ICE - Family Travel Fun at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas

The nativity scene carved from ice by the ice carvers of Harbin, China for the Gaylord, Texan
Resort ICE Festival in Grapevine, Texas. 

Santa's Workshop at the
Gaylord Texan Resort

by Tannith Bata

From the moment you pull in to the Gaylord Texan Resort you know Christmas is here. Lights hang from every tree and line the roads all the way up the drive. The hotel, located in Grapevine, Texas, is a sprawling Christmas masterpiece about 25 miles from downtown Dallas and Fort Worth and 15 minutes from of the DFW airport. 

Once inside the hotel Christmas magic continues with an atrium decked out like Santa's workshop. We were lucky enough to be invited guests at the Gaylord Texan Resort and got to experience all the bells and whistles of this truly unique and wondrous exhibit. You can purchase your tickets online in advance or at the Texan. If coming on the weekends during the peak hours of 5pm-10pm it would be best to purchase them ahead of time. There is ample parking that is clearly marked and will run you $15 for your entire stay. 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
is the theme of the 2016 ICE
Festival at the Gaylord Texan Resort

As you make your way down to ICE you can slowly feel the temperature drop and you have lots of options for short stops along the way. Whether it's at the wine bar, the toy store or the steakhouse is entirely up to you.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" has long been my favorite of the old Christmas classics. So I was utterly delighted with a whole evening centered on this movie. I was not disappointed. After donning our parkas and having our picture snapped against a green screen we got to journey into the winter wonderland. The 15,000 square foot cold room is kept at chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit so that the 2 million pounds of ice used to create these sculptures retains its shape and detail. The three ice factories in Ohio, Georgia and Texas begin making the ice

Santa Claus & his penguin
side-kick Topper

for the exhibit a year in advance. The ice is brought to the Gaylord Texan Resort in 48 semi-tractor-trailers. Which means they are already hard at work for next year. 

While it is chilly inside ICE, you are so caught up in the wonder all around you that you barely notice. The scenes from this beloved Christmas movie, were carved by 36 Harbin ice carvers that spent a total of 11,160 hours to complete the magical setting. it's hard to believe it's all ice. The sheer size of some of the pieces is jaw dropping. The ice climbs the walls all around you and your fingers

Santa Claus & the Winter
Warlock 

quickly wish you'd remembered gloves. (Tip: bring hats and gloves for little ones)

As you wander through all the scenes you will come across On the Blocks ICE! Bar for those 21 and over with an added coupon. For those of all ages there are 5, 2-story ice slides! My 3 year old son couldn't get enough of the very slippery slides and the adults even gave it a go.

On the Blocks ICE! Bar at the
Gaylord Texan Resort

Just when you think you're finally cold enough that you want to leave you come upon a crystal clear ice nativity scene. It is truly a breathtaking creation, not a bubble or a cloud is allowed in the ice for the nativity. 

Tubbing is an optional add on to your ICE experience or it can be purchased as separate activity.  There are multiple activity packages available on the website.

Kids & adults love the 5
2-story ice slides

When you step out make sure you stop for some hot cocoa and Gigi's cupcakes because they have some of the best frosting I've ever tasted and not to brag but I've tasted a lot. For your final stop pick up a copy of your family photo ($25) or something festive from the gift shop.

We truly enjoyed this outing and couldn't get over the splendor of the hotel at the most wonderful time of the year. Once again thank you to Gaylord Texan Resort for inviting us out to visit.


Merry Christmas
                                                                       
                                                                                     ~~~

Tony, GB and Tannith, at ICE at the
Gaylord Texan Resort

Tannith is a stay at home mum and wife who enjoys crochet, sarcasm, her family and ingesting copious amounts of coffee. She is and avid baker and enjoys sharing recipes on her blog. You can check out her blog or follow her on Twitter or Instagram @FranklyTannith

Travel Boldly was provided admissions by the Gaylord Texan for the writer and her family for the purpose of reviewing this travel attraction.  The opinions expressed are the writer's and were not influenced by this access. 

LuvRitz recipe contest party wrap up

GB eyes our Ritz Cracker Creations during our LuvRitz
and Southwest Airlines get together in Fort Worth, Texas.

One of things you have to get used to as a travel blogger is a schedule that is in constant flux.

I was supposed to travel to Dallas, Texas for a Texas Tourism project in early November to see a Dallas Cowboys football game and experience some Texas-style entertainment. I planed to be able to spend a bit of time with my daughter and her family while in Texas. She and I have been working on the LuvRtiz / Southwest Airlines social media project together. I thought this would be the perfect time to show off our Ritz Cracker Creation recipes to friends.

My trip got cancelled but the party went on without me.

