I can't ice skate anymore since I have a bad ankle, but I love that Chicago has this free outdoor ice rink every winter. Not sure why no one was being allowed to skate for quite a while when we visited, but there were lots of people waiting around to skate. I know people have a lotta fun here skating. read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We took my son ice skating for the first time at the Millennium Park Ice Rink. It was pretty strange to skate in the rain, but what can you do? So you need to book a time slot ahead of time and you get to skate during your window. Definitely give yourself plenty of extra time to park and get your skates and change to make the most of your time. If you have your own skates bring them- then it's free (you still need a reservation though) but most importantly, their rental skates have been ridden HARD and are pretty rough. That said, it was a fun time and the decorations at the park are beautiful, even in the rain. read more

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The ice rink was beautiful and scenic to look at with the city in the background. I came on a cold January day and was in aw of the beauty of the rink and the park itself. I didn't actually skate, but was able to watch everyone having fun and looked like a well put together ice rink. Definitely worth viewing. read more

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Surrounding by Chicago iconic building and ice skating with all the holiday vibes around the ice rink are definitely one of the to do list in the end of the year. It's also the best way to say goodbye to the whole year and celebrate the new year. Highly recommended! read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was a terrible skating experience! The boots were very old and torn, smelled awful as if someone had died in them, didn't hold the foot properly, and were disgusting. It's unbelievable that in the center of Chicago they rent out equipment like this -- it's a shame! It's better to skate only in your own boots." January 2026 read more

While walking around Millennium Park, we came across McCormick Tribune Ice Rink and the kids immediately wanted to ice skate so we booked a time slot online for the following day. The admission is free, but skate rentals are not. I like the location of the skating rink because you got the Bean in the background and some of the Chicago skyline. I wished there were more places for people to sit if they wanted to take a break or something. If you sit on the railing in the rink the staff there will yell at you. read more

I would be lying if I said Inwas a huge fan of Chicago in winter. But this is such a cool thing to see. I am not personally a skater, because I am far too much of a klutz. But it's great to see this and how happy it makes people. Just a lovely addition to the area. read more

Not very big in sq ft, so come prepared to share with several other patrons, but the staff is nice and the COVID procedure of contactless appointment reservation times was appreciated to limit the number of people on the rink at once. There's safety personnel on the ice to make sure you don't break your fall too badly, in case you need it! A very jovial bunch. They advise the reserved appointment of 1:30hr is usually cut down to :30 by the time the average by the time folks get tired of trying their luck. Skate rental's included in the price of purchase. Fun to do for a date, for kids, or just to try out on your own! read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Skates are cheap and terrible. The ice is very jagged and unfinished. I'm a pretty good skater and this made me feel like a child learning for the first time. Horrible experience. Maybe I didn't see it or look good enough but the tickets are for certain times. We only had 30 min to skate they told us when we arrived. :/ read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Millennial Skate Park - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wow, I felt like in the movies at this place, so many people and very organized. The prices were not that high, even though I prefer not to try to ice skate because I was a little bit afraid. The vibe in here was amazing and the line didn't feel so bad even thou it was a long one. read more

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A free outdoor ice skating rink in downtown Chicago? Unheard of! On Michigan avenue in Millennium park, right on front of the Park Grill restaurant, this outdoor ice skating rink is free of you bring your own skates. If you are willing to pay $12 Monday through Thursday, $14 Friday, Saturday and Sunday & holidays to rent skates , and wait in line sometimes up to an hour, you can still enjoy ice skating in one of the most beautiful locations in the city. Lockers are first come, first served so get there early. There are also ice skating lessons several times a week, but, I do not know if they are free or not. Open from November 17th thru March 4th, weather permitting, check their website for more information: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park10.html read more

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Fun place to skate in the downtown Chicago. Near the famous Bean sculpture and amphitheater in Millennium Park. Ice is smooth and well kept. Not very crowded; plenty of room to do your thRink is much bigger than NYC Rockefeller Center. read more

Nice place to practice my triple-axle. Naw, I'm not much of a skater. It's hard to strap blades on cowboy boots. I stood around and watched all the ice excitement. This free ice skating spot is really cool! If you have your own skates, you can come and skate for free! They offer skate rental and lockers, for a fee. It's also a great place to use their restroom for free! The ice here gets zamboni'ed on a regular basis. The ice looked clean and fresh, despite the large number of people eagerly standing around waiting for the zamboni to finish. The location is phenomenal- right in the heart of Millennium Park, under the Bean, looking on to downtown Chicago. It's spectacular! The place seems safe- you're not going to have any Tanya Harding's getcha here. Dress warmly! read more

