The Spectacular Ice Bars of North America

Ice bars are something different in the bar scene. Ice bars are actually made of ice, and include the usual things one finds in a bar. These include tables, chairs, the counter, walls and floor. To keep the ice in place, the temperature must be maintained below freezing, often at about 10 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius. This means that you need to dress properly, like you are attending an Illinois football game in January or cross country skiing in the outdoors. Some bars limit customer's time in the bar to prevent frostbite. Most bars can offer guests warm clothes to wear in the bar. Often ice bar are part of a complete ice hotel, but some of the most famous ones are not. Here are some famous ice bars in North America. Many of the ice bars are only open during the winter months.

Turns out the largest year round ice bar is in Orlando, Fl and it is called Ice Bar. The bar is cold enough that it lets guests stay only 45 minutes depending on the events and season of the year. It will cost you a $15 cover charge to enter, but on weekends this is a bargain. Live entertainment is often available on the weekends. The Ice Bar is on International Avenue. Just look for the snow and ice sculptures.

Red Square, Mandalay, Las Vegas, NV - Yep, Las Vegas does really have everything or you won't care if it doesn't. The Red Square, a Russian themed restaurant does have an ice bar. The ice doesn't extend to the whole room, but the frozen bar makes for a cool ambiance in the bar. The specialized vodka in the bar comes highly recommended by most visitors. In 2010, another ice bar opened at the Monte Carlo right next to something called the Inferno bar. This ice bar has everything in ice, including the chairs, tables and glasses. I think the idea is when you get cold, you can go off the Inferno bar and back. Hmmm.....

Hotel de Glace near Quebec is a complete ice hotel with an ice bar. This hotel is only open from January through March. You can book on line and they offer a special that includes a room at the near by lodge in case your ice hotel room becomes to cold. This is a good idea unless you really love cold. Nights during winter can drop to 40 degrees below zero. The hotel bar is all done in ice. Even the drinks come in ice glasses. You can visit the bar and tour the hotel area without staying there. The ice bar is located in Duchesney. Since this is Quebec, speaking French will be a great help.

Alaska has an ice bar at its ice hotel. The hotel is in the Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs Resort 65 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska. Taking things perhaps too far, a former ice sculptor has built a prominent ice hotel complete with bar with ice glasses. The museum/hotel boats tons of unusual ice sculptures along with the total ice bar. If you don't want to go as for as the Chena, there is an ice museum in Fairbanks called the Fairbanks Ice Museum. Full of ice sculptures, the exhibits feature an ice bar as well.

Yes, there is an ice bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Chambers Hotel. It opens every winter in late December and keeps going until the spring. The ice bar is actually outside, but is a full bar. The area is also full of ice sculptures by the Eden Ice Chamber which builds the ice bar each year. Not sure how popular this bar is with the natives, though, since they can sit a an ice bar just by walking outside their front door. Rochester, Minnesota also boasts the state's longest ice bar during their winter festival.

Of course, we cannot leave out the mobile ice bar. On the Norwegian Cruise Line's Epic there is an ice bar put in in 2008. Long a tradition in Norway, ice bars are now coming to cruise ships. The bar is the complete deal with ice chairs, walls, tables, and the counter. Drinks come in ice glasses. The Epic will be sailing in the Caribbean in the future. This offers guests an interesting way to cool off.

Other establishments that feature ice and specialty vodka are Nic's and the Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills, the Manhattan Bulgarian Bar in New York City, the Ice Bar in El Paso, the Dupont Hotel in Washington DC, the Portland Harbor Hotel in Maine, and the Ice Boutique and Nightclub in Long Beach. If you like ice bars, they are usually found at medium and large size ice sculpture festivals. If you go to these festivals, you will most likely find an ice bar to enjoy.