Embrace the cold at the 2025 Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend

Discover what’s in store for the 2025 Visit Haywood Ice Fest Weekend, from the schedule of events to nearby local gems. 

Three years ago, Maggie Valley in Haywood County hosted its first ice festival, drawing visitors from across the Southeast. Enthusiasm for celebrating winter activities and cold-weather sports led to the festival’s expansion. 

In 2025, Visit Haywood Ice Fest will include activities such as ice skating, ice fishing, and ice hockey in all five of the county’s towns: Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley, and Waynesville.

Haywood County, an hour west of Asheville, is ready to welcome visitors to the festival from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. Dollars spent at bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, and shops support the community’s economy and recovery efforts. 

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Infanzon.

Local gems

While traveling through Haywood County, look for Blue Moon Books in Canton for used books and seating areas to curl up with your favorite author. Papertown Coffee, also in Canton, offers coffee, hot cocoa, sandwiches, and pastries from Four Sisters in Black Mountain. 

The Terrace Hotel in Lake Junaluska provides affordable accommodations with a hot breakfast included in a serene retreat-like setting. Guests attending Ice Fest receive a discount on overnight accommodations. Lake Junaluska offers a few dining options and walking paths around the lake.

Add a 45-minute tour of Winchester Creek Farm, a 20-acre farm in Waynesville, to your weekend. Meet Olaf and Sven, pygmy goats; Thor and Loki, dogs who protect the alpacas and sheep in the pastures; and Sam, the Golden Doodle that greets guests. The farm features a micro-miniature Scottish Highland cow (the second smallest in America), two belted miniature Galloway cows, and miniature donkeys. Most of the animals are rescues.

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Infanzon.

Next to the Maggie Valley Ice Festival is Cabbage Rose, a 10,000-square-foot shop with an eclectic collection of gifts, Christmas decorations, flower arrangements, jewelry, and local art. Meet the owners, Troy Graves and Scott Nielsen, who have been operating the store for more than 35 years.

Visit Haywood Ice Fest Schedule

Jan. 30-Feb. 2

• Drive through Clyde to see dazzling snowmen and snowflakes along Carolina Blvd. Free.

Jan. 30

• Visit Haywood Ice Stroll, Waynesville, 5-8 p.m. Free.
• Cool Jazz Concert, Waynesville, 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $17 to $39.
• Cataloochee’s Ski Torch Run, Maggie Valley, 10:30 p.m. Free.

Jan. 31

• Winter Birding Walk, Lake Junaluska, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $10 per person through Haywood County Recreation & Parks.
• Canton’s Ice Rink, Canton, 4-8 p.m. Free to skate: Bring your own skates or rent skates for a fee.
• Snowball Wars at Smoky Mountain SK8WAY, Waynesville, 8-10 p.m. $10 admission.

Feb. 1

• Ice Fishing, 9-11 a.m. $10 per person through Haywood County Recreation & Parks.
• Model Train Exhibit – O Gauge – at Buffalo Creek Vacations, Clyde, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $20 for adults, $12 for children ages 3-17, and free for children 2 and under.
• Winter Wonderland Maker’s Market, Frog Level Brewing Taproom, Waynesville, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free
• Canton’s Ice Rink, Canton, 12-5 p.m. Free to skate: Bring your own skates or rent skates for a fee.
• Maggie Valley Ice Fest, Maggie Valley, 4-9 p.m. Purchase tickets online for $5 or at the entrance for $8. With each ticket purchased for the Maggie Valley Ice Festival, attendees can make an optional donation to the Haywood County Small Business Recovery Fund, directly aiding local businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. 

Feb. 2

• Frosty 5K, Clyde, 12-2 p.m. Free.
• Canton’s Ice Rink, Canton, 12-5 p.m. Free to skate: Bring your own skates or rent skates for a fee.
• Frozen Skate at Smoky Mountain SK8WAY, Waynesville, 2-4 p.m. $10 admission.

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Infanzon.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.