Sometimes you want to organize a family outing yourself so it’s exactly how you like it; sometimes you just want someone else to tell you where and when to show up. I had the pleasure of the latter on Monday and happily got to experience the Longqinxia Gorge Ice Lantern Festival!

An annual tradition close to Yongning Ancient Town, it’s a chilly adventure but at times pretty magical. I was with a group who had kids of varying ages from four to fifteen, and all ages found it fun. It’s really meant to be seen at night, and almost all tour groups suggest not going until at least 6pm.

Entry is RMB 100 per person, with children six and under getting in for free.  It starts near an open area and for just RMB 20 each, your kids can enjoy lightsabers, light up swords, or transparent white balloons with light-up shapes inside. Careful not to sword fight too hard, though, or you’re likely to break your purchase before your mom can buy your ticket.

After the first entrance, there are some nice arches, but keep moving up to the street level (partially blocked for safety) and all in attendance form a little parade along which you view the lights at your leisure.

There are birds, owls, and fairies in trees, a line up of rats hopefully marching their way out of our zodiac for another eleven years, and more.

Then it’s under the love arch and through the heart bridge to the real wonderland!

Here, nature lights up all around the ice lakes for some fanciful visions.

Various frozen sculptures show you the way past the waterfront until the main area appears before your group.

And here you’ll find a mountain landscape of The Great Wall, villages created from light, and when you least expect it, a ten-minute show that connects long ago Chinese stories with…..

…the Beijing 2022 Olympics! Here’s their cute mascot.

Don’t let the grandeur of the area of the main lights display fool you, or the wonderfully scary toboggan ride that only costs RMB 10 per person. Travel just a little further and you’ll see the real ice sculpture show, and it’s well worth the wait!

If everyone in your party can walk to and through the displays, it’s worth all those steps. Once all is said and done, however, you’ll want to grab yourself a ticket for the shuttle back to the main gate. It will be cold by then, and everyone should get back to their vehicle before turning into ice sculptures yourselves!

Lots of tours pair this adventure together with a visit to Yongning Ancient Town, which for us was more of a nice walk to find places that had room for us to eat or were even open for the New Year. But whether you make it a day trip or an evening jaunt, these displays are a fun way to get away from the city but still stay within the boundaries of Beijing!

KEEP READING: What To Do Every Day of the Chinese New Year Holiday

Images: Roxana Hyskell, Cindy Marie Jenkins