One of the best outings during the Christmas holidays! Skating next to the Chicago Christmas tree and the bean above. My mother flew in for the holidays and this was one of her favorite activities. You can rent skates there and skate as long as you'd like. My mom lasted long enough to get a picture and fall twice lol read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went again with the fam yesterday to skate at the park and I just wanted to stop here and let people know the SKATES ARE $20 TO RENT, per person (children same price). The thing that sucked was that the rentals were in extremely bad shape. They gave me a pair first with a shoelace that was so bad I couldn't put it in the holes to be able to tighten and tie them. They gave my little brother two left skates and took forever to get the right one because we were sent to the back of the line unfortunately. The 3 black workers at the skate rental desk up front to ask for rental size are super rude they don't greet you and look pissed the entire time. Ugh I was very disappointed with both those things because why do you work somewhere you clearly don't want to be? The vibes were killed temporarily in there. But yeah if you go skating here I would recommend to take your own skates because the rentals are filthy, not cheap, and you gotta deal with attitudes after paying $40 for the rentals lol read more

Zero stars - manager is a fukin joke. Standing in line and staff is eating like slums laughing and not helping people get their skates. Over sold tickets and had no skates left for others even though we reserved our spots. And on top of that can't give a full refund. read more

This place is very poorly managed. Workers are on their cellphones sitting in back. Not helping customers get skates quickly. We came for a private event at the grill. Our host said their covered all expenses including the penguin rentals for those leaning to skate. I had to wait 20 min to talk to a manager. He eventually came out of his office to wearing his headphones the entire time I was taking to him. He forced me to then wait in another line to pay $10 for the penguin. The entire interaction with him and the entire staff was the definition of poor customer service. Took 35 minutes to get my 10 year old on the ice. I'd never skate here again. read more

I can't skate. Hell, I can't even stand up on skates and walk to the rink. Damn those weak ankles. However, if I could skate this is the place I would show off my talents. I had so much fun people watching here. Or should I say skater watching. Everyone here was having such a great time. There were experienced skaters who seemed to be fantasizing about being in the Olympics and others who kept falling. I would be in the falling group. Some of the falls I would score a 10 for gracefulness and others for creative silliness. No one seemed to be seriously hurt. My friend made me leave, he was a wimp and getting cold. If you're a skater and in Chicago be sure to visit Millennium Park Ice Rink. read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating & The Bean - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

One of the iconic places of Chicago. Is bit crowded and skates they provide are crappy but both are expected going to one of the most visited places at night in the city. Fun to experience and say that you did it, not very expensive either. Can skate for however long you want, free if you bring your own skates! Most fun to go at night. read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ahhh, to be a kid again and skate outside with the wind through your hair and snow flakes falling on your face. And hopefully, you not actually falling on your face. But enough nostalgia, let's get down to business. Skating at Millennium Park can be a good experience or a bad one depending on when you go, how crowded it is, what the weather is like, how long the line for rentals are, etc. Here are my recommendations: 1. Go during the week, try to avoid weekends. 2. Bring your own skates if you have them. 3. Go on a warmer, less windy day. 4. Try to get on the ice right after they've resurfaced it, so you don't have to have your skating interrupted and sit out and wait 25 minutes. 5. Be patient and prepare to be good at maneuvering around kids and other people falling and/or going slowly on the ice. Lockers are available to hold your stuff for $1 (bring quarters). Admission is free, skate rentals are $10. I like the hockey skates better than the regular ones, they are much more sturdy. Rink hours are M-F noon to 8 pm, Sat/Sun 10 am-9pm. Resurfacing times are usually 1:30, 3:00, 4:30 and 6:00, but don't quote me on this. Rink will be open until March 13, 2011, weather permitting. Here's a little secret if the wait is too long here--go to the Daley Bicentennial Park ice skating rink near Columbus and Randolph. Less crowded, cheaper rentals, still a nice park view. read more

I have been to a few out doors ice skating rinks and this is by far the best one that I have been to. I like it because it's big and open unlike other rinks that usually has some sort of decoration in the middle so you can't skate freely. And I love that I can skate freely here. What I just love about this is that the admission is free if you have your own skates. Since I had my own skates, I didn't have to pay anything! And if you don't have skates, the skate rentals were $12.00 per pair. I came here on a Saturday night and the wait was about an hour for skate rentals. So if you don't have skates, I do suggest going in the day time and avoid going on a Friday or Saturday night. Because when I went in the day time, there were no lines for skates and barely anyone skating on the ice. Overall, I would defienitely come back to skate here. It's big, and free for me. So yay!! read more

