New List: Best Ice Skating Rinks in Columbus
Five rinks ranked for public skate time, price and setting, with OhioHealth Chiller on top and two outdoor sheets opening in late November. Status: Live on site.
Skate season is close, so we ranked where to do it. Our ice rink ranking went live on Wednesday, October 28, with five rinks that each posted their winter public hours, dates and admission on their own sites before we added them.
OhioHealth Chiller takes Best Overall. Its three buildings, in Lewis Center, at Easton and in Dublin, keep public skate on the calendar no matter the weather, so a warm December does not cancel anything. Its Friday Night Meltdown, a late session that ends at 10:30, costs $18 with rental skates, and a Family of Four ticket costs $50.
The two outdoor picks open within a day of each other. Dublin's Riverside Crossing Park rink, under The Dublin Link bridge, starts Saturday, November 21, and stays through March 14, with a $15 adult ticket that includes skates and no clock on the session. New Albany's first real-ice rink, inside Hinson Amphitheater, follows on November 22 with a Santa Skate ahead of the tree lighting, and our earlier report has the opening day plan.
Rounding out the five are the Ohio State rink beside St. John Arena, where the women's hockey team plays and open skates cost $12 with rentals, and Coffman Park in Dublin, a free natural rink that only opens after several straight days below freezing. That last one may not happen at all in a mild winter, which is why it ranks fifth.
Parents with toddlers should also browse our cold weather toddler picks. Dublin has two of the five rinks, and our Dublin page has dinner near the bridge. Check each rink's site for holiday hours before you drive.
