As of 2025, there are four seasonal ice skating rinks in Washington, D.C. This is the most affordable out of all the others at $16-$18 for admission and skate rental. Reserve a spot online and show up on time. There's a place to slip into the skates. The entrance to the rink is right next door with easy access. The rink is pretty big for the city- it's even bigger than the one at NYC's Rockefeller Center. Back at check in are lockers and restrooms. read more

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My daughter and I were excited to skate at a rink so close to where we were visiting...unfortunately, the ice isn't kept in good shape. Today was a brisk high of 37F, so not freezing, but it wouldn't take much to keep it frozen (in comparison to the outdoor rink in my hometown in california, where ice is kept up well in 50-degree weather), and the ice really wasn't hard or smooth enough for skating. Every movement cut deep slashes so that not only could you not push sideways, but everyone else's cuts into the ice had made deep bumpy grooves. Neither of us fell (we are seasoned hobby-level skaters), but it was so unpleasant we got off the ice after figuring out that it just wasn't possible to skate. I'm giving some stars because we were pleasantly surprised that the skates were really nice and sharp (so rarely the case at public rinks), and the staff were nice and polite when we mentioned the ice situation. read more

This is a fun spot for ice skating; right along the boardwalk of the Potomac and the closest ice rink to the Georgetown Neighborhood. It's a large sized oval rink that's easy to get to and tucked between the large center courtyard surrounded by restaurants. All the restaurants have fire pits so even if you're not into ice skating it's a great spot for small and large groups to watch the winter action. Admission is $10 and ice skate rental is $7. There's no time limit, but you will have to step off for them to Zamboni the ice. If you forgot your gloves or boot socks you can buy them for $4 each which is very reasonable. The ice skate boots here are of better quality that some other rinks I've been to. The ice skate admission and rental is indoors just in front of the rink. There's a bathroom, bench seating and lockers for rent inside. They've secreted rubber flooring throughout the inside and on the steps and path outside leading to the rink. read more

It's ingenious that in the warm weather months that the rink itself is a water fountain. And in the winter a great, centrally-located rink in Georgetown with a beautiful view by the Potomac river but in the middle of swathe of restaurants and bars. At a total cost of $16 for rentals, which is actually an appropriate/decent price for this upscale area of DC. Service staff seemed overworked/tired but it's understandable on a busy weekend night* read more

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The Rink is a Libertarian Republican nightmare where there are no rules and no investment in infrastructure. 1. No restrictions against headphones, wearing bags on the ice, checking your phone while people are behind you, debris can get on the ice. 2. No enforcement of good behavior so people can do all these things 3. There's no zamboni machine to clean the ice which means youre not getting a good experience This is why it costs more to skate in New York City and this is why we are willing to pay more for the privilege. read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Penguins assistants! The rink can get a little crowded because it's a lot of people from beginners holding onto the rails or penguins to couples to soon-to-be figure skaters. It's a fantastic place though for a date especially being in Georgetown with lots of great places to eat following. For those like me who fall every time we go ice skating. You'll be glad to hear that this rink offers penguins as aids. Of course their are plastic/hollow penguins on skis but they really do help maintain your balance and guide similar to training wheels on bikes. Great place for dates, families, or if you want to just go practice not-falling on ice. read more

Extremely poor experience with this ice skating rink. It was my first time here and I bought tickets online. I show up only to find out that 1/2 of the rink is closed off because the chiller broke. I requested a refund and the staff gave me attitude saying that all sales are final and that I can reschedule for another day. I said ok that's fine, when will the rink be fixed so I can reschedule. They told me they don't know. ????? How am I supposed to reschedule if they dont know when it will be fixed. I asked if there was any way I can just get a refund and go about my day to which they kept repeating and interrupting me with "all sales are final. all sales are final." I explained to them that there's no point in being charged full for a broken ice rink. If Im only able to skate on half of it then could I at least get a discount? Again the manager gives me the obnoxious "ALL SALES ARE FINAL". They go on to yell about how they are the "biggest" ice skating rink in the DMV (which is a lie, especially since half of it is closed) and how people still regularly come to skate despite it being broken. When I was there, it was a ghost town. Luckily, I was able to charge back my card so they couldn't scam me. I like to think that Im usually very patient with poor service but this was definitely the worst service Ive experienced anywhere. read more

