Harbourfront Centre Rink (formerly known as the Natrel…read moreRink) Once was a five star rink!!! That was before it was closed and moved. The Harbourfront Ice Skating Rink may be back but it's a mere shadow of its former self and is a completely unremarkable venue now. I had planned to skate there but when I saw where they had moved the rink and the awful condition of the ice, I was flabbergasted and changed my mind!! Everything that made the original rink unique and special was gone!! When you came to the Natrel rink you could enjoy skating around the freeform sunken edged rink all while taking in a marvellous, unobstructed view of Lake Ontario. The ice was always one of the best outdoor ice surfaces to skate on in the city as well. It was always very well maintained and a great surface for outdoor skating. Unfortunately it is now just a poor quality rectangular ice pad with a view of the underside of the highway and buildings. Oh sure they have put some lights up on the thin tree trunks to try and make it look better but it still falls short. For me the experience is ruined forever. (Unless they decide to put the rink back where it was and maintain it better). It's sad that they didn't put more thought into what actually made the rink unique in the first place and what made it a great place to skate. I had been anxiously awaiting its reopening but was sorely disappointed to see what it has become. It is comdevoid of any previous charm and is no longer a good skating venue. I will not be back!

I love this skating rink. So beautiful. Once of my favourites. Perfect place for a dateread more

This is a cozy little ice trial, the shape of an oval. It is about a quarter the size of a hockey…read morerink. The trail is 5 metres wide. An average skater could skate the entire trail in 1-1.5 mins. Unfortunately there are no skate rentals onsite. This trail is part of the park part of College Park (so many P's!). It was officially opened on 2019-12-07. It is the first outdoor skating path in North America to incorporate state-of-the-art carbon dioxide technology in its refrigeration system. This environmentally friendly technology is natural, non-toxic and non-flammable, with no net greenhouse gas effect. They use a zamboni to smoother the ice. There are 2 firepits nearby and 3 ice sculptures. There is an event called Skates and Sounds held on 2020-01-24, 2020-02-07, 2020-02-28 (all Fridays), 5-7pm, where they have a DJ, FREE 1-hour skate rentals, FREE skating frames for young children, free coffee, and free chocolates. I skated on 2020-02-07. It was about 30 years ago that I skated last! It was fun! Having free skate rental and music was a good bonus! During the warm months, it is a walking trail.

I've been an Organizer for an ice skating Group since Jan. 2007, and yesterday I hosted an Event…read morefor my Group at the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail. It was my first time skating in more than 3 years and the last time I skated (in Jan. 2020) it was my first visit to this Trail which was also for an Event with my skating Group. The Trail features a relatively warm indoor change room/area with a washroom but no skate rentals are available here. The Trail itself is fairly small and (of course) narrow, and when I started skating yesterday at 1:30 pm both the change room and the Trail were pretty barren. During the next 1 1/2 hours both the change room and Trail gradually became more crowded; shortly after I started skating music began playing through speakers situated around the Trail and as I was putting on my skates in the change room, several people started setting up a table for free skate rentals (subject to availability) with valid ID. Between 2:30 - 2:45 pm the Zamboni came out for ice maintenance; due to the small size of the Trail this only took about 10 - 15 minutes. Afterward I skated around the Trail a couple more times to check how much better the quality of ice was - it was considerably better - then finished shortly before 3 pm. I've skated on a few other outdoor Trails in Toronto over the years: the Colonel Samuel Smith Skating Trail in Etobicoke, the Trail at Evergreen Brick Works and The Bentway Trail underneath The Gardiner; this one is smaller than the Etobicoke Trail, about the same size as The Bentway Trail and larger than The Brickworks Trail and it's now the first Trail I've skated on more than once. With College Park next door and Yonge Street steps away there are no shortage of amenities nearby. The Trail features 'Skates & Sounds' every Friday throughout February, with a different DJ every week and free skate rentals (again, subject to availability) from 5 to 8 pm.

'We don't sell tickets to Negroes,' they said 'Harry Gairey…read moreand Donny Jubas decided to go skating. They were 15 years old.' This unassuming rink near the corner of Bathurst and Dundas has it all including a storied history being named after a guy who was refused entrance to a North Toronto rink and helped change race relations forever. There are shade trees to the south flanked by towering flood lights for night activities. In the summer the public skating rink gets heavily used by skateboard punks doing their thing with the ramps, and the hockey rink beside it has inline skate hockey going on full-force. In the winter the rink is well maintained with a Zamboni grooming the ice making it a perfect place to go skating anytime as long as the temps are below about plus 10 degrees. There is a small bench outside for changing as well as the indoor area if it's cold out. Kids require helmets on To rinks and they even have a few kicking around to lend out free of charge. There is also a walker used for beginners to help learn to skate if you ask. And, get this, you can book curling equipment online free of charge, and go curling on this rink! Only in To where ice time is seen as a necessary part of a livable city. Truly a winter fantasy brought to life!

