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Ice skating in Bryant Park
Ice skating in Bryant Park
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The best ice skating rinks in New York City

The time to bust out your best Blades of Glory moves is here

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Ice skating in Bryant Park
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The first harbinger of the holiday season in New York City is ice skating. The city's many outdoor rinks open to the public earlier and earlier every year, with the first few welcoming skaters at the beginning of October—yes, really. (Damn you, seasonal creep!)

And now that there’s truly a chill in the air, the time feels right to lace up a pair of skates and start practicing some pirouettes. And would-be skaters aren't limited to the tourist-clogged rinks in Manhattan: there are plenty of less crowded places to skate in the outer boroughs, including a pretty little outdoor rink in Staten Island. Read on for a comprehensive list, in handy map form.

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The Rink at Brookfield Place

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The rink outside of Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center) in lower Manhattan returns for another year, with its 7,350-square-foot expanse open to skaters of all ages and skill levels. It costs $15 to skate, plus $5 for a skate rental, and there are other price tiers for private lessons, too. It’s open from 12 to 8:30 p.m. during the week, and from 10:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends.

A post shared by Isaac Mizrahi (@isaacmizrahiny) on

Winterland Rink at Pier 17

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Pier 17’s Winterland Rink, the city’s only rooftop ice rink, will return this season on November 22. Visitors can enjoy skating lessons, or play broomball, while getting panoramic views of the city’s skyline. The rooftop has restaurants and bars to enjoy and offers season memberships and ticket packages. Admission tickets range from $14 to $35 and will be available for purchase starting November 8.

Courtesy of Pier 17 and The Howard Hughes Corporation

Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers

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Another year-round rink, the Chelsea Piers ice-skating space offers room for parties, along with private skating lessons and public skating hours. It’s also a better deal than some of the seasonal rinks: admission is $13, with skate rental costing $7.

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Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

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Bryant Park's ever-popular ice-skating rink is surrounded by its annual holiday bazaar, so you get the biggest bang for your buck here, especially considering that skating is free and you can bring your own skates. But you can still rent skates; prices range between $18 and $33 depending on the day you go. You can also reserve a spot and skip the line, should you really need to practice your triple lutzes.

Photo by Elizabeth Shrier

The Rink At Rockefeller Center

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The city's most famous rink is also its most crowded, so if you want to avoid huge groups of stumbling skaters, try getting a ticket for the 7 a.m. "first skate" of the day. It's also fairly pricey, with tickets running the gamut from $25–$33, plus a $13 skate rental fee.

Wollman Rink

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If you're looking for an Instagram-worthy experience, you won't do much better than this iconic rink, which has appeared in movies and—in miniature form—in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It has one of the prettiest backdrops of any of the Manhattan ice-skating rinks, particularly during night skates. The rink’s entrance fee of $6 and upward is cash only. (Note: President Donald Trump is a major stakeholder in Central Park’s ice-skating rinks.)

Central Park wollman rink Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com

Lasker Pool & Ice Rink

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Central Park's other ice-skating destination is less of a tourist trap than the rink at the southern end of the park. But thanks to its size—there are two, NHL-regulation-sized rinks—it's especially popular with youth and adult hockey leagues. The rink has an entrance fee of $5 and upwards and is cash only. (Note: President Donald Trump is a major stakeholder in Central Park’s ice-skating rinks.)

A post shared by Lasker Rink (@laskerrink) on

Riverbank State Park Ice Skating Rink

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This uptown skating palace, part of the larger Riverbank State Park complex, is a covered space that operates as a roller rink in the summer. There are open skating hours on weekends, along with clinics for beginners (both young and old) throughout the season. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. The skate rental fee is $6.

World Ice Arena

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Unlike many of the other rinks on this list, World Ice is indoors, and therefore operates year-round. Predictably, the price to skate is higher during the holidays ($10 versus $7 in the off-season), but if your goal is simply to skate without distraction, you can't go wrong.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park Brooklyn

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Prospect Park's patch of ice offers public skating hours, along with figure skating lessons, hockey competitions, and even curling sessions, should you want to learn how to do that. For the 2019 season, the rink expects to open on November 20. Admission is $7.50 on weekdays and $11 on Saturdays, Sundays, and Fridays starting at 4 pm and on holidays. Renting skates costs an additional $8.

Abe Stark Ice Skating Rink

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Here's an excuse to go to Coney Island in the winter (beyond chowing down on Totonno's sans lines): this small rink, which is popular with local hockey teams, opened for the season on November 9. Admission is $10, with a $5 skate rental fee.

A post shared by Alisha Ardis (@aisforalisha) on

WWII Veterans War Memorial Ice Skating Rink

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This rink is located within Cloves Lake Park on Staten Island. Unlike its Manhattan counterparts, it's actually fairly reasonable to skate here: admission is $10, and skate rental is $5.

City Ice Pavilion

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City Ice Pavilion is another indoor spot with an NHL-size ice rink that’s open year-round for skating sessions. The Queens facility offers public and private learn-to-skate classes, along with hockey for tots, youths, and adults. Public sessions admission is $10 with a $6 fee for skate rentals.

Industry City

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For the first time, an outdoor ice rink has joined Industry City’s line-up of holiday activities. The rink boasts a nearby lodge-themed outdoor tent for lounging and an outdoor bar designed to emulate a gingerbread house. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under, with skate rentals costing $9.

