Indoor Ice-Skating Rinks in New York City

As much as we love ice-skating outside, sometimes it's just too cold (or hot) for an outdoor rink. That's why it's good to have indoor alternatives for skating. In fact, some in-the-know parents with young skate enthusiasts tell me they prefer indoor rinks because the quality of the ice is better, making for a smoother glide, which is especially helpful for newbies.

Here are six NYC indoor ice-skating rinks to check out this winter, or all year-round! They're even open in summer if you ever need to cool down.

Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers – Chelsea
Chelsea Piers-Pier 61, 23rd Street and the Hudson River
212-336-6100
Times vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
$10; $5 for skate rental; $4.25 for helmet rental
The Chelsea sports complex boasts two ice-skating rinks that are open year-round and offer drop-in skating nearly every afternoon. Other attractions include figure skating lessons, skating school and youth hockey, plus locker skate and helmet rentals onsite. Sky Rink also offers ice-skating birthday parties.

City Ice Pavilion – Long Island City
47-32 32nd Place between 47th and 48th Avenues
718-706-6667
Times vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
$5 on weekdays, $8 on weekends and holidays; $5 for skate rental; $2 for helmet rental.
Located on top of a mattress store in Long Island City, this rink is very popular with Queens residents. Thanks to its proximity to Manhattan, plenty of families I know take the short subway ride to skate here, too. Check out the prices: Skating here is a real bargain! The rink offers public skating times, youth hockey, lessons of all kinds and birthday parties.

World Ice Arena – Flushing
13135 Avery Avenue in Flushing Meadows Corona Park
718-760-9001
Hours vary. Visit the website for a complete schedule.
$5 on weekdays, $8 on weekends and holidays' skate rental $5
Located on the northeastern edge of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, World Ice Arena offers the most public skating sessions of the lot along with skating lessons, parties and hockey leagues. The sister rink to City Ice Pavilion, it boasts the same great admission prices.

Aviator Sports and Events Center Ice Skating Rink – Marine Park
Floyd Bennett Field, 3159 Flatbush Avenue
718-758-7567
Times vary. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
$9 for adults, $7 for children; $5 for skate rental
In this airport hanger-turned-mega sports center, there are not one but two giant ice rinks with lots of public skating sessions to choose from, including extended hours on weekends. Additionally, Aviator offers hockey leagues, figure skating lessons with skate rentals and free lockers (just bring a lock). The spot makes for a great day-long destination: If the kids get tired of skating they can check out rock climbing (ages 5 and up), pickup basketball and tons of other drop-in activities. There are ice-skating birthday parties, too.

Abe Stark Rink – Coney Island
Coney Island Boardwalk and West 19th Street
718-946-6536
Saturdays and Sundays only 12:30-3:30pm
$8; $5 for skate rental
Skate on the Coney Island boardwalk this winter (yes, it's open post-Hurricane Sandy) at this decades-old rink. Open weekends only, this popular destination gets crowded. The Greater New York City Ice Hockey League has its home here and offers free ice hockey lessons to young first-timers every September.

Staten Island Skating Pavilion – Staten Island
3080 Arthur Kill Road
718-948-4800
Friday 8-11pm, Saturday 2:30-4:30pm and 8-10pm, Sunday 2-4pm
$11 for adults, $10 for children; $5 for skate rental
This busy rink only offers public skating on weekends (extra sessions are added during school breaks). The weekdays are taken up with lessons, events and games. There's lots for skaters here, including hockey league play and learn-to-skate instruction for tots and older kids. Birthday parties are also on tap.
 

Looking to skate under the sun or stars? Check out our roundup of outdoor ice-skating rinks. More indoor activities can be found in our Inside Activity Guide.