Ice Skating Rinks in New York City

There are lots of places to go ice skating in New York if you don't mind waiting on long lines or skating shoulder to shoulder with rowdy teenagers. We've picked out the best indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks in New York City where you can avoid the lines and the crowds (at least some of the time). All of these places offer ice skating lessons and ice skating birthday parties and almost all of them even offer hockey. Check each website link for additional information.

Bryant Park ice skating rink isn't a secret any more and it certainly gets decent sized crowds. The best time to go is early in the season, before Thanksgiving, when the weather is fine and the crowds are too. Later in the season stick to after school before 5pm and weekend mornings before noon to and you'll have virtually no lines or crowds.

Open: November 6, 2009-January 24, 2010
Hours: 8am-10pm, (till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays)
Cost: Free entrance, skate rental $12

Chelsea Piers Sky Rink is the place to go if you just gotta skate even though it's raining, freezing or 90 degrees outside. The two giant indoor rinks are only available for free skating during the afternoons. The rest of the time they are hosting hockey games and skating lessons. In the summer Chelsea Piers offers free skate rental on weekends: a great way to beat the heat.

Open: Year-round
Hours: Varies by day, but generally afternoons.
Cost: Adults $13, Kids $10.50, Skate Rental $4

Most people don't even know about Riverbank Skate Park, let alone that it has an ice skating rink, affording some of the least crowded ice skating in NYC. Riverbank State Park is just a block from the 145th street 9 train stop and also has playground athletic facilities and a swimming pool. We did a post on the Ice Hockey Program offered here.

Open: November - March
Hours: Call for hours: (212) 694-3600
Cost: Adults $5, Kids $3

Lasker Rink is my personal favorite place to skate. I find it to be the perfect combination of easy to get to, inexpensive, and uncrowded. You can take the 2/3 or C/B and it's just a short block right into the northern tip of central park. Make it into a whole day with ideas from our Northern Central Park excursion post. Opens after Thanksgiving.

Open: November - March
Hours: Check site for hours
Cost: Adults $6.25, Kids $3.50, Skate Rental $5.50

Prospect Park has its own ice skating rink. The rink is huge and I like this rink best for a child's ice skating party. Opens after Thanksgiving.

Open: November 26- March 14
Hours: Check site for hours
Cost: Adults $5, Kids $3, Skate Rental $6.50 (half price admissions every non-holiday Friday)

Queens has two beautiful indoor Ice Skating rinks that are great for all sorts of winter outings. They both hold figure skating and hockey lessons and have frequent open sessions:

The World Ice Arena is located inside of Flushing Meadow Park and is attached to the Aquatic center. They have everything from birthday parties to private lessons and the place has plenty of seating for the not so adventerous parent.  If seeing people skate around is more your style then check out the World Ice Arena’s upcoming events section for a list of figure skating performances.

Open: Year-round
Hours: Weekdays, 9am-5:15pm, Weekends 12-4:45pm
Cost: Weekdays $5, Weekends $8, Skate Rental $5

The other rink is the City Ice Pavilion (in Long Island City. It is located by LaGuardia College and the opening to the 59^th Street Bridge. They also host parties and have lessons for the budding figure skaters and Wayne Gretskys.

Open: Year-round
Hours: Check site for hours
Cost: Weekdays $5, Weekends $8, Skate Rental $6