Ice attraction set to open alongside Queen Mary in Long Beach

The temperatures in Southern California in the last few weeks have swung dramatically from toasty to mild.

Regardless of the weather outside, visitors to a new attraction next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach are advised to wear a heavy coat. We are talking about temperatures at a frigid 9 degrees.

The operators of the iconic ocean liner on Nov. 17 will open an ice kingdom, featuring castles, sculptures, a 6,500-square-foot ice skating rink and a 100-foot ice slide. The chilly entertainment will be offered under the giant dome that had previously housed the Spruce Goose, the giant aircraft built by the late billionaire Howard Hughes.

The ice creations were made with 36 truckloads of ice, weighing more than 2 million pounds. Dozens of workers, including a crew of Chinese carvers, have been working for weeks to create the attractions.

In addition to an ice castle, the workers are building an ice replica of the bow of the Queen Mary.

The attraction, dubbed Chill, is the latest effort by the operators of the Queen Mary to turn a profit from the ship and the surrounding waterside property.

Ticket prices range from $12.95 to $24.95.

Another effort was the recent Halloween event called Dark Harbor that included mazes filled with costumed actors, music and food. The ship is owned by the city of Long Beach.

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Follow Hugo Martin on Twitter at @hugomartin