The best ice skating rinks in the USA

There’s nothing like winter in New York, and even when the weather is cold, nothing beats a night at the rink beneath the city’s most iconic holiday symbol: the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The Rink at Rockefeller Center is perhaps the most famous skating rink in the world, visited by an estimated 250,000 people each year. The place is so special, in fact, The Rink offers engagement packages if you’re looking to get down on one knee... on the ice! And new for 2024: pop into an Après Skate Chalet to warm up with some hot cocoa or coffee after your skate.
Admission: $11–$73

If you need room to spread your wings and… skate, look no further than the Oval in Roseville. The skating surface covers 110,000 square feet (with a whopping 84 miles of underground refrigeration piping, weighing 800 tons!), which makes this the largest ice skating rink in North America. Speed-skaters love all the extra space, which hosts racing events like World Cup Speed Skating. More unique sports like bandy (kind of like hockey) and “aggressive skating” (exactly what it sounds like) are also played here. But it’s open to everyone, so don’t let the professionals deter you from taking a turtle-like pace. Admission: $9

Ice skating truly is a wholesome winter activity. But for anyone who needs to get their holiday aggression out, this rink in downtown Buffalo offers ice bumper cars. That’s right, you can steer your frustrations into a fellow bumper buddy. Of course, the rink accommodates low-key ice skaters as well and also offers curling, if sweeping the ice is more your speed. Don’t miss the Friday night fireworks and theme nights like Taylor Swift (December 13, duh) and Chappell Roan. Admission: $8 bumper cars; $8 skating

The National Mall is one of the treasures of the U.S. capital, featuring well-known icons like the Washington and Lincoln Monuments and the Smithsonian. It also has some hidden gems, like the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink. Every winter, the garden’s reflecting pool is converted into a charming rink. Skaters can purchase timed tickets and check out the sculptures before your turn on the ice. No wonder it tops the list of ice skating rinks in DC. Admission: $12

If you’d like a little more sun and a little less snow with your skating, this rink is for you. Nestled on the shore of the Pacific Ocean at Hotel Del Coronado, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, you can skate even when temperatures hit 70 degrees (brrrr!). The hotel goes all out for the holidays, and during their celebrations, guests can cuddle up by a toasty fire in a private rink-side lounge. Admission: $40

Skate back in time at the Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond, part of the Strawbery Banke Museum, a 10-acre living museum that celebrates history from Indigenous people to current times. Visitors to the professionally maintained rink can glide right past historic homes that sit on their original colonial foundations—they’re outrageously charming, too. In the summer, you can watch as role-players recreate vintage ways of life in the New Hampshire neighborhood, but in the winter, it’s all about the skate. Admission: $15

If skating in a plain old oval isn’t quite exciting enough for you, how about an ice rink with lots of twists and turns? Chicago’s Maggie Daley Park features one of the most unique rinks in the country. Glide over the ice skating ribbon and peep the views of downtown. The quarter-mile track can hold up to 700 skaters at once, so bring your friends! Admission: $17–$21

Ice skaters have been enjoying the ice at Yosemite National Park since 1928. Located at the base of the Half Dome rock face, skaters can take in the breathtaking views as they spin and twirl in front of the iconic landmark. You won’t be visiting the park just to skate, however. Get ready to spend a lot of time outdoors skiing, snowshoeing, tubing and snowboarding. Then rest your bones by the cozy rink-side fire pits. Admission: $16

No offense to the Rockefeller Ice Rink in New York City, but this skater’s paradise is 67 percent bigger. A frozen layer of ice covers Pittsburgh's downtown Plaza between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue from November to February, where you’ll feel like you’re drifting through an ice castle as the surrounding buildings reflect the large, lit Christmas tree in its center (the tree has all the bells and whistles, and claims to be the most technologically-advanced tree worldwide). 
It’s also a short walk from another, similarly named skating rink: PPG Paints Arena, home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Admission: $11–$12

Slipping and falling on your tush is much less humiliating when everyone else is preoccupied with a gorgeous view. At Siskiyou Ice Rink, which sits near the base of Mt. Shasta, you’ll find it hard to focus on your form when the snow-covered Cascade Range of Northern California is glistening in the distance. So go ahead and make your mistakes because everyone else will be tripping over that stunning view. Admission: $10

Have you ever dreamed of skating in the Olympics? The James B. Sheffield Olympic Skating Rink in Lake Placid, New York, is as close as you can get without actually competing. Somewhat unusual for an Olympic site, the outdoor oval speed skating rink (which was used in both the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics) is located on the front lawn of a high school in the middle of the small Adirondack village. When weather permits, the rink is open to the public for both speed skating and regular ice skating sessions. But if the weather really isn’t cooperating, there’s also indoor skating at both the 1932 arena and the 1980 arena—the site of the famous “Miracle on Ice” hockey game. Admission: $15

You can combine ice skating and holiday shopping at Houston’s Galleria, one of the largest malls in the country that just so happens to pocket a rink right inside—it’s perfect for shoppers who need a quick break between stores. Built in 1970 beneath the shopping center’s glass atrium, it was the first-ever skating rink built within a mall. You can skate year-round at the Galleria, but a 55-foot Christmas tree goes up in November to give it peak holiday vibes. Better yet? You can also take lessons and even skate with Santa. Admission: $27

Believe it or not, you can skate on real ice outside in Sin City. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas transforms its Boulevard Pool into a 4,200-square-foot skating rink above the Strip. And of course, you know a Vegas rink will go big — there are lights, movie nights with holiday favorites, and DJs galore. You can also chill by a fire pit with a fancy cocktail while you roast s’mores in between laps, or you can get caught in a (scheduled) snow shower to really up your vacation selfie game. Admission: $30