Daniel B.
Yelp
Skate Atlantic Station is Atlantic Station's new outdoor ice skating rink. It officially opens today, November 15, 2013, and will run until February 2014. At 10,000 square feet, it's the largest outdoor ice skating rink in Atlanta and one of the largest in the Southeast.
I've been to several Atlanta area ice skating rinks including seasonal rinks in-town such as the rinks at Piedmont Park and Centennial Olympic Park and permanent rinks outside the perimeter like the Duluth Ice Forum and the Marietta Ice Center. For casual ice skating, Skate Atlantic Station may be the best one of them all for multiple reasons, but mainly because it's new.
Interestingly, the ice skating rink has been installed on top of District Ave. in between 18th St. and 17th 1/2 St. It's unique in that it has a track style setup. Skaters go in a counter-clockwise direction like a running track, circling around what is normally District Avenue's median. The median features three nicely decorated and colorfully lit Christmas trees and other trees decorated with Christmas lights.
For holiday ambiance and decor, Atlantic Station's ice rink wins hands down. There's Christmas music, hot chocolate, heat lamps, and cookies. You can peek at the city's skyline as you make your way around the south end of the rink. The entire Atlantic Station development is already decked out for the holidays. The community's Christmas tree lighting is November 23rd.
Admission including skate rental is $13 per person, $10 for children, seniors, students, and military with ID. These prices are in line with other holiday rinks in town. For example, Centennial Olympic Park costs $10 and Piedmont Park costs $15 (Sunday-Thursday) or $20 (Friday-Saturday). Skate Atlantic Station is open 7 days a week. Specific days' hours are posted on this Yelp listing.
Atlantic Station's rental skates are new unlike other rinks' skates which can be smelly, worn out, and/or have dull blades. On the flip side, since the rental skates are new, they are stiff and still need to be broken in. I'd rather have stiff skates than stinky skates. In my experience, ice skate rentals have never been comfortable. I have to size up 1.5 sizes from my regular shoe size here. Small lockers are available if you want to securely store your shoes and valuables.
The ice surface itself is in excellent condition. I'm no expert on how hard or soft the ice should be, but it's definitely the smoothest surface I've ever skated on. A lot of that has to do with the rink being brand new. It hasn't seen a whole lot of traffic yet. There's a full size Zamboni on-site which resurfaces the entire rink at least once per day. The rink is completely open-air. It's not covered like the parks' rinks are.
Service is fantastic. The staff is friendly and welcoming. There are multiple staff members on the ice to make sure everyone is safe and having a good time.
The entrance to Skate Atlantic Station is located in front of Banana Republic and Rosa Mexicano. Parking in the Atlantic Station parking garage is free for the first two hours.
If you're looking for a fun activity to do in Atlanta this winter/holiday season, I recommend Skate Atlantic Station. Thanks to the rink's convenient location, you can walk to nearby shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes before or after skating.