Ice Ice Baby Millennium Park Ice Ice Baby Millennium Park Ice Ice Baby Millennium Park Ice Ice Baby... I've always loved ice skating. I took lessons for a number of years as a kid and even though I never asipred for stardom like that chick in Ice Castles (minus the blind part of course), I did have a few tricks up my sleeve. Of course my mean hockey stop, jumps and spins are distant memories and would all put my on my ass today. Skating was a fun way to spend the first weekend after the Blizzaster. I can't recall the last time I strapped on a pair of skates, but it brought back memories not ony of skating lessons, but all those weekends as a suburban tween skating the night away with my friends at the local ice rink. The rink is located on Michigan Avenue in Millennium Park just below the Bean; being in the heart of tourist central, it's no surprise that weekends are a bit of a free for all. They Zamboni the ice every hour and a half to smooth it out and clear off the frost; that last half hour before a cleaning can be pretty bad. With all of the skaters, it feels like your skating on gravel. If you're unsteady on skates or have small children be forewarned because weekend afternoons are quite crowded. Despite having a few guards on the ice to keep things clean, you really feel like you're on your own. What wasn't reminiscent of my tween skating memories, was the guards not intervening when asshats skated recklessly without regard for the people (including small children) that they left in their wake. However, I saw them all over anyone who even considered sitting on the railing. Not every skilled skater is a reckless jerk, but there's always a few in every group so keep your eyes open. Skating is free and skates will cost you $10. They have lockers if you want to store personal items while you skate. The rink keeps late hours (on weekends at least), I think it would be nice to come back and skate at night with all of the buildings lit up. read more

One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to skate here. It's free (if you have your own skates) and convenient to public transportation. My suggestion to avoid the $10 skate rental fee and the long lines on weekends and holidays is to go to Play it again Sports, or a similar place, and buy some basic used skates. I used to trade in my daughter's skates every year when she was young and we never had to wait to get on the ice. If you are going to go on the weekend, get there at 10:00 when they open, otherwise, the ice is packed. For the remainder of 2011 hours are: Regular Hours Mondays--Thursdays, 12PM-8PM Fridays, 12PM-10PM Saturdays 10AM-9PM Sundays, 10AM-9PM The ice is resurfaced after every hour of skate time, or so. On non holiday weekdays(M-Th), they clean the ice at 1:30, 3:00, 4:30 and 6:00. They didn't have weekend times posted today. read more

around christmastime, the line can get as long at 40 minutes wait. if you have your own skates, bring them along. Otherwise, if you don't want to wait there's another rink on randolph. Looks ok, but not at the heart of millenium park like the McCormick rink is! rentals are $10, and there's a cafe right next door! read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Ice skating!!! - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Did not have a good experience, my boyfriends skates did not have long enough laces to completely lace up, and both of our skates were not able to be tied tight. When we asked for a different pair, they would not let us exchange for different skates. Got out on the ice and found it very scratched up (as expected from a popular site, but there was no effort made to make the ice smoother for easier skating. Because our skates could not be tied tight enough and the blades were clearly very dull, it made it extremely difficult and painful to skate. Will not be returning and do not recommend if you do not own your own skates. Not worth the price for the rink size and quality of ice and skates. read more

It's our first Valentine's Day as a couple, so we decide to something hella romantic and make our way to Millenium Park. Ice rink was open and not too crowded, so we decided to rent some skates. It was Valentine's Day around 3:30pm. We waited for about 5 minutes to rent some skates. The skates were a size too big. I normally wear size 7 but had to ask for a size smaller. The 6 fit better. The laces and skates were a bit wet, probably from prior ice skating and most probably sweat (gross). They do Lysol each skate before returning them to the cubbies, but I really hope we don't get a foot fungus or warts... For two pairs of skates it came to a total of $24. Not bad for a relaxing time of skating. If I'd do it again, I'd bring my own skates. read more

Went skating for thanksgiving the skates were plastic and no padding and very painful but the staff was nice and a good rink

