printersdevil78 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Shortly before Thanksgiving, I saw an ad in The Washington Post for the Gaylord National Resort's 2010 ice sculpture exhibit featuring "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and immediately decided I was going to see it. I told my family I had a surprise for them and made them save the date. And then... my stepdaughter-to-be got sick, so I ended up going alone and eating $50 worth of tickets (which was better than the full $90 I would have lost had I not gone at all). The good news is, the show was amazing, and I have the photos to prove it! Read on.... See that green inflatable dome thingy? That's where the exhibit takes place. Let's go! "Nobody gets in to see 'Ice' without paying $30, not no way, not no how" Incidentally, parking was an additional $10. And I don't mean Vanilla! OK, OK, we get it already! Sheesh! It's funny because it sounds like "Maryland." But I thought he lived at Universal Studios.... Can you guess what this tree is made of? If you said marshmallow Peeps, you're right! If you said anything else, you made the Peeps sad. The "Ice" show was just one part of a whole "Christmas on the Potomac" program the resort had going on. Indoor ice skating was a nice touch. These carolers were a lot of fun. Their 15-minute show (free!) helped pass the time while I waited for my timed-entry ticket to activate. "I am the great and powerful Grinch! And it's time for you to see me made from ice!" The cue for the exhibit wound through two secondary displays beginning with "The Art of Dr. Seuss." It's a portable exhibit, and I actually first saw it several years ago during a Dr. Seuss event in Ocean City, MD, but it was still fun. I especially enjoyed the background items, like this rough from "The Cat in the Hat." I love this poem! I specifically sought it out this time so I could take a picture of it. Apparently it made this fellow a little horny! Fun fact: In addition to illustrating everything from advertisements and propaganda posters to children's books, Dr. Suess also was an abstract painter and sculptor. The second "secondary" exhibit basically consisted of a few signs with information on the team that designed the ice sculptures, along with video interviews and demonstrations. It was interesting, but not photogenic, so I took the liberty of skipping ahead, photo-wise, to the parka pickup. Why parkas? Because the tent housing the ice exhibit maintained a constant temperature of just 9 degrees Fahrenheit! Hmm... this looks somehow familiar. "Ice: How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is brought to you by cold, refreshing Coca-Cola, proud sponsor of the Bryan and Adam Show! "What ville?" "Who-ville." "He's on first." Just watch out for the yellow Who-houses.... The Whos are getting ready for their three traditional winter holidays: Who-Christmas, Who-Hanukkah and Who-Kwanzaa. But the Grinch says, "Who-cares?" "Look deep into my yellow eyes...." I'm calling the Who-SPCA! Guess he already blew down the ones made of straw and sticks. By the way, check out the massive line behind him for the ice slides! FYI, the earliest "roller coasters" were 17th century Russian ice slides. Look it up! "Forget about the slides! There's Who-hash to be had!" "Ta-ta for now, dahlings!" Oh noes! Turns out the Whos don't care about material goods. Oh well. More for the Grinch! Ah crap! He went soft on us! Had this been a real dog, that Santa hat would have been in about 30,000 pieces by now. Roast beast is people! Rumor has it Cindy Lou Who is quitting the exhibit to audition for "Glee." But wait, there's more! In a bonus room, the carvers sculpted a full Nativity scene from clear ice. It's just like the plastic version from Walmart... only different. You've heard of the herald angels? This is one is 12 feet tall and made from ice! Across the parking lot, the resort building itself also had some Christmas attractions. Let's take a look, shall we? The synchronized music, fountain and light show in the main atrium was pretty awesome! It was like World of Color East! It's a little difficult to make out in this shot, but they had a little train running beneath the giant Christmas tree that kids could ride at $2 a pop (three rides for $5). The hotel has a year-round tribute to Dr. Suess, with a series of bronze statues representing his characters scattered throughout the first floor. I'm not exactly sure why, but at least they were kind of neat. It was impossible to photograph, but along this avenue of trees, the resort also sprayed Disneyland-style "snow" a couple times in the evening. The crowd really went nuts over it--which is ironic when you consider this was the area that got 4 to 6 feet of the real stuff during last winter's "snowmageddon." And, of course, the hotel lobby was decked out, as well. That's it! Hope you enjoyed! Merry Merry, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwm1444 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Looks pretty amazing - thanks, Jason! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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