We came here because we had been given 2 free tickets. We almost forgot to use them, and since it was 70-80 degrees last month, we were worried that we had lost our chance. Luckily, in March it dropped down to 30 degrees again so we made a day trip out of it. First, the location is beautiful. It's located in Georgetown, and has a view of the water. You can't see the view from the ice rink and you're not allowed to go up to the view with skates on. The parking garage is very expensive. It's $12 for the first hour, $21 for the second hour. Not sure how expensive it gets, we left within the hour. It's kind of confusing to find out where you get your skates and pay, but we found it. I had a ticket for 2 people, but didn't have a second person to give the other ticket to. The guy said I would lose that second ticket. That's a shame. The ice rink in general was kind of small. I mean half of it was blocked off with caution tape because it was melted. It had been very cold the past week or so, and had even snowed the day before. Not sure why it was melted. The other half that was open had some slush all over it. They have these cute plastic penguins on sleds with handles that help you skate, if you're a beginner. We all skated around probably less than 10 times and had to get off because our feet hurt. I've gone ice skating before and my feet have never hurt, so that was strange. Overall, it's fun experience. But we probably wouldn't go back, good thing it was free! read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - The half that was open - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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My toddler and I came to this ice rink on a weekday and had a better than expected time. I'd selected this rink based on two criteria 1) It's the closest to where I live 2) they have penguins (skate aids for children shaped like, you guessed it, penguins) I'm not an ice skating aficionado but the skates and ice both seemed acceptable. The reason for the five starts was the service. I'd put skates on myself and my toddler and she proceed to have a melt down. I picked her up and was carrying her to the rink when a staff member said "hey, you can't hold her because you have skates on, would you like me too?". *And then the guy carried her to the ice and lined up a penguin for her.* He also looked away as I almost ate it trying to get on the ice. That small gesture totally made my experience here a good one. And the key to skating with a toddler is to hold their hands onto the penguin and skate behind them (no this is not ideal). We only made it twice around the rink but it was my daughter's first time and I hadn't been in a while either. We'll definitely be back, still at an off time. My only complaint is the cost, $30 for about an hour of skating seems kinda steep. read more

