Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks
Outdoor Ice skating offers a fun and wonderful way to enjoy a brisk cold winter day. Be sure your ice skating experience is safe by following the following guidelines:

Important Ice Skating Safety Guidelines

Do not skate or walk on ice unless a sign is posted by your town Parks and Recreation facilities designating the ice as a safe-skating area.

Never ice skate or walk on any frozen water or water surface unless official signs are posted as to the safety of these areas.

Children should never be left unattended near any ice or frozen water.

If you hear cracking while on ice, lie down immediately and try to distribute your weight.

If you witness someone falling through ice, never attempt to make a rescue by yourself. Call 911 and notify the proper authorities.

Both indoor and outdoor Ice Skating rinks offer many activities and great exercise. Some ice activities include: public skating, freestyle skating, ice hockey, open hockey, stick time, birthday parties on the ice. If you're looking for a fun birthday party, take the children to an ice skating rink. Both young children and older kids enjoy an ice skating party.

History of Ice Skating in New York City Parks
Ice Skating in the Parks began before specially designed ice skating rinks were built in the 20th century, at a time when skaters used ponds and lakes in parks for recreation.

The Lake in Central Park was the most notable case of this use. Before Central Park was completed in the 1870s, this section was opened to ice skaters and quickly became a top attraction. In order to ensure proper skating conditions, the Lake was drained to a level that eased the freezing of ice each year. The Lake, then and now, is connected to the City's water system.

Ice Skating beyond Central Park
Meanwhile, other bodies of water were used for ice skating throughout the park system. In Brooklyn, skating sites existed at McCarren Park, Prospect Park, Sunset Park, and Commodore Barry Park. In fact, ice skating was so popular in the 19th century that a tradition of "raising the red ball" on Brooklyn streetcars was created to indicate favorable skating conditions at Prospect Park.

Building a Manmade Rink in Queens
The first facility devoted to ice skating was the New York City Building, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, originally constructed for the 1939-40 World's Fair. The rink was used for ice shows during the Fair, and afterward was converted to an ice and roller skating rink that operated from 1941 to 1946.

Although the New York City Building was temporarily used as a site for the fledgling United Nations, October 1946 to 1950, the Building once again became an ice and roller skating rink in 1952. The New York City Building became a major World's Fair site again during the 1964-65 event when Olympic figure skating champion Dick Button organized "Ice-Travaganza" performances within the facility. After the Fair ended, the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park rink became the first year-round skating facility in the park system.

The Ice Skating Rink in Central Park
In 1949, philanthropist Kate Wollman donated funds for a new kind of "artificial rink" to be built in Central Park. Ms. Wollman gave $600,000 toward the construction of Wollman Rink as a memorial to her parents, Mr. J. Wollman and Mrs. Bettie Wollman, and her four brothers.

The Wollman Rink opened in 1950 and is located in the southern part of Central Park. Its creation ushered in a new era of ice skating unbound by fickle weather conditions. As the Parks Department publicity materials boasted, the new rink guaranteed access to safe skating for New Yorkers "who have been deprived of the pleasure of regular, uninterrupted outdoor ice skating throughout the winter half year because of vagaries of our climate."

With midtown Manhattan as its dramatic backdrop, Wollman Rink was a success from the day it opened; over 300,000 skaters glided across the ice in its first year of operation. The facility features three-quarters of an acre (28,000 square feet) of ice and 16 miles of 1 1/4 " wrought iron pipe.

Wollman Funds Additional Rinks
Another rink funded by Kate Wollman, Lasker Rink and Pool on Central Park's northern end, serves as a pool in the summer months. Wollman also contributed major financial help towards a similar outdoor ice skating rink in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. This Rink was constructed in 1961 on the site formerly known as Music Island, where concerts were performed in the 19th century.

Ice Skating Continues to Grow
Once ice skating proved to be useful in attracting people into the parks in the winter months, other rinks opened throughout City boroughs:

The Abe Stark Rink, in Coney Island, was opened in 1970.

The War Memorial Rink in Clove Lakes Park, an outdoor rink, also opened in 1970.

Recently, a concession at Bryant Park has offered ice skating free of charge, providing New Yorkers with an economical way to explore this enjoyable winter pastime.

The American Museum of Natural History opened a state-of-the-art skating rink, located within Theodore Roosevelt Park, made from a recyclable synthetic surface.

There is wonderful Hudson Valley outdoor ice skating in local parks. Also enjoy year round ice skating, ice hockey, and more ice activities at the indoor rinks of the Hudson Valley.

History of Ice Skating in New York City parks by NYC Department of Parks & Recreation