Now overshadowed by its younger, more-glamorous and outdoorsy sister to the east (but she would be another drama: http://goo.gl/M0PgyO), this trusty "old" rink is still an excellent place to glide across the "floor of ice" (as goes my literal translation of the Spanish term). It's a great choice, whether you visit this rink as your destination, or you cross the Dr. Seuss bridge from Maggie Daley Park when the Zamboni starts its slow rounds there. In fact, beginners should start here and learn to confidently propel and stop themselves before they try to master the slight inclines and declines across the way. You can do things here that you can't do at the Maggie Daley Park Ribbon, like a triple axel in the center of the rink (not that I can do any triple axel other than driving an old beater car a few parking spaces), or skating backwards. (That, I can do as a beginner, but I wouldn't chance it on the gentle hills of the Ribbon, especially during rush hour on a weekend.) And you can rent skates with less than an hour line, though at $12 a pop, pick some cheap ones up for 40 or 50 bucks or even cheaper at Play It Again Sports, and they'll soon pay for themselves both in money and in the time it takes to rent them. Sharpen your ice skates here for a mere $9 cash. The trick to telling if your skates need sharpening seems to be running your fingernail across each side of the blade. If it scrapes off a little nail, you're going to be able to cut the rug (uh, the ice) outside. Yes, you can ice dance in the middle, if you dare. And for the après-skate? Treat yourself to a hot chocolate where you can actually create a Jackson Pollock painting in the bowl, across the street. (Yeah, Belgian's dig a bigger hot chocolate than can fit in a mug). But that, also, would be another story: http://goo.gl/HZ8kxq. read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - I never fail to get to the rink when the Zamboni starts. At least it's it's relatively quick here compared to Maggie Daley. - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've wanted to do this since I moved here, and I finally got out of bed and got downtown just as the rink opened today. No waiting to get my skates, and they took my shoes (and $10) as collateral, which saved me the trouble of spending $4 to rent a locker for them. I don't wax poetic about a whole lot, but a nice day, with the weak sun trying to shine through and Michigan Ave. architecture staring at you (you can see my favorite building - the Carbide & Carbon Building - from there) and the park and the snow and the coltish children with their equally coltish parents on skates ... I loved it. Even the rental skates were in good shape - comfy. The ice gets pretty rough after 45 minutes or so - if you can deal with that, it's awesome. I might spring for my own skates next year and spend some more time there. read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I FOOSHed! Eek. Excuse me. That doesn't sound right! But it is. Calculated a fall such that I landed on my upper cheek of butt (as opposed to squarely on the tailbone) and was thrilled about that...to only find much later....getting home and pulling off the sleeve of my jacket did I realize that I'd smacked my wrist. Hard. Soon after, I'd written about this calculated bum/ but newly discovered wrist injury in an e-mail to my friend (who happens to be kineso-degreed) and that's when he informs me, "You FOOSHed (Falling On an OutStretched HAND [look it up - it's a thing])!" So it is. So I did. Well, a wrist is a crummy thing to whack. It's still not right. (Yes, it is the left! ow, bad jokes cause flare up ;) What was excellent about the experience though: the rink guys - those men in black - so swiftly descending upon you and getting you back on your feet that you nary have a moment to consider that you just wiped out to "faaaaallll on your kneees.... oh hear the angels voices..." (Glad I didn't take it on the knees anyway!) So the rink guys: wonderful The holiday music and variety of it: excellent The quality of ice: very good but not so much when it's snowing due to quick build-up (this is when certain falls are more likely; I fell due to lack of speed, turning backward to chat and then losing balance - the friends can try and help you up but the rink guys do it so swiftly!) The setting: FUN! even after holidays, you've got Millennium Park, the Bean, the hot cocoa! (It really IS one of the city's best cocoas (much to my surprise since): straight outta the machine. The atmosphere puts it over the top.) The people-watching: divine! (even if you aren't skating, it's quite enjoyable - from watching groups of friends to couples to the shaky wobblers to the speed demons or the figure skaters getting in a turn or two) The cost: blessed be free! (Skate rental is $12. For the skates, you will wait in line. I prefer having my own.) We used to skate when it was located over on State (many years back at this point.) That was very enjoyable and I was displeased when the rink first opened over here. But over the years, I've grown to love it more and more. Moving the Christmas tree (from Daley Plaza) really puts it over the top for holiday season. Also check out the "Skating Ribbon" at Maggie Daley Park. Open through annually and this year, through March 5, 2017. There are also skating lessons / winter workouts and other special items listed here: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park10.html read more