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Absolutely awful! I never thought I'd give 1 star to an ice rink, but this place is just absolutely the worst. It seems to be run by middle schoolers or people of comparable maturity levels. Oh, and they BARELY clean the ice so pools (nay, rivers) of water dangerously form in the ice rink. The rink was watery in the middle, had large cracks in other areas, and was so slushy toward the walls that my ankles started hurting badly because I had to lift my feet to avoid getting caught in the slush. After about 10 minutes, I decided I'd had enough and stood outside and told my friend to continue skating without me, since we had paid so much to skate and I wanted her to get the most of the experience. But I just didn't feel safe at all and for someone who loves ice skating and never wants to step away from the experience, that's saying a lot. They charge ridiculous prices for what you're getting - $10 for adult admission and $5 for skates. Ridiculous, especially since they don't even give you a locker to place your items securely. Their credit card machine was not working (or as the girl working there informed us, "something's up with it today") so we were forced to pay in cash. Oh, and there's also absolutely nowhere to sit outside if you want to take a break. I had to stand with my skates outside the rink, and it's right in the middle of the Georgetown Waterfront harbor area, where tons of people pass through. Literally the only thing going for this place is its location at the Georgetown Waterfront. And that's not enough to save it from a 1 star review. As I mentioned above, this rink is run by hooligans. The person driving the zamboni to finally clean the rink had headphones in his ears while operating the zamboni, looked like he was 16, and drove the zamboni at a dangerous speed. It looked like he was going to barrel through the ice rink's glass perimeter and into the throngs of kids waiting to ice skate! The other people working at the rink literally stood there and laughed and even threw snowballs onto the rink while and after he was cleaning! The zamboni didn't do a great job because it was still unbelievably slushy and awful even after they "cleaned" the rink. Total waste of money. I've never had such a negative ice skating experience in the two decades that I've been ice skating and I will never visit again. Please do yourself a favor and visit one of the other ice rinks in the DC area instead, such as the ice rink in the National Sculpture Garden (right across the Archives) or the Pentagon Row ice rink in Pentagon City (Arlington, VA). Anything would be better than the ice rink at the Washington Harbor in Georgetown. read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - A pool of water forming in the ice rink. This could potentially be dangerous and they still didn't clean for a long time! - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Unfortunately this ice rink is a lawsuit and injury waiting to happen. I went ice skating here the other weekend and the ice conditions were extremely poor and the staff were very juvenile. Honestly, with the ice conditions the way they were, they probably shouldn't have had the rink open at all, but they seem to care more about profits than customer safety. We went inside to pay and rent skates ($10 to skate and $5 skate rental fee) and the woman at the counter, Begine, clearly was not trained in customer service or being able to interact with people because she looked disgusted to have to interact with anyone and had a bad attitude. She didn't say anything and when I said I wanted to rent skates and handed over my credit card she just said "No" and gave my credit card back to me which was very confusing because right in front of the cash register was a sign displaying all of the credit cards, one of which was the brand of the card I attempted to give her. Nevertheless, she said they only took cash. Thankfully I had enough cash on me. The ice had lots of huge puddles of standing water and the underneath layer was cracked. Basically it was just slushy and hard to skate on and that was with only one half of the rink being open. We kept waiting for them to Zamboni hoping that would improve the conditions of the ice, but it took them forever to do so and when they did, only half the rink was still open and they didn't do much to improve ice conditions. I was surprised at how long it took them to Zamboni the ice and when they did Zamboni, the driver appeared to be going way too fast and just wanted to get it over with so he could take a smoke break. As one employee was driving the Zamboni the other employees were throwing snowballs at him. Great, let's put more snow on the already horrible ice quality. It was very juvenile and instead they should have been trying to clean up the ice so the whole rink could be open instead of goofing off, it was ridiculous. Also, the Zamboni driver clearly didn't know what he was doing because at one point he didn't get close enough to the edge and dumped all the swept up snow and ice back into the middle of the rink. That meant he gave up driving around the whole rink and they just put cones blocking off half of the rink again. The on-ice staff wasn't much better with one guy showing off and almost taking out a little girl at one point! I don't know where they found these people! While the location on the Georgetown Waterfront is pretty, I recommend going ice skating elsewhere if you actually want to skate on ice and not a melted puddle. As a point of comparison, I walked by the Pentagon Row Ice Skating Rink that same day and the quality of the ice was 100x better. There were no large puddles and the whole rink was open, so clearly, despite the warmer weather, other more capable rinks were able to safely operate and offer customers a better ICE (notice I said ice and not slush or puddles!) skating experience. For $15 for half a rink and skating in puddles and extremely poor customer service, I'll take my business elsewhere! read more

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Possibly the worst ice skating rink ever. * $10 admission. $5 skate rental. * Skates' blades are worn and dangerous. * The ice management on the ice rink itself is terrible. New ice isn't regularly paved onto the rink. Rather, makeshift sweeping of the ice is what's deemed sufficient. * Large structure (parking for the ice sweeping truck) is in the middle (off-centered) of the ice rink. read more

The ice rink is set in a very pretty location. Very picturesque from tons of angles! Lovely place for a picture moment. It also has a good number of shops and restaurants for food after you're done skating! They have little penguins on hand FOR FREE to help those who aren't adept at skating yet, but they are limited and can run out. The actual cost to use the space and to rent some skates is what you'd expect. Only issue is that the ice wasn't very even right after it was "smoothed" by the zamboni. read more

This ice rink is cute and very convenient for us. We bought tickets online and the wait to check in and get skates wasn't bad. The people who work there were really nice. That said, it's pretty small so the ice was covered in shave ice 15 minutes into the session and part of the rink was closed for melting. The rental skates were sharp but old with bad laces (broken, too short, etc) read more