Super popular FREE winter activity in the heart of Toronto! Yes, expect lines and don't be a jerk…read moreto staff (who were very patient even to a privileged lady who had a temper tantrum during a safety alarm ringing today). The free roller skate was super fun! Free coat check and skate rentals including optional safety equipment too. There are benches throughout the skate tunnel area and railings for less experienced skaters.

I grew up in the Beaches. The boardwalk was a five-minute walk from where my family lived. We moved…read moreaway shortly after I graduated from high school. I spent a lot of time walking along the boardwalk. There wasn't a bike path parallel to the boardwalk when I was a wee lass. It was developed when rollerblading was popular, so I'm thinking the mid-80's. It's merely coincidence that I was writing about the boardwalk while grieving over the recent passing of a dear friend. When I needed to clear my head and relieve stress as a teen, I'd walk down to the boardwalk and just walk. It made me feel better. Part of me right now has that urge to head down there and walk. It provides peace and comfort. It's also nice to sit on a bench by the boardwalk and enjoy the view. The boardwalk's wooden planks were in horrible shape when I was a Beacher. You truly had to be aware of dips and rotting wood as you walked along the boardwalk. Their maintenance has improved over the years. I was there in September. The wooden planks were sturdy and in pristine condition. The boardwalk roughly starts at the foot of Silver Birch Avenue to the east and stretches until Ashbridges Bay to the west. I would often see the fireworks from the boardwalk at night on Victoria Day. It's the best place over a gorgeous backdrop. One of my favourite high school memories is my hanging out with three friends. We were celebrating our friend's birthday in May. The festivities happened at my place first. We walked along the boardwalk to work off the cake. We were there on the weekend and there were many folks walking with us. My friend had my pocket radio in her pocket. She was blasting Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up." We all sang and walked. It was fun. I do apologize to everyone having to endure our singing that afternoon and is possibly still in therapy... lol I love the boardwalk for sentimental reasons. It has been a fixture for eons. I hope that it continues to endure for many more to come. (6)

Great place to take a walk in The Beaches neighborhood. I took a friend out to Queen St East; and…read moreafter our heavy brunch, we decided to walk off the calories at The Boardwalk. The wooden planked Boardwalk stretches for about 3 km from Woodbine beach all the way to Balmy Beach Park. You have the view of Lake Ontario with it's beaches on one side and the Martin Goodman trail on the other. Family and pet friendly with a number of parks, a community garden, a skating rink, Kew Beaches Lawn Bowling Club, a tennis club, and the Donald Summerville Olympic Pool along the route. Yeah, after our walk we decided to hit a gelato place; maybe it's not so good to be located so close to so many eateries. Come spend a beautiful day at The Beaches and take a leisurely stroll on The Boardwalk.

The chalet and ice rink were awesome. I got there early enough there was no one but myself on the…read moreice for 20 minutes or so. That was the best part of my stay there. Today, the temperature hovered above 0 degree so the ice wasn't that great. The ice was well maintained but it looks like the ice is naturally frozen and with the warm weather, parts of it along the edges wasn't frozen hard enough that the tip of your skates will make an indent into the ice. On a cold day, I think the rink would be perfect!

Here's a little tidbit of information about the city of Toronto: we have more outdoor skating rinks…read moreper capita than any other city in the WORLD! Who knew? But, for a city of crazed hockey fans and tens of thousands of hockey playing kids it's no wonder! Christie Pitts rink is one of my favourites and it has little to do with it being on my own street! Every winter I can't wait to lace up my skates and get in one my favourite outdoor workouts in the cold. This family friendly rink is hardly over crowded and has daytime and evening public skating, as well as shiny for both kids and adults nearly every day. The rink house has a wonderfully cozy feel to it. There is a warm wood burning oven inside and once every season the Parks and Rec staff put on a fun community skating party. I went last year and it was a blast! They played music and had games for the kids. There was free coffee and hot chocolate and a wicked outdoor fire pit to roast marshmallows and hot dogs on. You could skate, eat, drink and be merry! As far as the ice itself; it is well maintained and is cleaned off by the rink staff and zamboni man every few hours. Only once last year when the snow was extremely heavy and pretty much shut down the city, was the ice not cleaned off. They're usually on top of it from what I've experienced! Outdoor skating is a great way to get some exercise and fresh air in the winter, and there are no shortage of rinks around the city to do this. Christie Pitts rink is a large rink where everyone from beginners waddling around holding on to the boards for dear life to super awesome hockey players are welcome to learn and play!

