Minnesota Ice Palace Forced Into Early Permanent Closure

On Monday, I shared that the family behind the Minnesota Ice Palace announced this would be their final season of operation.

The popular attraction had drawn many visitors since they initially opened a couple of years ago, but this year will now mark the end of an era.

With plans to welcome guests for a few more days before closing down forever, visitors would have the opportunity to enjoy the popular winter attraction just west of the Twin Cities one last time before it shut down for good.

That was the plan. Now it looks like the end of the Ice Palace has sadly already arrived as the family behind the attraction announced some disappointing news on Tuesday.

What happened to change the Ice Palace's plans?

The Ice Palace Minnesota on Facebook

While the Minnesota Ice Palace had hoped to be open for the upcoming weekend, unseasonably warm temperatures that shot into the 50s across much of southern Minnesota on Monday created unsafe conditions for the attraction to continue.

In a social media post on Tuesday afternoon, organizers shared the following statement:

Unfortunately, due to the warm weather and for the safety of our guests, The Ice Palace is now closed for the season.

As we shared on Sunday, this season will sadly be our last in Minnesota. We are grateful for the many wonderful visits and the memories. Thank you for making our time in Minnesota so special.

This brings a sad, unceremonious end to the Minnesota Ice Palace after first opening in Minnesota in 2022.

Why is this the final season for the Minnesota Ice Palace?

The Ice Palace Minnesota on Facebook

As I explained in my article on Monday, last year's warm winter only allowed them to be open for four days during the 2023-2024 season.

This created what they called "significant hurdles" as they tried to bounce back from investing all of the time, effort, and money into opening the attraction for what amounted to only a couple of days.

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While they did get a longer season this winter, the family behind the attraction felt they would be unable to continue beyond this season.

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Gallery Credit: Tony Hart