I'm not sure why this ice rink has such a low rating; it's one of our favorites in the area. We've always been able to rent our skates quickly and get on the ice fast. There's a bit of a break for the Zamboni every so often, but otherwise, you're good to whiz around the ice. Two pairs of skates and ice time was $31. Parking can be tricky but there are a few garages right next door to the habour, or or on slow days, street parking on side streets. Love the view of the Potomac and the people watching as well! After, we always grab a bite at Farmers, Fishers, & Bakers. A perfect afternoon! read more

On the small side but location is really lovely near the water. $10 for adults to skate and $5 for rental. I thought that was a little steep, but this is DC. read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This location is great for ice rink in the winter time. However, the management is poor and quality of ice is really really bad. This could be a much better tourist attraction. They could invest in the better skates as well. Price is reasonable, what do you leave with a bitter taste because of everything mentioned above. read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - Quality of ice A SECOND after Zamboni went through. - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

We used a groupon for skating here and had a great time! My husband and I are both beginners and spent all our time in the edge of the rink/on the penguin. We did not feel judged even one bit. So for all of you afraid to get out there, feel free to skate like no one is looking! The staff was great for the skate rental. The atmosphere was beautiful on the Georgetown waterfront. Starbucks right next door if you want a treat after. read more

Washington Harbour is picturesque, but it reminds me of trying to order a sandwich at Cosi: it's a process disaster, and an unfriendly one at that. The line to pay and rent skates takes is absurd. Because there is no process for putting returned skates away; the counter doesn't have many sizes so be prepared to try and find it in the piles of skates on the tables past the rental window or on the floor. The entire layout of the place is just terrible, the lockers (bring 4 quarters!) are difficult to get to and the doors open the wrong way, ugh. So it's hard to get skates, and it's tough to find space to put them on. Now that you have your skates on get ready to walk out the door and down three steps. The rink is small, smaller than it appears and there is a choke point as you skate in a circle, be careful of children clinging to penguins. Id like to say that this is a great rink for children - but judging by the looks of moms with small children waiting in line - I can't. You want to skate? Here are two tried as true recommendations. Outdoor rink: go to the sculpture garden on the mall. Indoor rink: Kettler are in Ballston. Skip ice skating in Georgetown. read more

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Ice skating outdoors in DC, used to be the only place you could go was the Sculpture garden rink, but if you've gone there, you know how unfun that experience can be. A few friends and I went on a Thursday to the rink to get our skate on. The employees are young and therefore not the most professional, however, it's an ice rink, so about on par with what you'd expect. The rink though, is huge, by far my favorite outdoor surface in the DC area. As a hockey player, I tend to speed around and I like being able to do so. (Note: If you've been at a rink and see "that guy" who can skate really well and is kinda showing off... he's not showing off. He just likes to go fast.) For my friends who weren't the most adept at skating they had these penguins that they could hold onto to get around the rink without falling face first into the ice and hurting themselves. Another cool thing about this rink is that it's around plenty of restaurants. Perfect for a date if you chose to go there because you could do the skating thing and then the drink thing. Who doesn't like options in one place for such an occasion? So out of all the outdoors rinks, go to this one, and if you see some guy skating really fast there, it could possibly be me. So say hello. read more

Good: They had penguin statue helpers and since I had not ice skated in 25 years I needed it to get me started! Pretty They had lockers that require 4 quarters so you could store you stuff while skating Bad: I like that for $15 you can skate all day, but for people like me who only wanted to do it for a little while a cheaper option would have been nice. No music Ice was uneven and choppy Half of the rink was closed off and in the half that was open there were orange cones marking off some areas you could not go to. Make it not nearly as enjoyable as if I could have skated on the whole rink. read more

Ice was pretty bad quality. The whole ice rink was uneven with bumps even though the zamboni had just gone over the ice. Half of the rink was closed also. It is a nice venue though. read more

