There’s something special about an outdoor ice rink, when crisp winter air and smooth ice make for an idyllic afternoon. It’s even better with a thermos full of cocoa and a fire pit. Here are four places to ice skate outdoors in KC this winter.
1. KC Ice Center
In winter months, this Shawnee skating mecca opens an outdoor pavilion next to its indoor arena. The outdoor portion is covered but wall-free and typically stays open until March, meaning you can skate here comfortably on occasions when the Kansas skies have opened with something less pure and fluffy than snow.
2. The Ice at Park Place
913-663-2070, parkplaceleawood.com
Rockefeller Center is the vibe at this rink in the heart of Leawood’s upscale Park Place shopping center, where the tight patch of ice is ringed by holiday decorations, white Christmas lights and buildings that lend it a cosmopolitan feel.
3. Crown Center Ice Terrace
For nearly fifty years, the outdoor ice rink at the heart of Crown Center has been a tradition for locals. The rink is large and sheltered by a stately white tent, and an array of lights dangle overhead for festive evening skates.
4. Lee’s Summit Summit Ice
120 N.E. Chipman Road, Lee’s Summit.
Come winter, the pickleball courts in Lee’s Summit’s Lea McKeighan North Park turn into an outdoor ice rink strung with overhead Christmas lights and flanked by fire pits. This year, the socially distanced sessions will run for just under two hours and have no more than fifty people on the ice at once.
BONUS! If you want to skate on wheels instead of blades, Holmes Park at the corner of 69th Street and Holmes Road in KCMO has a full size outdoor skating rink outfitted with smooth cement and hockey goals. It’s totally free to use.
