it.
The ice sculptures there are amazing and very detailed and being able to see the tools and ice blocks that the sculptors work on was great.
Definitely get the Appletini they offer served in the hand sculpted ice glass; VERY fun!
Parkas are provided as the interior is around 25 degrees F and pants are recommended as you are in the Ice Museum for 30-45 minutes.

A unique experience. Don't forget to eat in the restaurant while you are there and take a dip in the hot springs. Will be going back for the Northern Lights soon.

Most of the ice sculptures were nice. Some were melting and dirty. The guide mumbled and was not informative. He didn’t appear like he didn’t enjoy his job. He picked and choose who he gave the extra appletinis to and was irritated when people didn’t leave after his mumbled announcement.

I should have known there would be trouble when we had to sign a waiver before we arrived for our Ice Museum visit. Why would that be needed? Strange.

Well, we got out of the car and had no idea where to go to meet the tour group. We started walking across the parking lot and both my husband and I fell. The parking lot is a sheet of ice and it's pitch dark outside. We had NO TROUBLE walking at any other location during our trip to Fairbank...just here. Needless to say, after falling, I was in a bad mood. And yes, I was wearing snow boots with grippy bottoms.

The museum was a large metal garage that is 25 degrees inside. I thought it was going to be an igloo made of ice. Nope. They have ice sculptures inside that have been there for years. It's fine. It wasn't really a museum tour as much as it was a way to make money. They packed at least 60+ people inside the bar area of the "museum" and the tour guide yelled out information. There is no "tour". He yells out info and you can walk around to see the ice sculptures. Supposedly you can stay in one of the 4 ice beds inside the museum for a huge amount of money, but I have no idea why you would want to do that. There are no doors on the bedrooms inside and no bathroom. Count me out.

They offer a $15 appletini in a homemade ice glass. You have no choice of any other beverage - that is all they have. I think the best part of the visit was watching someone making the ice glasses and then smashing the glass in the snow outside.

We left right after the tour. The drive to and from Chena Hot springs was terrifying and not recommended unless you have a 4 wheel drive with studded tires. Even then, be careful.

We did not go to the hot springs or do anything else at the resort. But I can tell you that this place was BUSY. The restaurant was packed and the community center where we met our tour was filled to the brim with people.

$15 admission for a once-in-a-lifetime experience(at least for me it was). All the ice sculptures in this museum are flawless. Definitely a memorable experience. Pay $15 extra to get an appletini served in an ice glass.

Jose was a great host. Loved the apple martini. Quite the experience to drink out of a glass made of ice.

This museum has some interesting sculptures, such as the jousting scene. You get a guided introduction and then you are free to wander through the exhibits. They also have a bar, where for an additional cost, you can get an appletini.

The tour of the Aurora Ice Museum was fun, interesting and unique. Our guide’s personality added a lot to the experience. We appreciated being able to borrow parkas to stay warm (it’s ice after all…). I might have appreciated a bit more light inside the museum, and we were all disappointed that there wasn’t a live ice-carving demonstration during our tour. To avoid disappointment, it would be good to let guests know ahead of time which tours will feature a demonstration and which won’t. We didn’t purchase Appletini’s, but those guests who did seemed to thoroughly enjoy that part of their tour. Highly recommended.

We absolutely loved the ice museum! Our guide was excellent at explaining the history of the resort and the museum, as well as at explaining interesting details of the many carvings in the museum. As we entered the museum, we were all given big, warm parkas to wear - something we greatly appreciated as we were dressed for the hot summer day that it was outside. Inside the museum, after the guide finished talking about the carvings we had as much time as we wanted to see everything up close, including the ice bedrooms!

We found this to be unique, fun, and well worth doing.

Well worth the long drive out to the Hot Springs. Great tour int he ice museum. It is open 365 and stays 25 degrees in side. They have a full size sculpore of two knights on horses jousting. 4 rooms setup a couple with ice beds where you can actually spend the night in there. Plus of course they also have an Ice Bar where for an additional $15 you can get an appletini in a ice carved martini glass that you can take with you. Take the time, go enjoy this place.

If you go to Fairbanks, rent a car and drive 1 1/4 hours to China Springs Ice Museum. Ice sculptures are great, ice bar is " cool" and if you are over 21 you must get an Appletini in a martini glass made from ice!

Beautiful ice carvings. Rooms and decor are unusal, but very neat to see. The Appletini is well worth the cost. Dress warm.