My husband and I went ice skating here on our last night in Washington and had so much fun! The music was great, the view is awesome, and the decor surrounding the rink, beautiful! Cutest thing, they even have little ice skating penguins(not real ones) to help rookies hold their balance as they skate around. Loved it here! read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Fantastic! Went midday and shared the rink with a couple of parents and their kids, a couple it two and eventually a small work group leaving lunch at Farmer's. The people who work here are wonderful - helpful, friendly... Ready to show a little child how to get up from a fall, encouraging to the beginner (me) but unobtrusive if you want to be left alone. Such a pleasant, fun experience! Can't wait to return. read more

Washington Harbour Ice Rink - My sister with one of the awesome penguin helpers. I used two! - Skating Rinks Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The rental skates here are downright dangerous. The blades are extremely dull, and the skates are so old and beat up that they offer very little support. Combine that with ice that was never resurfaced, and you get a terrible on ice experience. Customer service is also very lacking with a complete lack of responsibility taken for the poor skates or ice condition. At $15 a person, this is a racket I will never be giving money to again. Stay away. read more

We went here on January 1st, which is a Tuesday, which is supposed to be buy-one-get-one admission from 4-6. But it was a holiday, so I can understand if they decided against it. So we asked about an hour before (3pm) if it would be BOGO. They answered "yes". Cool! So we walked around Georgetown for a bit and returned at 4. They said there was no BOGO today. I told them that I was told differently earlier. They said "we were wrong." This is not how you run a business. read more

The Potomac River and Teddy Roosevelt Island make a beautiful backgroup for the Washington Harbour Ice Rink. Located in Georgetown this seasonal rink is a great place to bring family and friends to enjoy a nice skate. The attendants are helpful and polite. The rink is large and even though we went on a Saturday night it was easily navigable. I like that they have assist tools (aka penguin statutes that glide along the ice) to help novice skaters (adults and kids) to hone their abilities before trying it solo. Those penguins make it much more enjoyable and less frustrating for beginners. read more

This is a great ice rink! It's a lot bigger than the Sculpture Garden one and less crowded (probably because of the size). I went yesterday, New Year's Day, shortly after it opened and there was a good crowd but not too overwhelming at all. They might be the only ice rink in the area that's open on holidays, which is a plus. The staff inside the skate rental area could stand to be a little nicer, but skate rental was a breeze. The skates are pretty nice too and don't look too beat up or old yet. The one slight downside to the rink is that there are some parts of the ice that are a bit slushy and not hard, so skating in that area is a little tricky and you might get your blade stuck in it. During my nearly two hour session there the zamboni did not once come out and clear the ice to make it smooth. All the other rinks I've seen have had the machine come out regularly to smooth the ice. I'm sure the slush issue could have been resolved with a run of the zamboni, but it never came out so we just kept skating and skating. Prices are decent too, and I recommend this place to everyone! read more

The kids loved ice skating outdoors! We sat by a fire at the neighboring restaurant and watched. The setting next to the river at night was beautiful. read more

Beautiful view and so nice that there are good food options nearby, but we did not have a good skating experience. When we went last weekend, the chiller was broken and half the ice was slush and unskatable. They were still charging full price for admission, which really felt like rip-off. I'd definitely call to confirm it's fixed before going. read more

Beautiful location and prices to be expected in D.C. Georgetown. However... it is crowded (no time limits on ice time), and the service is terrible. Dull skates, huge divots in the ice with major gaps on the side, and the skates have major tears in the boot with broken/knotted laces. The kicker was after we paid, before we skated though... be warned, they're 100% unwilling to and/or incapable of giving refunds, even if the skates you've already paid for are unavalable in your size (BONUS: only whole sizes available, so if you're a half size you're SOL anyway). A fun outing for the view alone if you're in the area, but not worth a special trip for non-locals. read more

