Well it’s that time of year again. Nothing says winter like a good skate session at an outdoor rink. Now if you’re like me, and don’t have a good lake to head out to, then you might want to consider one of the urban solutions we have outlined here. I graded these popular spots on a plethora of criteria, including accessibility, crowding, cost, amenities, and overall experience. Check out The Mass Media’s best three spots in the area.
The Frog Pond - Boston Common
This is the first spot people think of when they think about outdoor skating in Beantown. It is very accessible, within just steps of the Park St. T stop. It is a nice-sized rink with good hours (10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). If you own your own skates, it’s $5 to get in, but if you need to rent, that’ll run you another $9.
The Frog Pond’s great location and insane popularity make for some insane crowds, which is probably its biggest drawback. Because of many young and inexperienced skaters, the pace on the ice is a crawl. If you want to do some serious skating, this probably isn’t your place (if you don’t want to barrel into a child and get sued). If you’re looking for a nice, laid-back time (maybe a date), then this place is pretty hard to beat.
Grade: B
Kendall Square Rink - 300 Athenaeum St. Cambridge
This rink is everything that the Frog Pond is not. It is somewhat secluded, and is virtually unknown. Those two things combine to make it a much better place if you want to do some serious skating. It is around a five-minute walk from the Kendall T stop on the Red Line. There is a snack bar, and it is in a cool courtyard (instead of an open park).
Like the Frog Pond, it’s $5 to skate, plus another $8 if you need to rent. The rink also offers a five-week learn-to-skate course for beginners looking to get in on the action. The rink is less well known than its Boston counterpart, but on many days it’s much cooler and more fun.
Grade: A-
Winter Skate at Patriot Place - Foxboro
This place is a great time. Located in a parking lot of the wildly popular Foxboro shopping center, Winter Skate at Patriot Place is a temporary rink that has been put up for the last three winters. It is a bit small and crowded, but you can’t beat its setting. There’s no other rink you can go to after a day of shopping at Bass Pro Shops or any of the dozens of stores around it. There are also awesome dining options within steps of the ice including Five Guys, Qdoba and the CBS Scene.
The biggest drawback is parents dropping off their kids at the rink while they go shopping. They can be unruly and interfere with your skating. The large amount of kids also has a tendency to slow down the pace of skating to a crawl. The price is pretty consistent with other rinks, $5 to skate and another $8 to rent.
Grade: B
