GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If you're looking for a sign the winter is upon us, look no further than downtown Grand Rapids.
The Rosa Parks Circle Ice Rink opened Thursday for public ice skating which runs into the new year.
Its opening was scheduled for Friday, November 24 but was delayed nearly a week due to warm weather. Now, it's opening just in time for the annual downtown Christmas Tree Lighting.
"Now that we've got that base ice laid down, the chillers really do the rest, as well as staff getting out and clearing the ice every half hour with the Zamboni, said the City of Grand Rapids Director of Parks & Recreation David Marquardt. "The ice will be nice and clear, and safe and fun for skaters on a daily basis," he said.
If you want to skate, you can walk up, but reservations are highly encouraged and prioritized.
Each person can make a reservation for up to six people online. Those reservations will ensure you get a chance on the ice when you want, as there are only 50 spots in each time slot.
"During COVID, we implemented a reservation-based system to ensure we don't have too many skaters on the ice at any one point in time," said Marquardt. "What we found is that residents and visitors really liked that system, so we still have that in place. You can still show up, if you'd like to at any point in time, if you decide to come skating, no problem. You do not need that reservation, but if you prefer to plan ahead and make a reservation, we do have that system in place that's available on our website through our social media apps as well," he said.
The time slots will a lot ice skaters up to 90 minutes of open skate.
It costs $4 for adults 18 and up and $2 for those 17 and younger. Free skate rental is included in the price of admission.
The skating season kicks off at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 30th and will be open all season, weather permitting through February 24th.
Closures will be announced on the Rosa Parks Circle Ice Rink Facebook page and on their cancellation hotline at (616) 456-3699.
To book a reservation online or to find out hours and location information, click here.
In addition to ice skating throughout the winter season, you can also participate in snowshoeing, fat tire biking and sledding throughout Grand Rapids.