I was at the rink today with two young children. The younger child was using a penguin to help him skate. He stepped off the rink for a few minutes to take a break and had the penguin with him. I went around the rink with the older child when a man approached the younger child and asked to use the penguin. He told the man he was taking a break and as I skated up the man started calling us "selfish." I approached the man and offered the penguin to him. One of the skating rink supervisors was standing next to me and the man threatens to hit me in the face if I don't get away from him and continues to call me selfish. He repeats that if I don't get away from him he will hit me. This is all in earshot of the children I am with plus other children. I immediately report him to the Manager and Owner of the rink. They call security who interviews the man who says I was up in his face. Security and the Management decide that it is too risky to ask him to leave so they let him stay. Shocked, I gather the children and start to leave. Upon my departure I tell the owner I am extremely disappointed in how the situation was handled. I no longer feel safe being there and the man ruined the experience for me and the children. He tells me he didn't know what to do. I tell him that by doing nothing he condoned this man's behavior. I suggest a zero tolerance policy of violence or threats of violence at the skating rink. He sheepishly tells me that is a good idea. While I am sure this man's behavior is an isolated incident, the response by security, the manager and the owner was completely unacceptable. I will not be returning to this establishment and encourage others to go elsewhere, read more

I went with my two year old and this was the first time for both of us to ever try ice skating. Thinking that the workers there might give me a realistic idea about how it works, I asked them if it would be possible to balance myself as well as a two year old because obviously he will need help. And the guy said oh, of course! Just use one of the penguins and you'll be fine. I trusted him, we paid and of course we couldn't even enter the skating area because it was not possible at all to balance yourself as a first timer and also try and help a two year old to hold on to the penguin and balance himself. We went back in less than a minute. And when asked for a refund, they refused saying that they don't have a refund policy. I felt robbed because they gave me false information just to sell thier tickets. Very unprofessional and rude! Also their skates were very old and poor quality! read more

It is so small and always crowded but also expensive. The view is great though but skating might be difficult.

BEWARE! Terrible management and a total ripoff! When I purchased my ticket for skating I was told that it was valid all day and that I could go and come as I please then when I came back a couple of hours later I was told that it was policy to pay an extra $6 ! Way to go for scamming people and trying to steal their money ! I skated for a few minutes and purchased a locker to keep my tiny bag in! Then I decided to go get my glasses and oops turns out the locker is a one time use! Maybe it could've been helpful telling me that prior to having me rent a useless locker and stealing from me in the process ! Not to mention that the skates are so worn out, you'd be better off getting your own skates! I wonder where all of the money they steal from people goes to! I would give it zero stars if I could! Don't waste your money skating here it's not worth it! read more

Alex and his coworkers were very helpful. He is definitely management material. He was so funny and helpful. His customer service is a mile above the rest. We are only skating here because of the wonderful way he attended to us. A real gentlemen and very spot on in every way a man should be. Very glad to see Young people who are excellent at their jobs. read more

My poor rating is not based on the actual rink or skating experience. The rink is in a great location and the Groupon deal is a good price for the experience. My poor rating is solely based on my experience with an employee there on 2.28.16. The guy collecting shoes and handing out the skates was extremely unprofessional and downright rude. At first I thought he was just being rude to me, but I also noticed him being rude to children there too. His behavior was completely unacceptable and borderline hostile. read more

View is very nice. The rink looked too marked up to even bother trying to skate, so I passed. The staff guy went on a rant about how the surface was fine and how he's managed different rinks in the past. read more

During my first night there, it was a bit distracting when they had to clear the ice because a kid accidentally cracked the rink glass with his skates. I was really surprised it wasn't shatterproof material, but actual glass! So if they haven't changed that yet, if you're a beginner skater, don't crash into the glass walls! This seems like a more kid/family-oriented ice rink because they had a bunch of these plastic penguin helpers that kids or newbies hold onto to prevent from falling. The patrols were nice and I felt like it was a more relaxed atmosphere than the sculpture garden ice rink where you get called out on for taking a picture on the rink or not moving with traffic. I enjoyed the indoor space and lockers where you can change your shoes, and the clean bathrooms. The sculpture garden ice rink is a bit more romantic, but the rink is much smaller, and it's more for show than actually getting a nice skate in. We saw some more advanced skaters that evening in conjunction with all the kids and families on ice. Also prefer the ice skates better than the ones at sculpture gardens (probably because it's newer) and I was wearing really heavy thick wool socks to prevent my ankles from hurting! read more

I'm a novice skater, so don't put too much stock into my review...BUUUUT I enjoyed myself, and I got to use the penguin. No complaints :)