Though many folks across the country may be tired of cold and snow, the following is a recap of my recent encounter with cold and snow — ice, actually — as you've likely never seen it.

On Saturday, Brianna, Andrea, Jim and I took advantage of free tickets I received to review the Ice Castle at Breck, one of only three such icy palaces in the country. (If you're in Colorado, be sure to see the giveaway below for a chance to win tickets to the Ice Castle at Breck.)

The Ice Castle at Breck is located in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado. The other two structures in the U.S. are in Utah and New Hampshire.

The structures are built by hand and made only of ice. Exactly how that's done is like this, according to the Ice Castles website:

We start by “growing” more than 5,000 icicles each day that we harvest and sculpt together.  Newly placed icicles are then drenched in freezing water.  The blend of icicle placement, changing temperatures, water volume, and wind result in an astonishing variety of ice formations. And so all of the beauty you see at the ice castle is a unique blend of an artistic eye and mother nature’s work. We repeat this process once or twice a day, depending on temperatures. and after about a few weeks of growth we can create very large towers, tunnels, archways, caves, caverns, and safe pathways for pedestrian exploration.

The frozen beauty truly is something to behold, a one-of-a-kind experience. I've created a photo gallery featuring just a few of the 1,000+ (seriously) photos I took during our tour of the Narnia-like Ice Castle. You can see my full photos by clicking over to the Breckenridge Ice Castle gallery in my Brag Book, but here is a glimpse:

The Ice Castle at Breck was breathtaking, with incredible sights — large scale and small — around every corner, changing with every lifting or lowering of one's gaze.

My family and I spent two hours roaming the icy blue corridors. Still, we came away wishing we could stay longer, until after dark so we could see the Ice Castle aglow courtesy the LED lights encased in the ice. Tickets are good for all day, so we could have if only we had planned the day trip differently. Both of my daughters hope to head back to the Ice Castle at Breck before it melts away for the season so they can see the icy exhibit in its nighttime glory.

IF YOU GO:

Address: 150 W. Adams Ave., Breckenridge, CO

Phone: (888)407-4054

Website:IceCastles.com/Breck

Hours of Operation:

Monday-Friday: 2-10 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: noon-10 p.m.

Ticket Prices:

General Admission, age 12 and up: $10

Children 4 to 11: $8

Children under 4 years old: Free

Military / Seniors: $8 (must show ID)

Season Pass: $30

The Ice Castle at Breck will close for the season toward the end of March. For more information, visit the Ice Castle at Breck website.

GIVEAWAY

If you live in Colorado — or will be visiting before the Ice Castle at Breck closes for the season in March — you're invited to enter to win four tickets to the Ice Castle at Breck (a $40 value), courtesy Ice Castles. Just enter via the Rafflecopter widget. Entries accepted through midnight Monday, January 27; winner will be drawn by random.org January 28 and notified by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received free tickets to the venue; photo and opinions are my own.