Spotlight: Orange County - Chill at the Queen Mary

Spotlight: Chill is an annual Holiday event that takes place in Long Beach, CA on the grounds of the Queen Mary. This year's theme (2016) is Alice in Winterland, an interactive experience featuring hand-crafted lanterns, made from hundreds of pieces of silky cloth, that guide guests to such places as Hall of Doors, the White Rabbit's Kitchen, Mad Hatter's Work Shop, the proverbial Tea Party, and the Hedge Maze. There will also be visits from the Caterpillar and the all-new Queen of Diamonds.
     In addition to the Alice in Winterland exhibit, other attractions include: a 6,000 square foot ice skating rink, a holiday village, Candy Lane, Glacier Glide Ice Tubing, and of course the Queen Mary itself.

Location: Chill takes place on the grounds surrounding the Queen Mary Steamship, located at 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA.

Cost: Event tickets start at $34.99/adult and $24.99/child if purchased online. Prices go up on weekends and holidays, or when purchased at the door. An E.L.F. (Express Lane Fast) pass can be purchased for an additional $15. Although several attractions are included, ice skating costs extra ($15).

Time: Chill opened for the season on Nov. 23, and goes until Jan. 8, 2017. It is closed on Mon.-Wed. when school is in session. Most days non-school days, it is open from noon-10pm; but check the calendar for a complete list of times and prices.

Description: We attended CHILL last Christmas season (2015) with my extended family. The theme was A Christmas Carol, and the highlight was the Ice Kingdom exhibition, featuring ice sculptures of different scenes from the movie/play. That exhibit has been replaced by the Alice in Winterland exhibit.

Ice Slides

     Also inside The Dome, is the Glacier Glide Ice Tubing. Riders tube down the 100-foot six-lane ice luge. Other activities include the Curiouser Carousel, the Magic Mushroom bar, caricatures, face painting, and the Winterland Court which features a variety of live entertainment.

     Holly Grove is home to the Queen Mary's 26-foot tall Christmas tree. Activities include decorating gingerbread houses (extra $) inside Chill's life-size Gingerbread House, artificial snowfall at the Snow Zone, paintball (extra $) at the Tinsel Toy & Paint, and pictures with Santa (extra $) inside Claus Cottage.
     The North Pole Village is a Dicken's era village. Activities include: writing a letter to Santa at the Post Office, create a stocking (extra $) at the Stocking Craft Shoppe, sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies during storytime with Mrs. Claus (extra $), and bouncing around inside the Candy Lane Bounce House.
     At the Looking Glass, guests can skate (extra $) at The Looking Glass Rink, right beside the Queen Mary. They may also ride the Swinging Sleigh Ride (extra $), or climb up the World's Largest Rocking Horse (15 feet tall, 24 feet long, and 8 feet wide).

Swinging Sleigh Ride and Rocking Horse

     Inside the Queen Mary Zone, guests can explore public sections of the ship on their own, take a tour (discounted prices), eat Breakfast with Santa (Saturday only, extra $), stroll along the Promenade Deck and enjoy Christmas carols along the Promenade of Trees, or enjoy the Polar Express 4-D movie.

Dining exhibit on Queen Mary

Exploring the Engine Room

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5); it would have been higher if more activities were included free with the event pass.

Things You Should Know: -Riders on the Glacier Glide Ice Tubing and the Swinging Sleigh Ride must be at least 42 inches tall.
- Snow falls in the Snow Zone daily at 10:30 am, 1:00 pm, 3:30 pm, and 7:00 pm.
- We enjoyed exploring the Queen Mary and we loved the Polar Express 4-D movie.
- The Queen Mary serves as an upscale hotel for guests who would like to spend the night on the historic boat. It also has several fine dining options. There are also several less expensive food court options available on the grounds.
- There is no access to the Queen Mary on New Year's Eve unless you purchase a New Year's Eve party ticket.

