Ice Skating At The Centennial Olympic Park In Atlanta

Waterfall at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

Waterfall at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

Waterfall at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

We went ice-skating yesterday at the Centennial Olympic Park yesterday and it was a lot of fun! The entry fee is $7 per person for 90 minutes with optional $2 for skate rental and $1 for a locker (for upto 2 hours) but as Georgia Tech students, admission and skate rental was $6 per head so that worked out well for us. As of this post, College Discount Days are Mondays and Tuesdays - valid during the usual operating hours of the rink.

The outside of the ice skating rink at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

Ice skating rink at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

It was our first ice-skating and the first few minutes on ice were awkward and scary as our feet kept threatening to slide out from under us - we hugged the wall all the way around! After a while though, I was managing quite well (in my own opinion) and my first and only fall was almost an hour after I stepped onto the rink. The only problem I had was with stopping! My friends had a slightly harder time moving around though - they probably need a little more time. To be fair, I've had some practice on roller-skates, even though that was over 10 years ago.

Ice skating rink at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

Concession stands at the ice skating rink at the Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta

The rink wasn't over-crowded - I suspect the sub-zero (in °Celsius) temperature had something to do with it - and there were quite a few other first time skaters so we didn't feel too out of place! I don't know how the rink compares in size to other places but it seemed big enough for a beginner. The only thing that sucked about the evening was that my skates were wet from the inside and my feet were numb by the time we left. So if you go, you might want to make sure you've been given dry ones!

All in all, we had a great time and if you haven't been ice-skating before, this is a great chance to try it out. And if you're studying at GATech, the student discount should be reason enough to go at least once.

UPDATE [1507 06 Jan 2010]: Though there's an ATM on the premises, it might help to keep in mind that the rink accepts payments by cash or check only.

UPDATE [2035 20 Jan 2010]: According to the Inside Access blog on ajc.com, the rink is 64 by 116 feet — and has 350 pairs of skates available.