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.
