The 13 best places to go ice skating in the Bay Area

After last year's successful debut, San Francisco’s Civic Center will once again play host to a winter-themed park modeled after the Wiener Eistraum in Vienna, Austria. Glide along on a 6,000-square-foot rink at the center of a forest of lights or along a 400 square foot track woven among the plaza’s trees. The rink also hosts special events like Sunday morning curling lessons ($20) and a holiday tree lighting on December 4. General admission for a 75-min skating session is $13-$18 (depending on age and time of day) and includes skate rental.

Open November 22 through January 5, 2020.

San Francisco’s seminal ice skating opportunity is located in the heart of downtown’s Union Square. This holiday tradition is open daily from morning until late at night. Hit the rink every other hour (even hours) for a 90-minute session that includes skate rentals ($13–$18). Double your fun on event nights that include Drag Queens on Ice (Dec 5, 8-10pm), Flashback Fridays with an '80s soundtrack (6-9:30pm) and the Silent Skate Party (Dec 12, 6-9:30pm).

Open November 6 through January 20, 2020.

This massive holiday ice rink has a distinguished location in the shadow of the historic Ferry Building on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. A ticket ($7–$12) gets you an hour-and-a-half glide across the ice (skaters are admitted on the hour throughout the day). Bring your own skates or rent a pair for an additional $5. On Friday and Saturday, the rink is open late for an adult-skewing festive evening.

Opens November 6, 2019

Walnut Creek on Ice offers a mix of open skating and eight-week skating classes for both kids and adults ($175). General admission tickets ($13-$15) get you a few hours, or a whole day, of uninterrupted gliding. Frequent skater passes good for 10 visits cost just $115.

Open November 8 through January 20, 2020 

The Winter Lodge has been a Palo Alto tradition since 1956 and was rated by Outside Magazine as one of the top ten outdoor ice skating experiences in the United States. Join skating school classes designed for children, teens, adults or those with special needs or glide the ice on your own  during public skating sessions ($15 admission, $5 skate rental).

Open through April 11, 2020.

The 6,400 square foot ice rink at NorCal Ice (formerly Marin on Ice) is Marin County’s favorite outdoor skating spot. $15 will get you access to the ice all day long, or buy a 10-ticket booklet for $130. Grab your friends and family for the quintessential holiday experience!

Opens November 6, 2019

Every season, San Mateo’s Central Park hosts one of the largest outdoor skating rinks in the Bay Area, a whopping 9,000 square feet of sparkling ice. Tickets ($17, includes skate rental) are good for a full day of fun on the ice. If skating’s not for you, check out the rink’s bumper cars, a raucous, twirling ride running daily ($10/ride).

Open November 9 through January 12, 2020

This seasonal ice rink in the heart of downtown San Jose is a South Bay tradition. Skating is open to the public daily and into the wee hours of the night. For $15–$18 you can skate to your heart’s content.

Open November 15 through January 12, 2020 

This seasonal outdoor skating rink in Santa Clara’s Central Park offers both open skate and weekend ice skating lessons. Six-week classes for beginning or intermediate skaters ($130), are available for ages 5-11 and 12 and up. If you come packing your own ice skating skills (or even if you don’t), you can hit the ice with a general admission ticket ($10-$15) or all-day skating pass ($15-$22). Ice junkies can purchase a Frequent Skater Pass ($100-$150) good for up to twelve visits.

Open November 21 through January 20, 2020.

Only in Santa Cruz do the holidays mean ice skating at the beach. Between November and January, the iconic Beach Boardwalk turns the seaside amusement park into a winter wonderland complete with a covered ice skating rink. Strap on your skates rain or shine. One hour sessions include skate rentals, reservations are recommended.

Open November 16 through January 5, 2020 

San Jose Sharks fans will love strapping on their skates for a turn around the team’s official practice rink. This year-round facility offers public open skate and youth and adult hockey leagues. They also provide lessons in figure skating, hockey, ice dancing and synchronized skating. When you’re ready for something less slippery, stop by Stanley’s Sports Bar on the second level to grab a beer and watch the home team on T.V.

At this year-round ice skating facility operated by Sharks Ice you’ll find opportunities for freestyle fun, structured learning and team sports. Oakland Ice Center’s programs are tailored to different ages, abilities and levels of commitment: if you can’t join a hockey league, for example, drop in and join a pickup game or Gretzky Stick Time. Open public skating is available during the day and on some evenings.

For over 40 years, Dublin Iceland has brought the joys of the skating to the East Bay. The facility, open year-round, is chock full of activities for ice lovers including team and individual sports like broomball, hockey, figure skating and synchronized skating. For enthusiasts gliding to the beat of their own drum, Iceland offers open skate hours daily.