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| Ice skating central park Image source: Flickr/Jeff Keyzer |
Ice skating in Central Park
Whatever the season, visiting New York is wonderful. The change of seasons offers the city different faces, varied and numerous. The most striking example is the metamorphosis of Central Park, this island of greenery in the middle of the urban jungle of New York. Central Park offers a large number of activities to the visitor, from a simple walk to a tourist or sporting outing, including a visit to the famous zoo. However, some activities offered in the park are specific to certain seasons. Among these, skating is part of the history of Central Park, and is popular with both New Yorkers and tourists, throughout the winter period.
Skating on lake
Central Park offers the visitor no less than seven bodies of water in the heart of New York. One of them, called The Lake, has even been set up especially for canoeing in the summer and ice skating in the winter. The Lake was opened to skaters during the winter of 1858, while the rest of the park was still under development and closed to the public. Ice skating in Central Park is therefore a tradition, and remains very popular today. Ice skating has been banned since 1950 on the waters of Central Park, returned to nature and wildlife, but the tradition of skating in the heart of New York has nevertheless continued thanks to the creation of two ice rinks specialising in ice skating Park.
Where to skate in Central Park?
Central Park offers visitors and ice skating enthusiasts two large ice rinks: Wollman Rink, the most famous in the park, and Lasker Rink, a swimming pool in summer and an ice rink in winter. These two rinks are open seasonally, from October to April.
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| Ice skating in central park Image source: Flickr/Stuart Moreton |
Wollman Rink
Place of meeting and romanticism, the large ice rink of Central park, Wollman Rink is located in the South East of the park, near the zoo, on the side of Fifth avenue. Established in the park in the middle of New York's skyscrapers, it is often considered one of the most beautiful ice rinks in the world. Wollman Rink hosts a skating school, ice hockey, figure skating and various events. The ice rink is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Prices also vary depending on the day of the week. Monday through Thursday, $11.25 per adult, $6 per child under 11, and $5 for seniors and spectators. From Friday to Sunday, and during the holidays, count 18 dollars per adult, 6 dollars per child, and 9 dollars for seniors, the spectator entrance remains at 5 dollars. Locker rental is $5. Payment is in cash only, and on-site ice skate rental is possible. A sliding session at Wollman Rink is essential for a successful trip to New York in winter.
Lasker Rink
Located northeast of Central Park near Harlem Meer, Lasker Rink is smaller and more intimate than Wollman Rink. It also hosts a skating and ice hockey school. It is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm, Friday from 10am to 4.30pm and 6pm to 11pm, Saturday from 10am to 11pm and Sunday from 12.30pm to 4.30pm. The prices are lower there, counting 7.50 dollars per adult, 4 dollars per child and 2.25 dollars for seniors. Skate rental is $6.50 and locker is $3.25, all payments are cash. Lasker Rink offers the advantage of an intimate skating rink in a magnificent setting, which knows how to enhance a trip with a romantic and playful touch.
Just as any trip to New York must be accompanied by a visit to Central Park, any visit to Central Park in winter must be complemented by an ice skating session, a fun, romantic or sporting stopover, which constitutes a tradition of Central Park, and of New York.
Other Central Park Attractions:
- Central Park Statues
- Sports in Central Park
- Events in Central Park
