Watch Atlanta Journal-Constitution staffer Jamila Robinson give some tips on skating indoors and outat myajc.com/goguide.
More place to skate in the Atlanta area:
Outdoor ice rinks often close due to warm or inclement weather, so call ahead to be sure the venue is open.
Astor Rink at St. RegisHotel
Open Nov. 21 through Jan. 5.; noon-9 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. weekends; Adults $30 per hour; Children under 16, $18 per hour ( includes skate rental and valet parking.) St. Regis Atlanta. 88 W. Paces Ferry Road. 404-563-7797, www.stregisatlanta.com.
Southwest Rink at Park Tavern
Nov. 28 through President's Day; 4:30 - midnight Mon. Fri. Sat. Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-midnight. (Adults only 8:30-midnight 10:30 p.m. session is 21 and older); $15 (includes skates). $20 Friday and Saturday.; Park Tavern, 500 10th St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-0001, www.xorbia.com/therink/
Centennial Olympic Park Ice Rink: Opens Nov. 23 ; Monday-Friday 4:30 -10 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; $10, includes rental. $7 for students/ military; Centennial Olympic Park Drive N.W. Atlanta. 404-223-4412, www.centennialpark.com.
Olde Town Conyers Pavilion: Through Jan. 5; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; weekends vary; $7 plus $2 skate rental. Olde Town Conyers Pavilion, 949 S. Main St., Conyers. 770-554-7506, www.icedays.com.
Verizon Wireless Ice Rink at Lake Lanier Islands: Through Dec. 31. 4-10 p.m. nightly. $12, includes rentals.
7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. 770-945-8787.
Outdoor ice skating is an indelible image for winter in places like New York and Chicago. Yet as more Atlanta parks and businesses add seasonal ice rinks, gliding through a figure eight in the colder months is becoming a Southern holiday tradition.
In recent years, skating has come to several neighborhoods during the holiday season. And now, Atlantans can now swizzle their way around Skate Atlantic Station — the latest and the largest of the areas’s seasonal ice rinks.
It joins the Astor Rink at the St. Regis Hotel in Buckhead, the Southwest Rink at Park Tavern in Midtown and the venerable Centennial Park Ice Rink downtown, as well as the Verizon Wireless Ice Rink on the Lake Lanier Resort in Buford.
Although there are many indoor ice rinks in the metro area that operate year-round, there is something idyllic about open-air skating. That’s the kind of winter experience organizers of Skate Atlantic Station say they wanted to create, so they cleared several blocks of the Westside retail district to install the 10,000 square foot ice surface.
“We want Atlantic Station to be a place where visitors can create new traditions,” said Liz Gillespie, vice president of marketing for North American Properties. “When we were looking at our holiday programs we thought an ice rink was a perfect fit.”
Gillespie added that Atlantic Station wanted to have an activity that the entire community (including its residents) could enjoy.
Organizers also wanted to offer unlimited ice time and to be able to accommodate more skaters than some seasonal rinks typically can manage, so they designed the rink in a race-track format. Instead of a full sheet of ice, Skate Atlantic Station has two narrow sides, and a center island with lighted trees and landscaping. At capacity, the rink can hold at least 600 skaters (compared with the 200-skater max at the Southwest Rink, or just 30 skaters at the St. Regis).
“This setup helps maximize our space and allows us to have a larger rink,” Gillespie said of the design that keeps all skaters moving counter-clockwise with an inside rail for newbies who want to steady themselves.
Gillespie isn’t worried about skaters not being able to cross the center of the rink. “Most people who go to ice rinks aren’t experienced skaters and like to simply skate around in circles,” she said.
They also like to take pictures, so the rink’s center island features multi-colored stage and spotlighting, so that visitors can set up photo ops instead of jumps and spins.
Judges marks for Skate Atlantic Station
How’s the skating at Skate Atlantic Station? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previewed the open-air rink and judged it using the old Olympic judging system of 6.0.
Our first mark for required elements looks at rink quality, rental equipment and overall environment. The second mark for presentation scores aesthetics and the overall enjoyment.
Required Elements Score: 5.8
Ice and rink quality: The ice at Skate Atlantic Station was nearly comparable to an indoor rink, with smooth, fast skating. Even after hours of blades cutting on a recent 65-degree day, there were only a few bumpy spots. The rink is well-staffed with experienced skaters who will check on anyone who tumbles.
We took a small equipment deduction because the rink has 600 pairs of new hockey skates yet the smallest child size is 13. This could pose a safety concern for parents of preschoolers without properly fitting skates. We took off another tenth for the sharp corners on the inside rail, which are neither child nor adult friendly. Locker and bench space is ample, and socks are available for sale to those who don’t bring proper foot gear.
Presentation Score: 5.9
Skating quality: Skate Atlantic Station receives bonus points for its beautiful design that incorporates the elements of the shopping and entertainment district. From all angles, the rink sparkles. The stage-lighting can make skaters feel – and photograph – as if they are performing in Stars on Ice, even if they are just hanging onto the rail.
The track concept helps to manage traffic patterns and skater speed, but it creates awkward zigzag-like movements, instead of the circles and curves of normal ice rinks. The absence of a center area may frustrate for anyone who can do simple forward or backward crossovers. Still, we like that the long lanes create an opportunity for skaters to practice edge and footwork sequences.
Info: Open through Feb. 14; 4-10 p.m. Mon-Thurs. ; 3 p.m-11 p.m.Fri.-Sat.and holidays; Sunday 3-9p.m. Atlantic Station. District Street at 17 1/2 and 18th streets.$13, adults, unlimited skating. $10, seniors, military, students, children under 5. Season pass, $49. Group rates available.
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