Runway Rink at TWA Hotel

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Looking for something fun and unique to do during your next JFK layover? The TWA Hotel has you covered with a runway ice rink. From now until March 1, you can lace up and glide along The Runway Rink, which the hotel has billed as the world’s first “airport ice rink.” A spin on the rink costs $15 for adults and $10 for skate rentals; kids under 12 are charged $10 for admission and $8 for skates.

The Rink at Brookfield Place

The rink outside of Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center) in lower Manhattan returns for another year, with its 7,350-square-foot expanse open to skaters of all ages and skill levels. It costs $15 to skate, plus $5 for a skate rental, and there are other price tiers for private lessons, too. It’s open from 12 to 8:30 p.m. during the week, and from 10:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends.

A post shared by Isaac Mizrahi (@isaacmizrahiny) on

Winterland Rink at Pier 17

Pier 17’s Winterland Rink, the city’s only rooftop ice rink, will return this season on November 22. Visitors can enjoy skating lessons, or play broomball, while getting panoramic views of the city’s skyline. The rooftop has restaurants and bars to enjoy and offers season memberships and ticket packages. Admission tickets range from $14 to $35 and will be available for purchase starting November 8.

Courtesy of Pier 17 and The Howard Hughes Corporation

Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers

Another year-round rink, the Chelsea Piers ice-skating space offers room for parties, along with private skating lessons and public skating hours. It’s also a better deal than some of the seasonal rinks: admission is $13, with skate rental costing $7.

A post shared by Coach Evil (@coach.evil) on

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

Bryant Park's ever-popular ice-skating rink is surrounded by its annual holiday bazaar, so you get the biggest bang for your buck here, especially considering that skating is free and you can bring your own skates. But you can still rent skates; prices range between $18 and $33 depending on the day you go. You can also reserve a spot and skip the line, should you really need to practice your triple lutzes.

Photo by Elizabeth Shrier

The Rink At Rockefeller Center

The city's most famous rink is also its most crowded, so if you want to avoid huge groups of stumbling skaters, try getting a ticket for the 7 a.m. "first skate" of the day. It's also fairly pricey, with tickets running the gamut from $25–$33, plus a $13 skate rental fee.

Wollman Rink

If you're looking for an Instagram-worthy experience, you won't do much better than this iconic rink, which has appeared in movies and—in miniature form—in the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It has one of the prettiest backdrops of any of the Manhattan ice-skating rinks, particularly during night skates. The rink’s entrance fee of $6 and upward is cash only. (Note: President Donald Trump is a major stakeholder in Central Park’s ice-skating rinks.)

Central Park wollman rink Alexander Image / Shutterstock.com

Lasker Pool & Ice Rink

Central Park's other ice-skating destination is less of a tourist trap than the rink at the southern end of the park. But thanks to its size—there are two, NHL-regulation-sized rinks—it's especially popular with youth and adult hockey leagues. The rink has an entrance fee of $5 and upwards and is cash only. (Note: President Donald Trump is a major stakeholder in Central Park’s ice-skating rinks.)

A post shared by Lasker Rink (@laskerrink) on

Riverbank State Park Ice Skating Rink

This uptown skating palace, part of the larger Riverbank State Park complex, is a covered space that operates as a roller rink in the summer. There are open skating hours on weekends, along with clinics for beginners (both young and old) throughout the season. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. The skate rental fee is $6.

World Ice Arena

Unlike many of the other rinks on this list, World Ice is indoors, and therefore operates year-round. Predictably, the price to skate is higher during the holidays ($10 versus $7 in the off-season), but if your goal is simply to skate without distraction, you can't go wrong.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park Brooklyn

Prospect Park's patch of ice offers public skating hours, along with figure skating lessons, hockey competitions, and even curling sessions, should you want to learn how to do that. For the 2019 season, the rink expects to open on November 20. Admission is $7.50 on weekdays and $11 on Saturdays, Sundays, and Fridays starting at 4 pm and on holidays. Renting skates costs an additional $8.

Abe Stark Ice Skating Rink

Here's an excuse to go to Coney Island in the winter (beyond chowing down on Totonno's sans lines): this small rink, which is popular with local hockey teams, opened for the season on November 9. Admission is $10, with a $5 skate rental fee.

A post shared by Alisha Ardis (@aisforalisha) on

WWII Veterans War Memorial Ice Skating Rink

This rink is located within Cloves Lake Park on Staten Island. Unlike its Manhattan counterparts, it's actually fairly reasonable to skate here: admission is $10, and skate rental is $5.

City Ice Pavilion

City Ice Pavilion is another indoor spot with an NHL-size ice rink that’s open year-round for skating sessions. The Queens facility offers public and private learn-to-skate classes, along with hockey for tots, youths, and adults. Public sessions admission is $10 with a $6 fee for skate rentals.

Industry City

For the first time, an outdoor ice rink has joined Industry City’s line-up of holiday activities. The rink boasts a nearby lodge-themed outdoor tent for lounging and an outdoor bar designed to emulate a gingerbread house. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under, with skate rentals costing $9.

Runway Rink at TWA Hotel

Looking for something fun and unique to do during your next JFK layover? The TWA Hotel has you covered with a runway ice rink. From now until March 1, you can lace up and glide along The Runway Rink, which the hotel has billed as the world’s first “airport ice rink.” A spin on the rink costs $15 for adults and $10 for skate rentals; kids under 12 are charged $10 for admission and $8 for skates.