Nearby: ShoreLine Aquatic Park & Shoreline Village, Aquarium of the Pacific, Palos Verdes Shipwreck Hike, Medieval Times

Spotlight: Utah County - Cornbelly's Fall Festival and Corn Maze

Spotlight: This week's spotlight is a festival. Cornbelly's is an annual Halloween/Fall harvest celebration that takes place at Thanksgiving Point every October. Cornbelly's is famous for it's MAiZE, which first began in 1996 as the dream child of Brett Herbst. The MAiZE has grown into the worlds largest cornfield maze company, winning a Guinness World Record in 1999. However, Cornbelly's is more than just a giant corn maze. There are a plethora of activities and events for both kids and adults.

Location: Cornbelly's takes place at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT.

Cost: There are different passes you can buy, each one allowing you admittance to more attractions than the previous one: General Admission (ages 3-99; ages 2 and under are free):
Laughn' - $11.95/person (Mon.-Thurs.); $14.95/person (Fri.-Sat.)
Screamn' - $24.95/person
Lovin' - $26.95/person

Time: Plan to be there 2-6 hours. This year, the festival started Friday 9/30 and will go to Saturday 10/29. It is open from 10:00 am - 11:00 pm (Fri. & Sat.) and open 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm (Mon.-Thurs.) with extended hours (10-9) on Thurs. 10/20 and Mon. 10/24.

Description: The main attraction is the MAiZE. Each year, has a different theme. This year's theme (2016) is the Peanuts Gang. Visitors are supposed to find various checkpoints before finding their way back to the entrance/exit. There are several other smaller mazes geared toward various ages. Separate from the corn maze is the Grain Train Maze. A tractor leads a train of cars on a ride through the maze to see various scarecrow and jack-o-lantern displays.

Grain Train Maze

Beatles Jack-o-lantern

     Other regular admission (Laughn') attractions include: Animal Band, Barnyard Ball Zone, Barnyard Billiards, Barnyard Soccer, Campfires, Corn Ball, Corn Cob Beach, Corn Hole, Corn Maze, Cornbelly Mountain, Cow Train, Duck Races, Farm Golf, Farmer Fast Pitch, Farmn' Foosball, Giant Rat Maze, Giant Slide, Grain Train, Haybale Maze, Hayride, Jumbo Jumpers, Kiddie Courtyard, Pumpkin Bowling, Pumpkin Princess Playland, Pumpkin Tetherball, Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe & Checkers, Rat Rollers, Singing Chicken Show, Special Events, Spiderwebs, Spookley Show, and Steer Roping.

Farmn' Foosball

pumpkin bowling

Corn Cob Beach

Duck Races

     The Screamn' Pass includes all Laughn' Pass attractions, plus entrance to the following Insanity Point attractions: Big Top Terror, Chaos Castle, Creature, Hayloft Horror, and the Haunted Maze.

The Creature at Insanity Point

     The Lovin' Ultimate Combo Pass includes all of the Laughin' and Screamn' attractions plus: Rockwall or Cole's Corral; Paintball or Apple Blasters; Hot Cocoa or Shaved Ice; Bull Riding or gemstone or cookies; and zipline or kettle corn or caramel apple.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Cornbelly's is open for extended hours during Fall Break.
- The Corn Maze may be closed due to bad weather. Check website for closures.
- Special events this year include: Outdoor Movie Night (10/10), Meet the Gang Mondays (Peanuts characters), West Coast Lumberjacks (10/14-10/17), High-flying Trick Dog Show (10/19-10/26), Munchkin Radio Dance Party (every Sat. 11-3), Trick-or-Treat Parade (every Sat at 2:00), storytelling (daily), pig races (daily), Scary Tales n S'mores (Mon., Fri., Sat. 7:00 pm), Wild Wonders (Tues-Thurs), Magic Mondays (5:30 & 6:45), Candy Cannon (Mon, Fri, Sat), Fireworks (Fri & Sat), Pumpkin Smash (10/29)