Fun to see the things that can be carved out of ice. I learned they charge $600/night to sleep in the ice museum, but they said most people don't make it through the night. LOL The martini in an ice glass was awesome. Glad I did it.

This museum is located at Chena Hot Springs. The musuem made of ice is housed in a building where they can keep the temperature freezing. Impressive ice sculptures backlit with colored lights. Ice chandeliers, 4 ice hotel rooms where you can spend the night for a mere $600, kept warm by caribou skins!

For an extra $15 they will serve those over 21 appletinis in a carved ice glass at the ice bar!

Interesting museum but pretty small. Not what I was expecting. Crowded and was hard to look around. Expensive for all it is. The ice sculptures were beautiful but not worth the price. You can pay to have a drink at the ice bar which we didn't do but it was pretty lame. The tour guide acted as the bar tender also.

Visited the ice museum and the guide was great but the ice and the ice carver lacked luster. The carver did not speak to anyone, I was hoping for a 2-3 minute talk on what she does and how she does it. also, the carvings were just ok and I really thought there would be more. The lights were so dim, it was difficult to get pictures. Glad we tried it but will not be doing this again, a bit disappointed.

The ice carvings are amazing. Each group gets about an hour to walk through the carvings. Warm Parkers are provided. Recommend bringing gloves if you get cold. Many photo opportunities. Fun for adults and kids as well. It was cool (pun intended) to watch the ice martini glasses being formed. The appletinis are good but overpriced. Very small portion. This is kind of a ” been there done that” experience. No need to return.

We visited the Aurora Ice Museum while we were at the Hot Springs and had a great time. You can only get into the ice museum during tours at specific times, so plan accordingly. It is very cold inside, but jackets are provided. Incredible ice carvings and an opportunity to drink an Appletini out of a glass made out of ice. Great place to see, if you are going to the Hot Springs.

We enjoyed the Aurora Ice Museum at the Chena Hot Springs resort. Lovely ice sculptures in a 25 degree ice house. They provide you with a heavy parka coat to wear. Closed toed shoes are a good idea! Also drank an appletini in an ice martini glass at the ice bar. Afterwards, we took a dip in the hot springs. Totally unique experience and I'm glad we went!

2 sizes of coats are available to put on in the 1st room, you then enter the “working” area where the artists work their magic & then on into the main room with all the fun & wonderful ice structures! Pay extra for the appletini martini in your own glass made of ice & sip away at the ice bar or tables near the fireplace! Just have fun!!

My husband and I had fun exploring the ice museum. The carved ice is quite exciting to behold with flowers sealed in ice and intricately cut ice abound. Lights highlight the artist's masterpiece. We had an apple martini and sat on the ice stools covered in fur and sat on the polar bear ice bed. It was so pretty!

Definitely a novelty. I’m glad we went, it was interesting to see! And their workshop where they carve all the ice is right upfront. You can actually rent a room and stay inside of it! I don’t think I’m up for that but it was definitely an experience! You need to go into the activity center and schedule a tour. You can’t walk in any time. They have an apple martini bar. Everything is carved out of ice! Your seat, the bar, the glasses! It is all very cool! We didn’t get the martinis but we still enjoyed the experience!

Was disappointed in this exhibit, some of which was actually damaged and much repetition. In addition was charged $20 for a $15 ticket as advertised on their website, which was checked after the fact. Have been to ice bars which I found to be much more worthwhile. Save your money.

We were not sure what to expect- it was fun to see - a long drive to get there- but the scenery is always great!!

The ice sculptures were very cool and seeing the ice hotel was fun (definitely would not want to spend the night there though). Highlight was the ice bar and the appletini in the ice glass. This is a must do!

This was not on the original travel plans, however my borther that lives in North Pole took the family and I to the museum.
This was great. The different sculptures within were amazing. The lighting was great.
I would definly bring hats and gloves. The coats provided were sufficient.
You should also partake in the Appletini. It is served in a glass made of ice.
You do have to enter and exit as a complete group. So you may have to stay a little longer than you anticipated.

Loved the ice sculptures and the ice glasses. You can rent the ice bedrooms. The appletinis were delicious.

Unreal, I was amazed at the art work all made from ice. Make sure you take lots of photos and order a drink at the bar.

The Ice Museum was kinda cool (pardon the pun!). The ice sculptures were nicely done and well-lit. The 'hotel rooms' inside the Museum can be rented out and those that choose to do so are given plenty of items to keep warm. There's also an ice bar to get a drink which has to be purchased at the time you purchase tickets to get in to the museum.
This was a fun thing to see, but not sure I'd go to see it a second time.

