Midway Ice Castles announced its seasonal closure this year and, although some tourists and locals may miss the attraction, other holiday events and winter experiences are poised to share the spotlight once held by Soldier Hollow’s icy attraction.
Heber Valley Chamber public relations manager Jessica Turner said the winter season is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing times of year for tourism in the Heber Valley.
“Summer (has been) our busiest historically, but winter is quickly catching up,” Turner said. “Midway’s efforts have become a rather Hallmark-esque destination for pre-Christmas visitors to come out and shop and dine and just get the real, warm holiday feeling and brighten their spirit for the season.”
Ice Castles have historically been a post-holiday experience, but some attractions draw crowds annually. Wasatch Mountain State Park announced that horse-drawn carriage rides will return to the Wasatch Mountain Golf Course. Midway is also working to freeze its open-air ice rink again.
The Heber Valley Railroad is a consistently reliable draw for locals and out-of-towners, according to Turner and Midway Mayor-elect Craig Simons. The railroad’s scenic line transforms into the North Pole Express until Dec. 30.
This is the first year the railroad added new train cars with glass domes. Turner said tickets for the North Pole Express are rare this time of year, but the high-end tickets may still be available.
According to Simons, the holiday attractions do more than just offer wintertime fun.
“The impact is more than just the tickets right at the train because people will come here, they’ll support our restaurants, they’ll support our stores, they’ll support our gas stations,” Simons said. “Sometimes people come up and spend the night as they do these activities.”
Simons is a local business owner himself. He and his family have owned and operated the famous Homestead Crater for decades. Inside a large, round hill is the crater — a misty, geothermal hot spring where visitors can float and scuba divers can get their certification in the 65-foot-deep pool. He said the crater is generally a year-round attraction.
“We have a percentage of visitors that come from the other side of the mountain,” Simons said. “We also have the opportunity to entertain guests who are coming to town specifically for the winter activities.”
That positive impact is true for business owner Jennifer Mangum-Whaley, who operates Kringles — the year-round Christmas store in Midway. Mangum-Whaley is also the owner of Spruce Personalized Decor, which is located across the street from Kringles and at the west end of Midway’s town center.
“Tourism is huge for all of the businesses right there, especially in the winter months,” Mangum-Whaley said. “People just drive by, and they don’t think to stop, but tourists, they want to shop.”
Mangum-Whaley said attractions like tubing at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, riding the Heber Valley Railroad, skating at Midway’s ice rink and shopping in the Heber Valley give local businesses a boost. Winter is Kringles’ busy season.
“We are getting a lot of spillover from people who are discovering Midway as a destination from Park City,” Mangum-Whaley said, adding that more visitors have been coming in recent years.
Turner said there are also arts events for entertainment. Timpanogos Valley Theater will be running its live radio play of “Miracle on 34th Street” until Dec. 20 and High Valley Arts will also be putting on winter productions.
“The Heber Valley or greater Wasatch County area, we were known as being a farming community, and hats off to that beautiful legacy and the history of what was. But we have really embraced tourism in a monumental way,” Turner said.
She said tourism year-round is critical for the valley. After the 2002 Olympic Games, year-round tourism has become critical to the Heber Valley. Turner said the tourism office is doing “what needs to be done” to prepare to be a world stage. Deer Valley Resort’s East Village is part of that planning.
“I think we’re going to see some really, really great spillover from visitation to the East Village side with people coming into the Heber Valley for dining, shopping, just general exploration and off-mountain apres experiences,” Turner said. “We’re ready to embrace all of that visitation when it comes.”