No one knows how to embrace cold weather like Vermonters. Bordering Canada and rated number seven among the coldest states in America, the Green Mountain State provides excellent opportunity for ice skating. Whether you’re looking for a public skate session or some stick and puck time, you’ll find it at the 10 best ice skating rinks in Vermont!
Enjoy skating old school in the fresh air, like when communities got together, and families had outdoor fun. Hockey and figure skates, and sharpening are available. There are also heated changing rooms and restrooms, and the rink is divided into one half for skating and one half for stick-and-puck. Lessons, groups, and parties can be accommodated and Tuesday evenings feature a "Potluck Picnic."
Remember when an ice rink was just the frozen over pond? Well, revisit your youth by heading to the North Barre Rink, a hometown community effort to keep bare-bones winter fun alive. Featuring nets for hockey, a warming hut, and a lot of hard work from local volunteers, this outdoor rink is home to night skating, pick-up games, and open skating. Part of the ice is utilized for hockey while to other section is reserved for recreational skating.
The facility is comprised of a 600-seat hockey arena with two NHL-size rinks, a cafe, and a pro shop. It is home to the Saint Michael's College Purple Knights men's and women's ice hockey teams, and many high school teams, and it also served as a location for the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship. Plus, you can find public skating, stick and puck, and many men and women's leagues on the schedule.
The Ice Haus, part of the Jay Peak Resort, is an ice skating arena featuring a state-of-the-art facility that offers rentals, repairs, as well as four locker rooms. Dive into hockey, figure skating, and curling—the opportunities are endless. Take a seat and enjoy the views of the rink at the heated snack bar and cafe bar. You'll find the NHL-size arena situated at the base of the mountain, located right across from the Jay Hotel.
Featuring hockey, broomball, public skating, and stick and puck classes, the Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center opened its doors in December of 1998. It is the home of the local high school hockey team, the U32 Raiders and also supports the Vermont Skating Association. The Vermont Flames, a youth hockey league dedicated to developing hockey skills, also calls CVMCC home.
The home of the local high school hockey team, the Burr and Burton Bulldogs, Riley Rink at Hunter Park is a first-rate, nonprofit civic center that hosts sporting events, exhibitions, and more, and provides an excellent space for athletic, cultural, and social events for all ages. Don’t miss the pickup league, ice skating lessons, public skate sessions, and more!
The Union Arena is a non-profit organization featuring six months of winter ice for adult and youth ice hockey and figure skating, and public skating. Union Arena is also home to the Woodstock Curling Club, the Woodstock Jr. Wasps youth hockey club, and four adult hockey leagues.
The Essex Skating Facility is a state-of-the-art community center for both on-ice and off-ice activities. The rink is home to the Essex High School Hornets, the Mount Mansfield Cougars, the Vermont Skating Academy, and the Essex Youth Hockey. This facility also supports stick and puck programs, public skating, the U.S. figure skating basics program, and more.
From the months of June to March, the Stowe Arena offers ice activities for the public. Although the arena is home to several of Stowe's local hockey teams, the public skate schedule is very accommodating. The arena is a fantastic place to host birthday parties, even in the spring/summer months when indoor turf covers the floor. Come and enjoy everything this exhilarating place has to offer!
Supporting Learn-To-Skate programs, youth hockey, stick and puck, high school athletics, and adult leagues, the MSC has been around since 1993. Home to the Middlebury High School Tigers, the arena also supports local tournaments, like the Face Off Against Breast Cancer and the good-natured North Branch Tournament.
