I can't ice skate anymore since I have a bad ankle, but I love that Chicago has this free outdoor…read moreice 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.

We took my son ice skating for the first time at the Millennium Park Ice Rink. It was pretty…read morestrange 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.

Best arena I've ever skates in, and I grew up in Canada. I absolutely love this place. Stick&puck…read moreare filled with decent knowledgeable people. Picnic skate is so often empty, or next to. You can watch the Blackhawks practice here, for free! It is amazing. I feel lucky to live close to a place as awesome as this.

We've been here a few times now, with my son's travel hockey club. The facilities are great, the…read moreseating and walkways are ample, and the sound from the audio in between face-offs is energizing. I haven't skated on the surface, but my son says it's well maintained and much better than his home rink. The bar and food offerings are decent and the bathrooms and locker rooms are clean. The only reason for the 4 stars is that the adjacent parking lot is hit or miss, depending on what events are concurrently happening at the arena. One of the games happened to be on Blackhawk's Season Ticket holder appreciation night, so it was a challenge to find parking. Also, I appreciate it when security is consistent. Our last time there, there was no one at the door so everyone was walking around the metal detector. The staff in general has been helpful, but one other warning... the vending machines overcharge you (I think it's a $6 hold) for each transaction and it doesn't get released for a few days, but it's not very clear on the vending machine itself. We thought we got charged $12 for two bags of chips. We did get credited properly a few days later, however the arena manager was rude and unsympathetic to the situation, responding, "That's just how it is. We don't own those machines." We'll be back.

Total run down dump. The owners clearly haven't reinvested any of their profit into improvements or…read moremodernization. The entry/exit doors at every other rink are motion sensor activated electric sliders. At Southwest, every hockey player has to try to fling open a door and run through with their equipment bag. Bathrooms are filthy and disgusting with water damaged ceiling tiles and mold. Forget about soap. The seating area of the rink is freezing because of the poorly designed architecture; the cooling equipment has to work extra hard to fill up that much space. You'll be sitting on cement slabs. At many other rinks there is enclosed seating, a much better food counter, and some even have restaurants and full bars. The prices they charge for "food" here are comical. They won't even spend the money to have their sign lit at night. It's broke, and they aren't fixing it. Ever. It's embarrassing as that's the first impression they make on a new visitor. You can easily drive past it. Also the parking lot is dangerous to the suspension of any vehicle other than a full size truck or SUV. It will destroy your car. Southwest refuses to spend any money on repaving. It's also located in Crestwood, which is a cesspool. There are no places nearby where you could actually eat and feel safe. Enjoy the piss bums from the liquor store next door. It's a shame because 40 years ago it was probably a nice rink. But clearly whoever owns Southwest is more concerned with lining their pockets than pride in ownership. Filthy, dated, and uncomfortable are the three words that best describe Southwest Ice Arena.

Why don't you have handicap seating? I have been watching my husband and sons skate there for years…read morebut can't watch my grandson because of no handicap seating

Staff is very friendly and helpful hours are good location is perfect especially in this neck of…read morethe woods

Extremely frustrating. Without reservations or time limits, getting on the ice outside of work and…read moreschool hours is almost impossible unless you arrive over an hour early. We've tried twice, and the wait was extremely long. Beyond that, people save spots in line for their friends an family, so more people are ahead of you than you think. There should be at the very least a time limit for people to be on the ice, similar to how Rosemont does it.

My son goes to this ice rink, and we couldn't be happier! The coaches are fantastic--knowledgeable,…read morepatient, and really great with the kids. They even have a concession stand, which makes it easy to grab a snack during sessions. Overall, it's an excellent asset to the community and a place we truly value.

Fun place for ice skating! They have a lot of ice skate and hockey sizes available. The ice rink is…read morean average size and the it's clean. The ice could be cleaned more often though. It would also be nice if there were more walkers available for open skate.

what a fun little course! The course isn't hard at all so it's very family friendly for all ages…read more But it has some unique holes and great photo opportunities. I'm glad we found this while exploring.

What a cute, well-made course! Some holes were easy and some were actually challenging (or could be…read moreif you choose to go through the rock tunnels). Appreciated that there was a teacher discount and my 3 year old cost his age. We also like that the holes are more spread out because it does allow people to jump around and avoid waiting on others.

Amazing!!!! Wow! I love ice skating and this was my first time on a ribbon and now I'm ruined for…read morelife and can never return to a tiny circular holiday rink again. This is way better! So freeing! So much more room and it's a fun course. I think the course is almost a half mile long. Beautiful downtown views and it's such a nice course in Maggie Daley Park. Friendly and helpful staff. Lockers available to rent. Refreshments available outside. I have my own skates so it's free if I skate during the first session, and only $5 any other time. I came here last week on my birthday and it was the perfect start to my special day. It brought me so much joy and I can't wait to return.

We went during Christmas break. You need to book your visit beforehand. When I book the only time…read moreavailable was from 8-10am. If you bring your own skate it's free. I like this place has railing all around and it is not the traditional round more like a trail. Feel quite iconic to skate here during our Chicago visit. I had been thinking about this since I cam in the summer.

Played many a game here. It's a nice rink with friendly staff. Somewhat like "Cheers" for me. Tough…read moreto get teammates to get up to "The Stanley Club" but the post-game decompression is a must. So ladies when the West end is too packed, try it out. You get to watch some hockey & most of the guys shower after the games so rubbing elbows w/ the players isn't that offensive... ...although I haven't seen offense from my teams in quite a while. Check it out!

This west loop ice rink is a great hockey facility, especially considering the quality they provide…read morein a downtown setting. Johnny's has street and garage parking (2 bucks) and a regulation size hockey rink. They have four spacious, heated locker rooms with showers, all of which are kept very clean (impeccable by hockey standards.) There's also a branch of Gunzo's pro-shop upstairs (albeit with really weird hours) to get your skates sharpened, pick up some new sticks, or other gear. And, of course, what's a hockey rink without a bar? The Stanley Cub upstairs is a full service bar with reasonable prices, free popcorn, and some regular bar food (hot dogs and frozen pizzas.) As for on-ice activities, Johnny's has 6 or 7 men's leagues, going all the way up to the Elite league which has well-sponsored teams, a very high level of play, and a pretty intense all-star game. They have youth leagues, figure skating, and men's rat hockey 5 days a week around lunch time. You can also catch the Blackhawks or some other NHL teams practicing here occasionally as it's location is very convenient for the pros, being down the street from the United Center. The ice is usually very hard (unless Bill does it :P) and the management is friendly and does a good job.