With January making its debut tomorrow in Chicago, winter will be in full swing in the Windy City, although it really does not feel like winter with no snow on the ground. One popular winter activity in Chicago is ice skating. It’s popularity could be partly because of Chicago’s snowy climate that keeps the ice thick and cold all season long (when it does snow). It could also be Chicagoans love of ice skating, a possible tribute to our mighty Chicago Blackhawks.
Here is a listing of some of Chicago’s best ice rinks. (We will be updating this list with additonal ice skating opportunities in Chicago and also in the suburbs.) Grab your skates, gloves, a warm hat, coat, and gloves (some of the rinks are outdoors) and you will be all set for a day on the ice. (Note: All rinks listed below rent skates, usually between $5 and $10 per pair.)
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Free ice skating under the city’s skyline and in one of Chicago’s most famous attractions, Millennium Park. Open through March 2012. Tip: Near Millennium Park is an ice rink in the Daley Bicentennial Plaza in Grant Park (337 E. Randolph Street). Open through March 2012.
Probably one of Chicago’s most interesting ice rinks is inside the Chicago Cubs’ ball field, Wrigley Field. Admission starts at $5 for adults, $3 for kids. Open through February 2012. (Already have your mind on spring? Check out our
Chicago Cubs Fan Guide.)
Would better way to experience Chicago than skating inside one of Chicago’s tallest buildings, the John Hancock Center. Located on the 94th floor, the indoor 1,000-square-foot ice rink has some of Chicago’s best views. Admission is $5, plus admission to the John Hancock Observatory, which starts at about $21. Open through April 8, 2012.
Set among Navy Pier’s annual Winter Wonderfest, this indoor ice rink overlooks the fest’s thousands of lights and hundreds of Christmas trees. Admission to the fest is free. For ice skating, prices start at $16. Open through January 7, 2012. A little more on Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest: Celebrating its 11th year, Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest is a popular family event during the holidays and includes more than 700,000 sparkling lights, 25,000 holiday ornaments, and hundreds of decorated trees, as well as rides, games, music, and live entertainment, including an indoor Chicago Blackhawks ice skating rink and a 50-foot-high indoor Ferris wheel.