Best skateshop in the greater toronto area , the dude who works he is kind honest and super…read moreknowledgeable about skateboard and skateboard accessories this dudes like tbe hank hill of skate shop owners if you want a real skateshop experience this is the place to go. It's an amazing shop for beginners and intermediate riders . Also the selection of products also reaches to the female consumer hammer has a great selection of skateboard gear for girls interested in skateboarding. Wonderful atmosphere I recommend this shop to anyone The guy who works there is cool and doesn't judge people like some stores I have been to. So go to Hammer skateboard s for all your skating needs

Best Skateshop in the GTA, great gear, good prices and deeply involved with the Skateboarding…read morecommunity.

Cannot recommend. We encountered terrible customer service and business relations at this companies…read morelocation at Nathan Phillips Square. Be aware that once you pay them, they will NOT give you your money back, so we recommend that you ask to inspect the skates first before paying. Because even if you receive defective or skates that you're not satisfied with, they will not return your money. Other customers that have also had issues with the skates and customer service of this company have written about this on sites for Nathan Phillips Square Skating Rink, but I believe this is an outsourced company. Our experience on 2022 January 4 at approximately 8pm: While standing in line, a male staff member approaches customers in the line and tells them that the minimum charge is $15 per hour even though we have to bring the skates back in under and hour. He said we can't skate right to the end, as they (rental company) needs time to collect skates and close. We figured that would be fine. He then handed us a voucher with a bunch of small print and asks us to fill out our contact details to rent the skates. He stood and watched us, without telling us anything else about their policies. When we got to the counter, a female staff member asked for our photo id/driver's licence which would be returned once we returned our skates. They don't take debit so we paid by credit card. She took our voucher and tore off the top carbon copy as our receipt to reclaim our driver's licences. We left the line counter after another staff member gave us our skates. As we sat down, we realized the skates were wet, cold and funky smelling. We tried to make the best of it until we realized we couldn't fully tie the skates up as we each had aglets (end of the lace that is thinned and taped up by plastic) missing on our laces, which made it impossible to thread through the small eyelets on the ice skates while your hands are cold and wet. We went back to the skate counter to return our skates. They handed us another pair of skates that were also wet, cold, funky smelling. After about 10 minutes of looking at skates, we gave up and asked to just cancel the transaction. That was the first time they told us there's no refunds and pointed to a sign above our heads. I pointed out that we had never made it to the ice. We've been trying to find satisfactory skates. Her reply was quite comical- "what do you expect, they're rental skates?" So why not have a sign that says wet, cold and funky smelling skates that can't be tied up properly? We never made it to the ice so can't speak knowledgeable about the blades. The eldest lady said their credit card machine cannot do refunds or voids. It can only takes payments. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told there isn't one. I asked for a phone number for a supervisor and was also told there's no phone number. We spotted about six employees but not one of them had authority (or diplomacy). Finally the eldest lady asked for our voucher, which we handed over. She then retrieved and gave us our driver's licences and then crumpled up our only voucher/receipt and tossed it into a pail. I asked what about the money? She looked behind us and said "next" and motioned for the customer to come beside us where she ignored us for the rest of the night. We took pictures and videos before leaving the lineup to make further calls. The staff that night were flippant and dismissive. We really did wonder if some of them were the owners, because they acted like getting reprimanded or fired was not a fear. Not to mention they were adamant about keeping our $30 without full-filling any services on their end. Disappointingly, this is the rental company recommended from the Nathan Phillips Square Skate Rentals website. If you're interested in skating at Nathan Phillips Square, my recommendation is to get your own skates. There are plenty of cheap skates on FB Marketplace (many of much higher quality), but if you're reading this review at the rink and itching to rent, ask if you can see the skates first. Otherwise, buyer beware. There is a history online of unsatisfactory customer service here. They will keep your money even if services aren't rendered. Will be updating this review and photos at a later date.

This place cheats people out of their money. They kept $5 in change and I forgot to mention it…read moreamongst the activity and when I remembered it was too late. Skates smell and aren't great quality. Rink is trash. It costs more than other skate rental places.

Great rink! - lots…read moreof free skating time so you don't really have to check the schedule before going - shaded areas keeps the ice in good condition. - indoor and outdoor places to get your skates on - a great indoor viewing area for people who aren't skating - a nice non-standard rink with trees in the middle. Parking is kind of limited when it's busy.

This is one of my favourite ice rinks in the city. Not as busy as the other rinks, especially in…read morethe evenings. There's a rink as well as a skate trail which is great because it separates those who want to play hockey from those who just want to skate.

Huge spacious hall with good management…read more Checking in and out was smooth. Good sound quality.

I came for a Korean Expo that started with an exhibition on all three floors and culminated with a…read moreconcert in the evening. I liked that there were stairs in addition to escalators to move from the ground floor to the one above. Having water refill stations located around the venue was also a plus. The line to get into the venue for the concert was long but moved quickly. Once inside, finding my seat was easy. I liked that the floor had a slight slope for better viewing of the stage. Even so, if there's a tall person sitting in front of you, your view will likely be blocked in some way.