Here is Tannith's post excerpted here on Travel Boldly from her blog, FranklyTannith

LuvRitz recipe contest party wrap up

by Tannith Bata
 
So part of the #luvritzsweepstakes that my father (Travel Boldly) and myself are doing is to have some friends over to enjoy these destination themed recipes. Tony and I are super lucky we have great neighbors who have become even better friends. They were kind enough to come over and munch on some tasty ritz cracker recipes.

It has been very fun to not only work on something with my father again, but to also create some unique recipes. Recipes that I feel are yummy and fun. If you didn’t read my last post, our two recipes were “The Dirty South” which is a bacon ritz cracker topped with pulled pork, coleslaw and a drizzle of BBQ sauce.

Read the full post and see all the great photos on FranklyTannith 

Denver, Dallas, Southwest Airlines and Ritz Crackers appetizers, a virtual culinary travel experience.

Jerome at the Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas.
A grandson and a grand dog make
Dallas /Fort Worth a favorite destination.

Were are doing virtual culinary travel this month.  I'm working with my daughter, Tannith on a project creating recipes for Ritz Cracker appetizers based upon my home base and Southwest Airlines destination,  Denver, Colorado and my daughter's home city and Southwest Airlines destination Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas.

Tannith (her blog is FranklyTannith) and I collaborated on the creation of the recipes.  Well,  I should say Tannith created the recipes with just modest input from me.

It seemed natural to tailor the two recipes to our respective cities since we both love these two travel destinations. I travel from Colorado to Texas several times a year to visit my daughter's family. And, every once in awhile I manage to cajole Tannith into bringing her family back to Colorado.

We'll be testing out our recipes and having a little party in Texas later this month.

You can create your cracker creation / travel destination combo.

Ritz and Southwest Airlines want to know where you want to go and how you enjoy Ritz Crackers. One lucky winner will win $5,000 in Southwest gift cards! Just Tweet or Instagram your response along with #LuvRitzSweepstakes to be entered. (Example: "I want to go to #Dallas for the holidays and enjoy Ritz Mint Thins #LuvRitzSweepstakes")

So get on Twitter and/or Instagram and make your entry and please visit http://luvritz.com/  to vote for "The Roaring Fork" and "The Dirty South."  There is a search box to locate them - just enter Dirty or Roaring to locate our cracker creations.

You can vote every 24 hours - so vote early and often!



Here are our recipes:

For Denver, Colorado our cracker creation is called:
"The Roaring Fork”

"The Roaring Fork" our Ritz Cracker appetizer
in honor of the Southwest Airlines destination
Denver, Colorado

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded chicken (directions for shredded chicken will be below)
1 can diced green chilies
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce
1-2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chopped cilantro

Begin by cooking 1 large chicken breast in 2 cups of chicken stock in a medium sauce pan. Season with half the cumin and salt and pepper.
Boil covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender when poked with a fork.

Dicing the green chiles

Move chicken to a bowl and shred. A stand or hand mixer is also a great way to shred your chicken quickly. However if you don't have that available two forks and some determination will get the job done.

You can purchase prepared shredded chicken at most groceries.

Add green chilies, salt and pepper and the rest of the cumin. Toss to combine.

In another bowl combine sour cream, hot sauce and milk. Mix into a nice creamy sauce. Set aside while you chop your cilantro.

Now it's time to assemble your crackers. Place crackers on a plate and place a small amount of the chicken mixture on to each cracker. Drizzle with sauce and top with a garnish of cilantro.

Now imagine you're in the Mile High City enjoying a few Roaring Forks with some of Denver’s great craft beers.  I highly recommend a couple ales from Avery Brewing’s Barrel-Aged Series: Rumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale and 5 Monks, a Belgian-Style Quintupel Ale.

For Dallas, Texas we created "The Dirty South"

"The Dirty South" our Ritz Cracker appetizer in honor of the
Southwest Airlines destination, Dallas, Texas

Ingredients:
1 cup farm rich pulled pork (can be purchased at Walmart and most grocery stores.)
1/3 cup BBQ sauce of your choice
1 bag red Cabbage mix
1/3 -1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 TBSP Vinegar
2 TBSP Sugar
Salt and pepper

Start by making your coleslaw. Mix the mayo, vinegar, and sugar into a bowl until well combined. Add salt and pepper and mix in shredded cabbage. Set aside.

Follow package directions for heating pulled pork.

To assemble set crackers on plate and add a small amount of meat to each cracker. Top with cole slaw and drizzle with BBQ sauce.

I recommend the Ritz Bacon Crackers for this savory and spicy delight. Serve with a crushingly cold Dr Pepper or a jigger of Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka or Deep Eddy Sweet Tea Vodka over cracked ice.






This post is sponsored by Ritz Crackers and Southwest Airlines.

