Go for a glide at the ice skating rink in downtown Silver Spring. This favorite wintertime destination opened for the season in October, offering guests as small as toddlers a chance to skate along the smooth frozen ice at Veterans Plaza.
The rink offers more than 400 pairs of ice hockey and figure skates, ranging from toddler size 7 to adult 14. It also has skating guides (kind of like walkers) in the shape of penguins for new skaters to clutch for balance (no more clinging to the wall in fear). The rink offers group lessons on Saturdays for adults and youths ages 5 to 15 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., and one adult group lesson Sundays at 9 a.m. Private lessons are available based on instructor availability for groups of up to six.
Reservations are required and can be made up to two weeks in advance. Tickets are for one hour and 20 minutes of skating. Make an afternoon of it by enjoying the area’s numerous attractions, like movie theaters and restaurants, but don’t dawdle too long over your hot cocoa at the nearby Starbucks—if you’re 10 minutes late, your reservation will be canceled.
The Silver Spring skating rink is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pricing is $11 for adults, $10 for children and seniors, and an additional $5 for skate rentals. 8523 Fenton St., Silver Spring. 301-588-1221, silverspringiceskating.com.
This story appears in the January/February 2023 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
