The best ice skating rinks in the USA

There’s nothing like winter in New York, and even when the weather is cold, nothing beats a night at the rink beneath the city’s most iconic holiday symbol: the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The Rink at Rockefeller Center is perhaps the most famous skating rink in the world, visited by an estimated 250,000 people each year. The place is so special, in fact, the Rink offers engagement packages if you’re looking to get down on one knee… on the ice! Pop into an après skate chalet to warm up with some hot cocoa or coffee after your session.


Admission: $22–$124

Dates: Oct 11–March

Time Out tip: The rink opens early! Get there at 9am to beat the crowds. There’s a chance you might get the rink to yourself.

Step into a winter postcard in this Colorado ski town. Keystone Lake is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, and when you’re ready for a break from the slopes, you can hit the ice for some picture-perfect views. The five-acre lake is one of the largest in North America to be maintained by a Zamboni for an extra smooth skating surface. Get the gang together for a hockey game or just skate around and take in the mountain air.

Admission: $15–$20

Dates: Dec 6–Mar 1

Time Out tip: For some bonus skating, check out Dercum Square in Keystone’s River Run Village. The ice is open seven days a week, and admission is free.

If you need room to spread your wings and… skate, look no further than the Oval in Roseville. The skating surface covers 110,000 square feet (with a whopping 84 miles of underground refrigeration piping, weighing 800 tons!), which makes this the largest ice skating rink in North America. Speed-skaters love all the extra space, which hosts racing events like World Cup Speed Skating. More unique sports like bandy (kind of like hockey) and “aggressive skating” (exactly what it sounds like) are also played here. But it’s open to everyone, so don’t let the professionals deter you from taking a turtle-like pace. 

Admission: $8

Dates: Opens Nov 7

Time Out tip: Wear your pads and bring a puck—sometimes there are pickup hockey games on the indoor rink.

Ice skating truly is a wholesome winter activity. But for anyone who needs to get their holiday aggression out, this rink in downtown Buffalo offers ice bumper cars. That’s right, you can steer your frustrations into a fellow bumper buddy. Of course, the rink accommodates low-key ice skaters as well and also offers curling, if sweeping the ice is more your speed. Don’t miss the Friday night fireworks and theme nights like Taylor Swift (December 13, duh) and Chappell Roan. 

Admission: $8 bumper cars; $5–$8 skating

Dates: Nov 21–Feb 7

Time Out tip: Allow for plenty of time while harborside. In addition to curling and skating, there are personal igloos and an ice train to check out. Just make sure you reserve your times online.

If you’d like a little more sun and a little less snow with your skating, this rink is for you. Nestled on the shore of the Pacific Ocean at Hotel Del Coronado, a historic San Diego–area resort, you can skate even when temperatures hit 70 degrees (brrrr!). The hotel goes all out for the holidays, and during their celebrations, guests can cuddle up by a toasty fire in a private rink-side lounge.

Admission: $40–$45

Dates: Nov 21–Jan 4

Time Out tip: There are four value skate days that offer $5 off admission: Nov 24, Dec 1, Dec 8 and Dec 15.

Skate back in time at the Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond, part of the Strawbery Banke Museum, a 10-acre living museum that celebrates history from Indigenous people to current times. Visitors to the professionally maintained rink can glide right past historic homes that sit on their original colonial foundations—they’re outrageously charming, too. In the summer, you can watch as role-players recreate vintage ways of life in the New Hampshire neighborhood, but in the winter, it’s all about the skate. 

Admission: $8 for members, $16 for non-members

Dates: December–March

Time Out tip: The Strawbery Banke Museum is closed during skate season, but if you come back to Portsmouth between April and October, don’t miss it!

If skating in a plain old oval isn’t quite exciting enough for you, how about an ice rink with lots of twists and turns? Chicago’s Maggie Daley Park features one of the most unique rinks in the country. Glide over the ice skating ribbon and peep the views of downtown. The quarter-mile track can hold up to 700 skaters at once, so bring your friends!