Candy Cannon

- Thanksgiving Point members receive a 25% discount on Cornbelly's ticket purchases.
- If you purchase your tickets online from the website, you receive a $2 discount/ticket; but you also pay a small service fee. Overall, you come out ahead, and you don't have to stand in line.
- If you don't see everything on your first visit, you can purchase bounce-back tickets for later in the season.
- Most of the activities on the Laughn' Pass are geared toward younger kids (ages 3-10).
- Insanity Point attractions are only open after dark on select dates. Check the Calendar for times.
- Insanity Point screamn' attractions are open to visitors during the daytime, but they are "unhaunted" for a less spooky diversion.
- If you only wish to do one or two of the "Lovin' Combo Pass" activities, you can purchase items separately at the ticket booths, but you miss out on the discounts.
- Cornbelly's has a wide selection of pumpkins for sale, ranging from $0.50 - $10. Pumpkins are available in a wide variety of shapes and colors, from classic orange pumpkins to deranged white ones. You don't need to enter the event to purchase pumpkins.

Nearby: Museum of Ancient Life, Farm Country, Megaplex Theatres, Museum of Curiosity, Thanksgiving Point Gardens, Thanksgiving Point Golf Course,

Spotlight: Florida - Snorkel With Manatees Tour

Spotlight: Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in western Florida is an 80-acre refuge consisting of 20 islands and several parcels of land along the Florida coast. It was established in 1983 to protect the West Indian Manatee, and is closed to humans from Nov. 15-March 31. Visitors can still view manatees in their natural setting from boats or in water outside the refuge's boundaries. We took the Snorkel With Manatees Tour from nearby Homosassa Springs with Captain Gene.

Location: The Snorkel With Manatees Tour office is located at 4155 S. Suncoast Blvd, Homosassa, FL

Cost: $60/person (includes snorkeling equipment and wetsuit rental)

Time: 3 - 3 1/2 hours (8:00 am & 11:30 am daily)

Description: When we first arrived for our tour, we checked in, paid, and rented an underwater camera (with our card inside). Then we watched an orientation video that showed proper etiquette when swimming with manatees. Some of the don'ts included: chasing them, making sudden or excessive movements, splashing, surrounding or crowding them, touching them on the flippers or head, etc. In fact, we could only touch them if they swam up to us to investigate, and then only on the back. After the video, we tried on wet suits to check for size. Once everyone was fitted out with a suit, we drove out to the dock.
     As we set out on the boat, we saw several monkeys on a small little island in the harbor where they have their own little tree house. I can't remember the story behind how they got there, but they've been living there for years.
     Since it was already April, and most of the manatees had already migrated, we had to search for a while before we found any manatees. Eventually we found a mother and her calf and dropped anchor so that we could get in the water and slowly drifted toward them taking pictures. The water was a bit murky, and the camera took a little getting used to, so most of the pictures we took were only so-so. However, a third manatee soon joined the group. Since he was playful and curious, we got several good pictures. He swam up face-to-face with my wife (I missed the shot), and she got to touch him.

     My youngest daughter refused to get in the water, so she watched from the boat. My oldest daughter swam with us most of the time, but she got cold and eventually joined her sister in the boat. We spent about 45-60 minutes swimming before lifting anchor and returning to port.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - The best time to see manatees is from the middle of November until the end of March, when large numbers of manatees migrate to the Florida coast. Some live there full time, but most are seasonal.
- Manatees tend to be more active in the early morning.
- There are several different companies that run tours, but we chose the one we did, because it was a small boat (6 passengers) and our youngest was allowed to stay on the boat if she didn't want to get in and swim.

