While the holidays are an ultra-popular time for skating at Rockefeller Center, the New Year offers a fresh start on the ice. With fewer crowds, you have more space for some glorious gliding to your heart's content (and, ok, the occasional stumble too). The Rink is open through April 18, 2018, so there's still a full season ahead to work on those triple axels—a ton of inspiration coming your way with the Winter Olympics, starting February 5.
General admission to the Rink is on a first come, first serve basis, but you can also make VIP reservations and book skating packages for a full Rockefeller Center outing. See some of the options below:
Breakfast and Skating: Start the day with a 7:45am breakfast at Rock Center Cafe, followed by an 8:30am skate session (including skate rentals). Available most weekdays till April.
Afternoon Tea and Skating: Sit down to the kid-friendly afternoon tea menu (offering mini sandwiches and desserts, along with tea, coffee or hot chocolate) at 3:30pm, then hit the ice at 4:30pm.
Après Skate: After an evening skate session, have a cocktail, beer or glass of wine at Rock Center Cafe, along with a choice of appetizers (such as artichoke dip, crispy fried rock shrimp or ham and Swiss croquetas) from the winter lounge menu. A happy-hour deal like no other.
Skating and Dinner: A 4:30pm or 6:30pm skate session is followed by a three-course dinner at Rock Center Cafe (with a children's menu for those nine and under). The Sea Grill also teams up with the Rink (with a 6:30pm skate session and 8pm dinner) through February 24.
Additional ways to skate include a season pass, JoJo Starbuck's workout series on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and the 10:30pm Starlight Skate. Also learn more about taking a skating lesson from a pro. And for a little history, check out the New York on Ice: Skating in the City exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, running through April 15. As you can imagine, the Rock Center Rink plays a big part in the story.
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