Really amazing ice carvings and entire ice house. Worth checking out. Went with my 15 year old son and he enjoyed it as well.

If traveling from Fairbanks, or passing through, remember the construction will slow you down. So will areas that make you feel like your in The Duke’s of Hazzard lol. We barely made it on time.
Definitely just bring a jacket at least and gloves like recommended.
Very cool to the everything in side. If you saw pics online or in a brochure, no point telling you what’s inside. But if you visit this area, definitely check out Chena Springs and their Ice Museum. Kids loved it too.

We've never seen ice carved that intricately! Expensive, but tasty Appletini in an ice martini glass to drink during your 30-min. stay. Lots of photo opportunities. Bundle-up -- it's cold!

We had such a fun little day outing from Fairbanks here! For $15 a ticket, it was a nice price for our family of four to experience the ice sculptures. We had fun taking pictures and watching the sculpting of the ice. Make sure to bring gloves though, we forgot and our hands were frozen by the end! But they provided parkas so we weren’t too cold. My fiancé and I loved the treat of the appletinis and breaking the ice glass at the end to make a wish! Definitely recommend to experience followed by a day pass at the Hot springs next to it to warm you back up! Fun, short day trip to enjoy a couple of hours for any family (with older kids like ours, wouldn’t be ideal for little ones)/couple.

Definitely worth visiting while you’re at Chena Hot Springs and it’s much better than the Ice Museum in downtown Fairbanks.

The sculptures here are well done and worth about 30-40 minutes, maybe a tad longer if you’re having a frozen martini.

The ice sculptures were beautiful. The setting was unique. We really enjoyed wandering around and taking pictures. For people ages 21 and up, you could get an Apple-tini in a martini glass made of ice. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience for me.

This place is a must see! The ice carvings are amazing -- jousting horses, bedrooms, etc. Don't miss out on the appletini in the carved ice glass.

The ice house has some cool pieces but it’s extremely small and a handful of the pieces were melted.

If you are staying at the hotel and want something you do for 20-30 minutes and take photos then it can be fun.

If you are driving from Fairbanks which we did to go see it, it’s not worth the drive and overpriced.

Went here today for a tour and it was a nice 45 minute tour in 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Also we had an appletini as well at the bar in the museum.

Very different and unique, however wasn't very big and you only spend 30 minutes inside. As such it seemed a bit overpriced for the experience

It was fun. The tour guide Ann and the young man shaping the glasses out of ice were a lot of fun and the appletini was very good, but we did feel a bit rushed in drinking it. The museum is fascinating, but small. I'm not sure I'd do it again. The hot springs were relaxing, but the dressing rooms, spa and pool area seemed a bit dirty.

Bring a camera. The ice sculpting is masterful. The appletini is a fun touch too. My only regret - wish I could stay longer!

The museum is right next to the Chena hot springs. It was really cool to see all the ice sculptures and we were able to see one of the artists at work. The only drawback is the beverage they offer is as expensive as the admission to the museum and probably not worth it.

This was a very unique museum and had so much to offer, however our tour guide was very difficult to understand, not customer friendly and truly should not be guiding small groups. The sculptures were fabulous And we wanted to know more about them however the lack of command of the English language and volume made it very difficult. It would be beneficial to have a more knowledgeable tour guide and decrease the size of the tour groups to 15. The drinks were great and we were told the tour guide would only take One picture of us. The gentleman that was at the door was pretty clueless and really should find another position. For $33, it could have been a much better experience, with a knowledgeable tour guide, microphone, and smaller group. Hopefully, whoever reads this will make these changes so that others can really enjoy this truly beautiful and unique piece of art.
Btw... drinks were good.
Chris p
Texas

Amazing works of art. About a 30 minute tour but it's enough time to see it all. Never knew 20 degrees was so cold, dress warm.

We toured the ice house while out at Chena and it was very enjoyable. The art and rooms are nice to see, but we more enjoyed hearing about the construction, maintenance, weddings and other happenings over the years. Spend the extra money and have the cocktail in an ice glass --- it's all part of the fun.

If in the Chena Springs, AK area you have to tour the Ice museum. It doesn't take long (but check tour times prior to going) and will be a once in a lifetime experience. The appletini wasn't great but the martini glass made 100% of ice was cool. Very dark inside so be prepared with night cameras. Jackets are provided so no need to worry about being cold (unless in shorts or sandals).