Every holiday season, the Gaylord Rockies upstages their previous year. Welcome to 2022 and Gaylord Denver’s 45 days of Christmas, with millions of twinkling lights, the return of ICE!, all-new Cirque show — and many more holiday experiences. Read on for why the Gaylord Rockies Christmas is the place to take my family — and yours — each year.
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Review of Gaylord Rockies Christmas in Denver
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I LOVE Christmas. Lights. Cheer. Presents. Christmas music. All this Christmas makes me happy. Everything about it, but most of all, tis the season to make even more time to spend with my family. And Gaylord Rockies is always at the top of our family’s Christmas wish list.
Read More: Past years of our Gaylord Rockies family holiday adventures
The winter holidays are hands-down our family favs, especially in Denver as there is so much to do and see in the winter, from Denver’s downtown holiday lights to the Broadway shows.
With the addition of the new Gaylord Rockies just 8.5 miles from DIA, families now have another holiday tradition to add to their list: Gaylord Rockies Christmas events. Here are all the reasons why you should take the family — and continue the holiday tradition.
This year, my daughter-in-law and three grandchildren (ages 4, 8 & 16) joined me to celebrate Gaylord Rockies Christmas. Read on for a look at this family holiday celebration.
ICE! is back!
My 4-year-old grandson was stoked for this holiday attraction. In preparation, their family watched the Charlie Brown Christmas the night before our visit to the Gaylord Rockies. My now 8-year-old granddaughter and 16-year-old grandson had some idea of what to expect with the new ICE! display.
And we were all thrilled to enjoy our favorite scenes from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” via hand carved sculptures with more than 2 million pounds of ice!
Bundled in Gaylord’s blue parkas in 9 degrees Fahrenheit, we strolled through more than 10 scenes from the classic, with ice carvings ranging from smaller than your palm to more than 30 feet tall. From Snoopy to the rest of Peanuts gang, we also were amazed and awed by the colored ice !
Always an ICE! favorite for kids of all ages is plunging down the slipper two-story slides and slipping into the the tunnels and arches, made entirely of ice!
TIP: And be sure to look around the resort for the iconic Charlie Brown Christmas trees!
New Cirque Show!
After a long day exploring and experiencing all there is at Gaylord Rockies, I’m never sure how the littles will do once they sit down to watch a 75-minute show. But I was surprised! They were enamored, even the youngest, with the constant flow of acts on the stage. (Although the last 10 minutes, we were all getting hangry and sleepy.)
Jugglers, trapeze artists, aerialists, wire walking, dancing, singing and storytelling — you’ll discover it all as the story of Noel unfolds while she recaptures her love of Christmas in this family-friendly performance.
More Indoor Fun During Gaylord Rockies Christmas
Discover more than 3 million dazzling Christmas lights around every bend of our resort.
Once you exit the Christmas ICE! feature (this year A Charlie Brown Christmas), get ready for fun shopping in Mistletoe Village.
So many tree decorations and themed gifts featuring the Christmas at Gaylord Rockies theme. Free to browse, but you’ll be oh-so-tempted to buy! Get your photos with Santa at the Father Christmas Library.
At another soon-to-be family favorite, Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions offers cozy and warm fun with your jolly host, Mrs. Claus. She reads holiday classics and sings Christmas carols with her elf partner – inviting the audience to join in! This was my youngest granddaughter (age 6) favorite last year, and bonus was the photo opp after the show!
Your kids can even choose the always popular Build-A-Bear Workshop . Two years ago, my oldest granddaughter and I added an interactive experience by decorating a gingerbread house or together – so fun!
Glacier Point: Outdoor Fun for All
Unlimited snow tubing, ice skating, ice bumper cars, the new Snowball Build and Blast, and so much more. Chill seekers rejoice! Bundle up and step outside.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Minimum height restriction for the ice bumper cars is 48 inches. My 4-year-old grandson is 43 inches and was extremely disappointed. Restriction for riders for snow tubing is 40 inches tall. He wasn’t a fan of the latter, but did love the ice skating rink.
Make It a Family Getaway at the Gaylord Rockies
After a long afternoon into the evening enjoying Gaylord Rockies Christmas, our multigenerational family is exhausted. It was so convenient to simply take the elevator to our room, instead of driving the 30 plus minutes home.
The best part? This year, the Gaylord Rockies is offering perks and special access to overnight resort guests. Attractions tickets are required, but the added perks to overnight guests include:
- “Chill pass” privileges to ICE! with front-of-line access and shorter wait times.
- A free for eligible guests invitation to “Extra Cool Hour” providing early-entry into ICE! and Mistletoe Village one hour before opening to day guests.
Read my review of the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Denver, Colorado