McCormick Tribune Ice Rink - Fire & Ice 12.11.16 when snow hits the lens - Skating Rinks Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A great way to spend the afternoon and like Mahsa T., totally made me nostalgic for my childhood. Despite my childhood stints playing ice hockey with the boys and a few figure skating lessons, my skating skills are currently on the uncoordinated, wobbly side, but I did not let this deter me from taking some spins around the rink and having a grand ol' time. I paid $10 for my pair of hockey skates and got out there with the masses. An extremely enjoyable experience except for one observation which made me extremely cautious. It's always good to be on the cautious side. The kamikaze kids. Where are their parents? I've had too many (very graceful) falls in my day playing sports which have resulted in an occasional blackout and numerous shoulder dislocations to deal with careless brats colliding into me. They were skating on loosely tied skates, without helmets, and purposefully falling and hurling themselves across the ice like this is a slip n' slide in their backyard. I noticed 2 employees on the ice who act as "safety" monitors/rule enforcers, they should really step up their game. I suppose with public ice rinks kamikaze kids should almost be (unfortunately) expected, so just be careful. On the other hand, it was pretty sweet to every now and then catch a glimpse of the more mature and skilled skaters do a fancy little twirl and so adorable to see couples skating together. Me and my friends had a great time and ended up skating for about an hour before deciding we needed to go get some beers instead. Tonya Harding, you've got some competition. read more

I have a huge list of things i've never done before and a very short list of reasons why I haven't done these things. Ice skating is one of them. During my youth (pre-skating with the stars or whatever they're doing with the stars these days) I loved watching figure skating. The way they moved around the ice so effortlessly was pretty amazing. And who didn't love the costumes?! On this well chilled Saturday afternoon, 3 friends and I paid our $10 (small price to cross this from my "never have I ever" list). I got way too much attitude from my cashier and my socks got a bit wet waiting for my skates. Other than that, I really enjoyed myself. Thanks to my lovely friends who held my hand, linked arms with me, teased me and of course captured photographic evidence of this. So, what took me so long? Fear of falling? perhaps. I did fall, 3 times in fact, and it wasn't that bad. read more

Yay! I went the day after opening day this year (22nd) and the rink wasn't very crowded--probably because no one would have thought it was open on such a warm day! I have my own skates, so didn't have to pay the $10 fee to rent, but did get a locker for $1 (you can get quarters at the counter) and skated around in circles for hours. Every once in a while they get everyone off so they can re-ice the rink, which is typical to any indoor or outdoor rink, but probably happens more often here b/c of the number of people and the fact that it's outdoors. Overall, super fun--don't be scared away by the fact that it's downtown and yes, you might fall on your butt in front of a whole bunch of spectators, but everyone falls eventually and you might as well enjoy a beautiful place to skate. Minus one point for the awful country music blasting half the time I was there. read more

In the FREE Ice Skating lesson, you learn: - stop holding the bar - to fall correctly on the side (like a diva) - head up and stand up from fall - march from one side to another - glide - swivel It's a far cry from toe pick but...I started terrified, and left confident that I can stand and glide a little. I look forward to more lessons. NOTE: Long Coat is not recommended as it may snag with bend and glide skating moment. * * * Nov 14, 2014 - Mar 8, 2015 $12 Skate Rental Regular Hours for the season are as follows: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon--8 pm Friday, 12 Noon--10 pm Saturday (Through Jan. 4), 10 am--10 pm Saturday (Beginning Jan. 11), 10 am--9 pm Sunday, 10 am--9 pm Special Holiday Hours: Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 27, 10 am--4 pm Friday, Nov. 28, 10 am--10 pm Christmas Eve Wednesday, Dec. 24, 10 am--6 pm Christmas Day Thursday, Dec. 25, 10 am--4 pm Friday, Dec. 26 through Tuesday, Dec. 30, 10 am--10 pm New Year's Eve Wednesday, Dec. 31, 10 am--8 pm New Year's Day Thursday, Jan. 1, 10 am--10 pm Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 19, 10 am--10 pm Washington's Birthday, Monday, Feb. 16, 10 am--10 pm Free Skating Lessons Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, one hour before the rink opens. Lessons will also be offered each day of Chicago Public School Winter Break, December 22-January 4, except December 25 and January 1, one hour before the rink opens. read more

