Ice Skating in Howard Park, Indiana

South Bend, Indiana, home to the University of Notre Dame, ranks as one of the nation's more famous college towns. However, the north-central Indiana community also features numerous other attractions, including museums, a zoo with more than 400 animals and city parks that provide an array of recreational activities. If you're visiting in the winter, one such option is ice skating on an outdoor rink at Howard Park.

About Howard Park

• Howard Park lies along the eastern shore of the St. Joseph River at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and St. Louis Boulevard in downtown South Bend. In addition to the winter-only ice rink, the 11.5-acre park offers other amenities and attractions available year-round, including fishing along the St. Joseph River, a three-quarter-mile river walk, playground, picnic area and restroom facilities. The park also includes a recreation center that provides classes, crafts, games and recreational activities for seniors ages 55 and older.

About the Rink

• The Howard Park Ice Rink typically is open from late November to mid-March and charges an admission fee for adults and a slightly discounted fee for students ages 6 and older. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. The rink has rental skates available and also provides skate sharpening for a fee. The rink features daily specials that might include free skate rental with paid admission, 2-for-1 admission or discounted family deals. Party packages for organized groups, birthdays or other special events also are available. The entire rink can be rented by the hour during times when public skate sessions are not scheduled.

Skating Schedule

• During its skating season, the Howard Park Ice Rink is open seven days per week, typically on weekday afternoons, Friday evenings, morning to evenings on Saturdays, and afternoons and evenings on Sundays. When area schools are on holiday break from mid-December to early January, the rink extends its hours and is open from mid-mornings to late evenings six days per week -- every day except Mondays, when it is open from morning to mid-afternoon. The rink typically closes at mid-afternoon Christmas Eve and remains closed Christmas Day. Weather conditions could keep the rink from opening for some sessions. To inquire about ice conditions, call 574-235-9451

Nearby Attractions and Accommodations

• If you're planning a trip to Howard Park, take time to visit several of South Bend's other nearby attractions. Notre Dame offers tours of its campus, approximately two miles north of Howard Park, that include the Grotto, the Main Building's Golden Dome and "Touchdown Jesus," an iconic mural on the side of the school library adjacent to Notre Dame Stadium, home of the Fighting Irish football program. Or spend a few hours at the Potawatomi Zoo, which is open daily and includes animals such anteaters, bison, kangaroos, monkeys, leopards, lions, tigers, red pandas and zebras just 1.5 miles southeast of Howard Park. Also within a five-minute drive are the South Bend Museum of Art, the HealthWorks! Kids Museum and the Studebaker National Museum. The city has a variety of accommodations, including hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns.

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Ice Skating in Roosevelt Park, New Jersey

Edison, a New Jersey township first settled in the late 1600s, changed its name in 1954 to honor the feats of Thomas Alva Edison. The inventor made many of his famed discoveries -- including the incandescent light bulb, the phonograph and the first recording of sound -- in the late 1870s at his Menlo Park research laboratory. Although nationally known Menlo Park is the site of a memorial tower and museum that pays homage to Edison's work, another of the township's historic parks -- Roosevelt Park -- is heralded regionally for its outdoor theater and year-round recreational amenities, including an ice skating rink.

About the Park

• Roosevelt Park, Middlesex County's oldest park, opened in 1917 and is about a mile south of Menlo Park's Edison tower and museum. The 217-acre facility's recreational amenities include an eight-acre lake for fishing, tennis courts, sports fields, paths for walking and biking, three playgrounds and several picnic areas. In summer months, the park's outdoor amphitheater is home to Plays-In-The-Park, a series of community theater productions that dates back more than 50 years. In the winter, however, the main attraction is ice skating.

Scenic Setting

• Roosevelt Park's Family Ice Skating Rink, typically open from mid-November to late March, is an uncovered outdoor rink that provides scenic views of Roosevelt's lake and the surrounding parkland. The rink has a concession stand that sells hot and cold beverages, sandwiches and other snacks. Basketball courts, a gazebo and a lakeside walking path are adjacent to the skating rink, and a parking area and restrooms also are nearby.

Skating Schedule

• In recent years, the Roosevelt Park rink typically has been open five days a week. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, the rink is open on other weekday evenings. On Saturdays, open skating is divided into three sessions from late morning to early evening, with two sessions on Sundays. The ice skating rink typically has longer weekday sessions during holiday periods when area schools are on break. The rink is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and also may shut down in periods of inclement weather.

