Though we’re headed into a new year and somewhat past the holidays, you can still make Woodland Hills your winter wonderland and add ice skating to your list of must-do Christmas events. Some of L.A.’s usual outdoor rinks aren’t ready to return quite yet, but with a little searching, we were able to come up with the following venues that combine everything from wintry food and drinks to Christmas lights and meeting Santa.
Something for everyone has never meant so much.
L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center, located at 8750 Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City, offers tons of activities for all ages including ice hockey, public sessions, skating school, stick times, figure skating and much more. Situated in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center boasts two rinks and a myriad of opportunities to create, participate and excel in many different programs, the facility’s Glacier rink measuring 190 x 85 and the Freeze rink measuring 170 x 70. Owners Scott Floman and Dave Serianne ensure a good time for everyone during the holiday season, so give L.A. Kings Valley Ice Center a try when you’re in the mood to lace up some skates and hit the cold stuff.
L.A. Kings Holiday Ice Westfield Topangais open through January 7 and offers a unique outdoor skating opportunity in the City of Angels. This annual program brings outdoor ice skating to L.A. LIVE on Xbox Plaza right out in front of Staples Center, so you can skate your way through the remainder of the holiday season and enjoy the rink for the limited time it is available. Bring your friends, family or date to indulge in the skating before and after a sports game or concert; general admission tickets for the ice rink are only available for purchase on-site during hours of operation.
Iceoplex, located at 131 West Easy Street in Simi Valley, is the highly successful training center for various hockey organizations including Mariners Youth Hockey, L.A. Kings High School League, CSUN and Cal Lutheran College Hockey, the facility boasting world class trainers and coaches who teach hockey, figure skating, off-ice strength training and agility, curling, speed skating, synchronized skating and ice theater – all atop two sheets of NHL and Olympic ice. From December 20 to January 2, Iceoplex hosts its Winter Wonderland, with sessions from 9 am to 12 pm, 1 pm to 5 pm and 6 pm to 10 pm. A $20 admission fee covers skate rentals if needed, and guests are advised to dress warmly.
Iceland Ice Skating Center, located at 14318 Calvert Street in Van Nuys, offers a number of programs including freestyle, figure skating private lessons, hockey private lessons, youth hockey reservations, private ice sessions, public skating and even birthday party rentals, catering to families in Woodland Hills looking for different activities on weekends – as well as to parents looking for various after-school activities for their kids. The professional coaches at Iceland are all ex-competitors and bring years of experience training young children, but the best part about the facility is how it values family above all else, its employees always striving to promote sportsmanship and athleticism in kids and adults alike. As an interesting tidbit of trivia, Iceland was the backdrop for many 80s films due to its unique retro look that transports patrons back in time…when there were no cell phones or internet, and when people ventured out of their homes a lot more.
One thing Angelinos love doing during the winter months is pretending that it’s actually winter, and the most fun way we do it is by turning parking lots and other open spaces into outdoor skating rinks for the holidays. Whether your family is trying ice skating for the first time or you’ve got budding figure skaters and hockey players looking for a change of scenery from indoor skating lessons, nothing says Southern California during this Christmas-into-the-new year period quite like the sight of kids and families in tank tops and mittens figure skating around Woodland Hills.
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