Nearby: Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Island Beach, Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Reserve, Flying Eagle Ranch

Spotlight: Wasatch Mountains - Midway Ice Castles

Spotlight: The concept of ice castles was developed by Brent Christensen who built the first one in his front yard in Alpine, UT in 2008. The following year, Christensen built his first public ice castle at Midway's Zermatt Resort. Since then, the project has continued to grow, and Christensen has constructed his spectacular castles in other states as well. Today, the ice castles are created with several dozen employees and about 5 million gallons of water.

      Construction of the ice castles begins in late November, and takes about a month. The walls of the ice castles are 10 inches thick and very solid. The size and shape of the ice castles changes daily as 10,000 - 15,000 new icicles are added to the structure each day. Unlike icicles that grow on houses, these icicles don't fall because the bond between icicle and ice is much stronger than bonds between icicles and other materials (metal, wood, etc.) On warm days, the icicles melt from the bottom up. Over time, they get absorbed into the structure or turn into slush. Each ice castle weighs about 25,000,000 pounds. To see a behind-the-scenes look done by Fox 13 News on the castles' construction, click here.

Ice tower

Location: The Midway Ice Castles are seasonal, and as such have no permanent location. They began in Midway, UT. Due to their great popularity, however, they outgrew their original location. For the past two years they have been located at 2002 Soldier Hollow Road, just a few miles outside of Midway. Other locations include: Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Lincoln, New Hampshire, and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Cost: The prices quoted below are when you purchase tickets online. Standby is significantly higher.
          Mon.-Thurs.: $6.95/child (4-11); $9.95/adult (12+)
          Fri.-Sat.: $8.95/child (4-11); $12.95/adult (12+)

Time: The Ice Castles are usually only open a couple of months a year (early January - early March). However, if it is a warm winter, the window may be considerably less. Allow about an hour to explore.
Hours: 3 pm - 9 pm (Mon. - Thurs.); 3 pm - 10 pm (Fri.); noon - 10 pm (Sat.); closed (Sun.)

Description: The ice castles are beautiful structures made entirely of ice. They cover about 1.5 acres of land. Once completed, they form a maze of ice towers, glowing tunnels, spiky archways, small caverns with light displays, and secret passages, including the popular Slot Canyon, where visitors need to turn sideways to squeeze their way through the glossy passage.

Slot Canyon

Secret Passage

     Some of the featured structures include ice slides, a water fall and a fountain. The 2016 version has two ice slides - a small one for little children and a larger one for bigger kids and adults. If you looked carefully, you could also spot Olaf from Frozen.

small slide

     At night, the natural bluish white color fades and is replaced by glowing multi-colored LED lights, embedded inside the castle walls. The lights change from one color to the next at variable intervals throughout the evening.

water fountain

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - You need to purchase your tickets ahead of time for two reasons: 1) They are cheaper; and 2) They often sell out. There will be a service charge, but it is still cheaper than standby.
- Ticket sales are final, but dates and times may be changed up to 24 hours in advance of ticket time. You are encouraged to check weather forecasts ahead of time since there are no refunds for inclement weather.
- When you purchase tickets, you enter during your 1/2 hour ticket window. You may then stay as long as you want, but will probably be done within 60-90 minutes. Don't be late or you may be waiting standby.
- The ice castles are made completely out of snow and ice. They are also outside, so it gets COLD. Recommended clothing includes: boots, snow pants, sweatshirt and jacket, gloves, hat or cap, scarf, and warm socks.
- When you get cold, hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls are sold on the premises for about $3 each.
- We went at 5:30 so that we could see the castles in the daylight and at night.
- Ice princesses are on hand for pictures at select times: 4pm-8pm (Mon. & Fri.) and 1pm-9pm (Sat.) Appearances may be shortened or cancelled due to weather.
- You need to sign a waiver form before entering the Ice Castles.
- The best way to ask questions is through their Facebook page.
- Click here for information regarding sleigh rides to the ice castles.

Nearby: Soldier Hollow Cross-Country Ski Resort, Heber Valley Historic Railroad, Brighton and Alta Ski Resorts, Park City