Admission: $17–$23

Dates: Nov 14–Mar 8

Time Out tip: Because the track is so long, resurfacing can take a while—so check the schedule online and plan accordingly!

If you’re like us and can’t get enough of A Charlie Brown Christmas, look no further for your perfect skating destination. Peanuts creator Charles Schulz commissioned the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, known as Snoopy’s Home Ice, in 1969, and it’s now run by his family. The arena offers more than just a famous founder, though. Both the inside and outside resemble an Alpine village and have all the charm of a Peanuts comic strip.

Admission: $12–$14

Dates: Year round

Time Out Tip: The arena hosts both figure skating and hockey events. It’s also located around the corner from the Charles M. Schulz Museum for extra Peanuts fun when you’re done on the ice.

Ice skaters have been enjoying the ice at Yosemite National Park since 1928. Located at the base of the Half Dome rock face, skaters can take in the breathtaking views as they spin and twirl in front of the iconic landmark. You won’t be visiting the park just to skate, however. Get ready to spend a lot of time outdoors skiing, snowshoeing, tubing and snowboarding. Then rest your bones by the rink-side fire pits. 

Admission: $16

Dates: Late November to early March

Time Out tip: If a few hours in Yosemite isn’t enough, there are cabins and heated tent cabins in Curry Village for a cozy overnight stay!

No offense to the Rockefeller Ice Rink in New York City, but this skater’s paradise is 67 percent bigger. A frozen layer of ice covers Pittsburgh’s downtown Plaza between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenues from November to February, where you’ll feel like you’re drifting through an ice castle as the surrounding buildings reflect the large, lit Christmas tree in its center (the tree has all the bells and whistles, and claims to be the most technologically-advanced tree worldwide). It’s also a short walk from another, similarly named skating rink: PPG Paints Arena, home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Admission: $8–$12

Dates: Nov 14–Mar 1

Time Out tip: Just like Rockefeller Center, the UPMC Rink at PPG Place also has a tree lighting ceremony. The Pittsburgh event on November 22, 2025 includes a supersized fireworks finale.

Slipping and falling on your tush is much less humiliating when everyone else is preoccupied with a gorgeous view. At Siskiyou Ice Rink, which sits near the base of Mt. Shasta, you’ll find it hard to focus on your form when the snow-covered Cascade Range of Northern California is glistening in the distance. So go ahead and make your mistakes because everyone else will be tripping over that stunning view. 

Admission: $9–$12

Dates: Nov 15–Feb 22

Time Out tip: Group skating lessons are decently priced at this rink ($15), so why not try to sharpen your skills?

Have you ever dreamed of skating in the Olympics? The James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink in Lake Placid, NY, is as close as you can get without actually competing. Somewhat unusual for an Olympic site, the outdoor oval speed skating rink (which was used in both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics) is located on the front lawn of a high school in the middle of the small Adirondack village. When weather permits, the rink is open to the public for both speed skating and regular ice skating sessions. But if the weather really isn’t cooperating, there’s also indoor skating at both the 1932 arena and the 1980 arena—the site of the famous “Miracle on Ice” hockey game. 

Admission: $12–$15

Dates: Beginning November

Time Out tip: There are separate sessions for speed skating and regular skating, so make sure to check the schedule before visiting.

You can combine ice skating and holiday shopping at Houston’s Galleria, one of the largest malls in the country that just so happens to pocket a rink right inside—it’s perfect for shoppers who need a quick break between stores. Built in 1970 beneath the shopping center’s glass atrium, it was the first-ever skating rink built within a mall. You can skate year-round at the Galleria, but a 55-foot Christmas tree goes up in November to give it peak holiday vibes. Better yet? You can also take lessons and even skate with Santa. 

Admission: $14.50–$17.50

Dates: Year round

Time Out tip: Although you might be tempted to hop off the ice for an impulse purchase, the rink has a “no in and out policy.” So if you see something you just have to have, wait until your skate is over.