St. Thomas' Ice Museum

An ice museum in the Caribbean? I was skeptical when I first heard about it this summer, but wouldn’t ya know, Magic Ice in St. Thomas is now up and running.

On waterfront Dronningens Gade, Magic Ice’s display offers an overview of Caribbean history, as told through ice sculpture. It takes about 20 minutes to tour the warehouse-turned-museum, which is cooled to a nose-numbing 25 degrees Fahrenheit. But even at this temp, apparently, the installations only retain their integrity for six months, after which they’re replaced.

Visitors are given a fur-trimmed poncho, gloves, legwarmers and overshoes to protect them from the chill, and if that doesn’t warm you up, the flavored rum shot at the ship-shaped ice bar should do the trick. Admission is $20, and includes the rum shot and a souvenir glass.

Check out this video for a look inside. (It’s in Spanish, but you get the idea …)

I haven’t been to Magic Ice yet, but it sounds like a quick and quirky way to beat the St. Thomas heat. Have you done the tour? Is it totally cool? Or a hot mess?