A new challenge has begun for my family...try a different outdoor skating rink every week! This one wasn't even my own idea...my husband thought it would be fun too. Here we are living in a city filled with outdoor ice rinks and we always seem to end up at the same ones. Time to branch out. And heck, if we're going to visit these places we might as well share what we discover with you.
It is best that you know our family's skating background. My husband and I have been on skates virtually since birth. I played ringette and hockey while he played hockey. Our daughters have been on their skates for a few years now. No competitive sports in our house...just pleasure skating for the fun of it. We think that being able to skate is something that every Canadian should know how to do. You never know when there might be an on ice emergency...seriously!?
Our challenge began on my birthday last week at the Evergreen Brick Works. Here is a place that thrives in the summertime with farmer's markets and special events and they aren't afraid of a little cold weather in the winter. They have created a lovely, user friendly outdoor rink. In fact, instead of a traditional oval rink the Brickworks has designed a rink that has two "islands" of small trees which provide the skater with a more scenic skating experience. My girls love skating here and so do we. There were lots of kids and families - a great rink for beginner skaters.
Let's break it down...
parking - large lot, you have to pay
cost to skate - free
skate rentals - $5 or "pay what you can"
skate change area - indoor
hot chocolate availibilty - Cafe Beyond on site
ice quality - pretty good, not too fast for kids and not too slow for adults
kid friendliness - kids can skate with a chair/support if needed
To find out about the Brick Works public skating schedule and their location, follow this link.
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REMEMBER...
REMEMBER...
It is important to play safe.
Children under 6 years of age MUST wear a CSA approved helmet
Children 12 years of age and younger MUST be supervised
Mama Pea Pod says
Great idea, I love it! Hope you'll be linking these up to the Outdoor Play Party! (a new one is going live in 40 mins). I had no idea there were so many rinks in TO, nor did I have any clue that kids are supposed to wear helmets to skate these days! Wow, we are so out of the 'safety loop' here! (We rarely ever see bicycle helmets, or often even seat belts in use in Hungary!)