The good: Free, amazing, gorgeous ice rink in the middle of downtown Chicago. Just roll up with your own skates and shred the gnar. The bad: This place is almost always packed! Wow, shocker. It's fine when the folks on the ice can skate but if they can't then WATCH OUT! It can be somewhat dangerous at times.. not necessarily for a full grown adult but dangerous for the little crumby children who's day I'm going to ruin when I slice their face off with my blade after they tumble in front of me because dad is busy taking videos on his iPhone instead of tending to his stupid kids. Just be careful! read more

After living in Chicago for 2.5 years, I'm happy to have finally made it to the skating rink! It's definitely you should do at least once when you're in Chicago! The skate rental/return lines are pretty fluid. There's not too much seating room to get your skates on or off, so plan on waiting a little bit to get situated with your skates. There are benches outside as well. I'm honestly unsure how many times they Zamboni the rink but once they do, it feels sooooo good to skate on. The rink gets packed on the weekends, therefore the ice gets torn up VERY quickly. If you're a novice, I suggest you stay close to the sides because self-proclaimed professionals will be zooming all around....BUT the ice really gets torn up quickly. There's a nice little café at the rink if you want to warm up! I am glad to have fulfilled my civic duty as a Chicago resident and skated at Millennium Park! read more

This review is actually for the Daley Plaza rink at the corner of Columbus and Randolph in Grant Park. I tried to skate at the main Millenium rink tonight at 5pm, but the 90-120 minute line sent us scurrying like rats over to the Daley rink. It is much less shiny & bright, BUT you still have awesome views of the city, music AND smaller crowds. So while the chumps over at Millenium park waited 90+ mins for their skates, I waited 10 and went skating for an hour. Skate rental is $6. Blades are not sharp and ice is a bit choppy by Zamboni time. Unless you're going to propose to your girlfriend, save your trouble and head over to this rink instead. read more

50 degrees. Sunny. Not too crowded. Perfect day to take my niece iceskating for the first time and to meet up with a few coworkers on skates! Today was the opening day for the Millenium Park Ice rink. I think the last time I skated here was when the rink first opened and skate rental was only $5 (it's now $10 but admission the the rink is still free). Warning, don't forget to: -wear long socks so the skates don't cut into your leg -bring an extra pair of socks unless you want to walk around with damp socks for the rest of the day -bring 4 quarters to use their mini lockers if you're lugging around a lot of stuff -check your kid's shoe size, size 8 is the smalles they carry -come early but expect to wait either way if you come on the weekend or holiday (one Valentine's Day, I saw the line wrap around the ice rink 3 times!) They break out the zamboni every hour and half so try to get your timing right if you're on a schedule. One of the workers there was kind enough to help me get my niece off the ice when it was time for the cleaning without rushing us. Ice skating on Michigan Avenue with skyscrapers all around and fun tunes in the background. It almost makes the cold worth it! read more

If you see that girl twirling gracefully across the ice and doing triple lutz loops then look right behind her and you'll see me floundering around. I'm not the most graceful ice skater but I do enjoy it. There's something about skating around and having the whole city surrounding you, drinking hot cocoa and falling on your face (at least in my case that just screams fun. Lines aren't that long during the week and on Sundays but even standing in line can be fun it's all in how you look at it. If you have family visiting during the winter months this is a must stop. They'll thank you and you can thank me for recommending it. read more

Who turned off the music? No music, but skating under the Bean with a fantastic city view was really fun! We took the train to the Ogelvie station and walked 6 or so blocks down Washington...easy way to get to Millennium Park! The ice is kind of choppy, but for an inexperienced skater, it's really not a big deal. Skated from 11am-12:30 on a Saturday and the rink was not overcrowded. Lots of people take tumbles, but you will likely be skating slow enough that it's really not going to hurt. Benches near the rink if you prefer to watch. Some experienced skaters venture into the middle of the ice to do neat triple axel kinds of tricks! Here is what you need to know: 1) Hockey skates and supportive figure skates (not the traditional white ones) are available to rent for $10. You can skate as long as you want. 2) There are small lockers available (bring 4 quarters to use them) or the staff will store your shoes for free behind the counter in the ice skate cubby holes and return your shoes to you when you return your skates. Very easy. 3) Clean public bathrooms and an ATM are right there. Tips: 1) If you are not a figure skater, it looks really silly when you wear tights! (Jeans, gloves, hats are pretty standard attire here) 2) Only a 2-3 block walk from the Christkindlmarket (German Fair) at Daley Plaza if you want to enjoy some hot spiced German wine after skating! YUM read more