Photos courtesy of Viking Lakes
Viking Lakes invites you to the second annual Winter SKOLstice! Enjoy all your favorite family-friendly winter activities, including pond hockey, ice skating, and curling, and more.
Viking Lakes, a “live, work, and play” community in Eagan, may be most well-known as the headquarters and training facility of the Minnesota Vikings. In the summer, many Minnesotans visit the practice center’s adjacent field at TCO Stadium to cheer on local high school football teams or the Minnesota Aurora, the state’s preprofessional women’s soccer team. But the fun at Viking Lakes doesn’t stop after the first snowfall.
During the colder months, Viking Lakes hosts numerous vendor markets including: Winter Markets, Oktoberfest, and Community Day. In addition to these markets and providing access to well-groomed trails, the Winter SKOLstice is one of the many ways Viking Lakes encourages sports lovers of all ages (and skill levels!) to get outside and come together.
During Winter SKolstice, the Viking Lakes’ retail, sports, and hotel spaces are transformed into a sparkling winter wonderland. Bring your own skates and hit the ice with friends and family. Play a game of pickup hockey across multiple rinks on Viking Lakes’ frozen pond or try your hand at curling. Hockey sticks, pucks, and curling equipment are free and available to the public, so all you need to bring are skates, warm layers, and a smile! While open play is free to the public, if you’re organizing a team, reservations are needed. If you’re not quite in the competitive spirit, there’s also a designated space for more leisurely ice skating. Register ahead of time to ensure space for you and your companions. Stay warm around bonfire pits or recruit some new friends to play a round of wintery yard games!
If you’re tuckered out or feeling chilly, relax inside the Warming Haus. Here, you can listen to live music, watch live sports, and play along at Trivia Night while you lounge on cozy couches or around candle-laden tables. The next-door Omni Hotel provides beverages and hot appetizers and entrees.
You can also explore Winter SKOLstice’s newest addition, the Minnesota Ice Maze. Navigate through almost half a mile of twists and turns of shimmering ice, the largest ice maze in Twin Cities history. As you wind through the maze, you can also participate in scavenger hunts and theme nights, and warm up around fire pits. Visit the website to reserve tickets in advance.
“We are excited to welcome The Minnesota Ice Maze to campus in 2023 as we further establish Winter SKOLstice as an annual community tradition at Viking Lakes. We continue to create opportunities for Minnesotans to come together and offer fun opportunities for all ages and skill levels,” said Viking Lakes General Manager Kyle Chank. “We encourage people to join us and experience life in fresh air at Viking Lakes all winter long.”
Winter SKOLstice is open Jan. 6, 2023 through Feb. 19, 2023. Check the website for up-to-date information about activity availability, dependent on weather.
