WASHINGTON — Ice is cold. It’s hard, and it’s definitely pretty at times. But who knew ice could be so cute?

This year, for the first time, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor hosts “Ice!” — 15,000 square feet of carved, colorful ice scenes under a big white tent. See blue penguins with pointed noses and orange feet, baby polar bears alongside their mama, lamps shining along a bridge, all made of ice. The display will stay mounted through Jan. 10.

The wonderland starts with a D.C.-centric room that includes the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the White House, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. A sleigh big enough for the whole family to sit in makes for a perfect photo opportunity, and four two-story ice slides make for a fun ride or two.

A Victorian tableau showcases a piano, a clock, a Christmas tree and a kitten sitting on a table. Santa is here, too, big and burly in his bright red suit, as is a 25-foot angel. In the final room, baby Jesus lies in the Nativity scene.

About 40 artisans from Harbin, China, where the tradition of ice carving runs deep, carefully crafted the figures out of 5,000 blocks of ice, each weighing 400 pounds. The ice came on 35 trucks from an ice plant in Ohio. The carvers worked for about 30 days, and some will stay throughout the holiday season to keep the ice art looking fresh.

So how do you keep an ice wonderland from melting, given Washington’s capricious weather?

You create a frigid zone, which is just what the Gaylord has done. At 9 degrees, it’s COLD under the tent. The Gaylord provides long, warm parkas for visitors as young as 3 and as big as XXL, and blankets for babies in strollers. Still, 30 minutes in that temperature is probably as much as anyone can take. What else is happening at the Harbor? Walk to the Gaylord and grab a hot chocolate. Through Jan. 3, check out the Gaylord atrium, where a 60-foot glass Christmas tree is lighted every night at 6. There will also be choral performances nightly at 7, a musical water fountain show at 8 and 9 and “snow” falling inside the atrium at 6:15 and 9:15 .

Ice skating is also offered through Jan. 10 for $8 at a rink next to the ice tent.