Things to Know

• A nominal fee is charged for each ice skating session at Roosevelt Park, with children and seniors receiving a slightly discounted rate. Other optional services include skate rental and skate sharpening. All beginning skaters are urged to wear helmets, which are required for skaters ages 6 and under. Helmets are available for purchase at the rink. The park also provides weekly skating instruction for ages 5 and above. Lessons begin in early January and include skate rental and skating during any public session.

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Ice Skating Nearest to Palo Alto

Sunny Palo Alto, California, is home to multimillion-dollar homes on tree-lined streets, prestigious Stanford University, high-end restaurants, pricey boutiques and an outdoor ice skating rink. Yes, an outdoor ice skating rink. The San Francisco Bay Area has produced a number of skating champions, including Olympic Gold Medalist Kristi Yamaguchi. Palo Alto could very well produce the next ice skating star.

Skate in the Sunshine

• Winter Lodge is the only outdoor ice skating venue in Palo Alto. Located on the southern end of town, Winter Lodge offers skating during the fall, winter and spring seasons, usually beginning the end of September and running through mid-April. Hockey lessons and skating instruction for both adults and children are available. Open, family and adult skating sessions are scheduled. Individual admissions, as well as discount admission cards, are offered. The rink is sometimes rented out for private events.

Redwood on Ice

• Head 7 miles north to Redwood City and you’ll find the Nazareth Ice Oasis. This indoor rink is open year-round with public skating sessions available nearly every day. Lessons are available for beginning to advanced skaters, figure skaters and hockey players. Nazareth supports adult and youth hockey teams and has occasional pickup hockey sessions for adult club members and their guests. Pickup hockey teams are comprised of players who sign up just for the night. Nazareth is also home to the Redwood City Ice Theatre Team, which participates in Theater On Ice, a figure skating event that started in 2002.

Skate with Champions

• Only 12 miles north of Palo Alto, Belmont Iceland is another year-round indoor ice skating venue. Competitive skaters from the Skating Club of San Francisco practice at Belmont. Some of that group’s more famous members include Brian Boitano and Peggy Fleming. Public skating sessions are offered, and hockey and skating lessons are available for all age groups and skill levels. The public sessions are usually on Friday nights, during the weekday lunch hour and on Sundays. Additional sessions are sometimes scheduled. The rink can also be reserved in its entirety for parties and other private events.

Skate Amongst Palms

• San Jose is only 21 miles south of Palo Alto and is home to Downtown Ice, an outdoor skating rink open from mid-November through mid-January. Every year the Circle of Palms, a downtown courtyard, is iced over. It creates a circular rink with the palm trees separating the inner skating circle from the outside lap skating area. The courtyard is located between the Fairmont Hotel and San Jose Museum of Art. Children are entitled to a discounted rate, and skates are available to rent. Wear a Hawaiian shirt on Aloha Fridays and get a discount on your admission. Make sure to wear something warm under your shirt, as winter nights in San Jose are sometimes brisk.

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Ice Skating on Navy Pier in Chicago

During its annual Winter WonderFest celebration in December and January, Navy Pier in Chicago offers an all-ages, indoor ice skating rink. Though skating is only one of many activities you can indulge in at Winter WonderFest, it's one of the only ones that's completely free -- if you plan ahead, that is. Otherwise, you'll need an admission ticket just like you would for activities like riding the Ferris wheel or scaling the Snow Summit climbing wall.

Tips

1. Choose the dates you want to visit the skating rink. The Winter WonderFest takes place in December and January, and though it is typically open five days a week, the hours may vary by day. If you want to beat the crowds, you may have more luck on a weekday than on the weekend.
2. Purchase tickets to the Winter WonderFest online if you don't plan on taking ice skates, or if you want to take in other activities while you're at Navy Pier. Though you don't have to purchase tickets in advance, you receive a discount for doing so -- and while you can skate for free with your own pair of blades, you still need a ticket for the Winter WonderFest's other rides and activities. If you have your own skates and want to participate in other activities, order a regular wristband, which includes everything except rental skates at the rink. If you don't have your own skates, order the all-inclusive premium wristband.
3. Pack light, because you can't take your personal belongings onto the skating rink with you. Unless you have someone in your party who can hold your belongings, you'll have to rent a locker for your shoes or boots. Lockers are limited, though, and the bigger they are, the more expensive they are to rent -- take only what you need to make sure you save money and have a place to keep your things while you're on the ice.
4. Park in the east garage when you arrive at Navy Pier. Of the two parking garages -- east and west -- this one is closer to the Winter WonderFest attractions. If you aren't driving, take the Navy Pier Trolley, which runs during the festival and makes a series of stops between Navy Pier and State Street.

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