Six places in the United States I hear calling my name. My Travel Wish List

Visitors to Volcanos National Park on The Big Island of Hawaii pose for photos in the eerie glow of the lava flow.
Photo: copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.JeromeShaw.com 

I have set foot in 47 of the 50 states during my lifetime of travel.  Admittedly, some of the visits were quick hits like the time I made a dash from Connecticut into New Hampshire in search of a patch of snow big enough to shoot an overdue magazine cover.  Vermont had an equally short visit during a trip to Maine to shoot photographs for a travel article. New Hampshire and Vermont deserve better than a quick border crossings. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to explore Vermont & New Hampshire more fully but they don’t make this years US travel wish list.  

The two of the three states I have yet to visit do though. Along with a couple of perennial favorites and one state I have visited but haven’t been to its most famous city.  

In part one of My Travel Wish List I shared the background of my travel lists over the years.  In part two I listed my thirteen top international travel destinations and then 6 islands I want to visit in the next twelve months.  

Here are the six places in the US that are calling my name.

1. North Carolina

Mayberry and Mount Pilot are two famous places in North Carolina and I am not sure they are real. Even so, I want to see where Andy Taylor, Opie and Aunt Bea brought small town living to the small screen.  The Cape Hatteras Sea Shore and coastal North Carolina are another draw for me.  At the other end of the state are the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains. I want to see the historic barrier to westward expansion in colonial times.  History is the biggest reason I want to see NC.      

2  South Carolina

I admit to being almost entirely ignorant about South Carolina. The most recent addition to my knowledge base about SC is that they beat my beloved Cornhuskers in last year’s bowl game.  I need to know more.  Charleston has made its way onto my list of cities I want to experience.  Myrtle Beach is about the only other place in South Carolina that I can name without a map.  I’d like my readers to educate me. What are some other places I should see in SC?

  

4. Washington

There are several places in Washington State that have garnered my interest in recent years. One has a very personal slant.  My great Uncle Clarence Shaw lived in Gig Harbor.  Uncle Clarence lived life out loud in the front half of the twentieth-century.  He was a champion of Gig Harbor and certainly its chief tourism promoter.  Legend has it he established a contest for the roundest rock pulled from the Puget Sound each summer season.  He originated Roosterville and rooster races that became known across the US.  He was also a photographer as was his son Frank O.Shaw. A true renaissance man Clarence ran a sign painting business and drew cartoon for Colliers magazine.  I want to go visit place he called home for most of his life. While I am in the neighborhood I’d like to see Seattle again for the first time.

5. Louisiana

I have been to Louisiana. I have never visited its most famous city, New Orleans.  I plan to rectify that omission in 2013.  I likely won’t make it in time for Mardi Gras but I hear there is a pretty good party most nights on Bourbon Street. I am late to the party for sure and I should’ve found a way to get to N.O.long before this.  It is well past time for me to hear the music and taste gumbo in one of the most unique of American cities.

6. Hawaii

Hawaii could have easily made my list of Six Islands I’d Swim To if I hadn’t already given it a place here on my USA list.  I have made many visits to Hawaii. Oahu & Maui were my first big photography job when I was getting my start in travel journalism.  Yet, I still have never visited Kauai, Lanai or Molokai. And if that were’t enough reason to crave a return trip to Hawaii, I haven’t been to Oahu, Maui or Hawaii in over 15 years.  I have plenty to see and do in Hawaii, it may take two trips to catch up. 

Honorable Mentions: Alaska, Montana, Texas 

I have made two trips to Alaska, one for nearly a month, but I have barely grazed the banquet that is travel in the 49th state. Something above the Arctic Circle or out in the Aleutians are on my list. I have made many trips to Montana and enjoyed everyone, I expect I’ll enjoy the next one just as much.  There are two place in Texas I want to see; Austin and San Antonio.

Future posts

My Travel Wish Lists are composed of places I have yet to visit so in another post I’ll name the 6 places I have already visited that I want to return to.  The cherry on top of the wish list pie is a list of  my favorite places in Colorado and the neighboring states.    

#NorthCarolina #SouthCarolina #Washington #Louisiana #Hawaii #Alaska #Montana #Texas 

What is your favorite place in the United States?  Give me some advice on where my next trip in the US should take me.  Please share your Travel Wish List with me here in the comments and tell me why your choices should make my next list.

My #TravelWishList posts:
Part one - The History of My Travel Wish List and The Candidates 
Part two - 13-4-’13 - Thirteen Places To See 
Part three - Six Islands I’d Swim To 
Part four - Six Places In The US That Are Calling My Name 
Part Five - Six Places I’ve Been But want to Go To Again
Part Six  - My Favorite Places in Colorado And The Neighboring States