Ice Skating in the San Francisco Bay Area

During the holidays and into January, there are a number of outdoor venues for ice skating in the Bay Area.  These rinks tend to be small.  Depending on the weather, the ice conditions are typically not as good as at indoor rinks.

But, these places are festive.  They are out of the ordinary. And they can be a lot of fun.

One example is in Alameda.  For the first time, in 2011-12 (though January 29), "The Little Ice Rink" is set up outdoors on Park Street (which is the main drag through Alameda).  Hours in January are Monday-Thursday 3-10pm and Friday-Sunday noon-10pm.

A few tips:

Sessions last 1 1/2 hours.  You want to arrive at the start of a session to get the most out of your $15 (or $10 for kids).  When the session ends to clean the ice, you have to return your skates and then pay again if you want to continue.  Consult the schedule here.

The rink isn't too big.  It can get crowded.  Lots of kids.  And a small number of adults who don't have much experience on skates (I was one of them).

You get a small discount if you bring your own skates.  The skates at the Little Ice Rink are the kind with plastic bindings.  I like them, but then again I never could seem to lace my skates up right.

Kids love the little sleds shaped like a seal, which they can either push or sit on.  These things go really quickly, and they only have about 10 of them.  If you arrive at the start of a session, it shouldn't be too tough to secure one.  But if you arrive in the middle of a session, be prepared to wait for one on a waiting list for a fairly long time.

Here are a few pictures from our recent visit.

A blurry view of the rink:

 Lots of skaters:

A break between sessions to clean up the ice (keep in mind that temperatures have been in the high 50s/low 60s during the day):

 The very popular "seals," which toddlers and kids can either hold onto or ride on:

 A small movie screen just off of the rink shows old movies during sessions:

Hot chocolate available:

 This is self-explanatory (one of the downsides of a non-permanent facility):

The snack bar, where you can get hot chocolate and crepes:

Rink rules, rates, etc:

The rink will make you sign a waiver before you skate.