The next Winter Olympics is just around the corner — in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in February 2026 — so right now is the time to get pumped for the events involving boots with blades and glassy expanses of ice.
Nurse along your dreams of glory at one of these 12 Chicago-area venues, from great date night spots to large, regulation-sized rinks. At Skatium Ice Arena in Skokie, you’ll even find Filipino breakfast plates (but get there before Dec. 1, when the vendor is planning to leave the venue for good).
Several rinks in our list offer free admission if you bring your own skates; all of them rent skates for kids through adults. Call ahead if you have an unusual foot size. Hours of operation vary widely, and reservations are required by a few rinks. Classes for figure skating and hockey are on tap at many. But, please, don’t break a leg.
Chicago Blackhawks Community Ice Rink
1801 W. Jackson Blvd.; 312-455-7600
$12 admission; $5 skate rental
Year-round
You don’t need to be an avid Blackhawks fan to enjoy the year-round facility where the team practices. Located in the Fifth Third Arena on the Near West Side, the Blackhawks Community Ice Rink offers regular public skates, freestyle skating drop-ins for the more advanced and hockey programs for kids and adults. Starting Jan. 5, the freshly renovated arena will have two new ice rinks, complete with a restaurant and cafe, and showcase the Blackhawks Hall of Fame. According to Donald Cervenka, who has been skating there recreationally for more than three years, the venue has “the best ice.” “When you’re a skater, there’s a perfect temperature of ice where you can do tricks and spins and things like that,” he said. “They keep their ring immaculate, and the ice is just pristine.” Blackhawks practices are also open to the public, so check the schedule to line up your viewing in the same excursion.
Chicago Wolves Ice Rink at Parkway Bank Park
5501 Park Place, Rosemont; 847-349-5008
Free admission; $8 skate rental
Nov. 22-Jan. 25, 2026
Skating is fun, but sometimes you want more. Enter the Chicago Wolves Ice Rink, just one attraction in a 200,000-square-foot entertainment complex. Once you’ve taken a spin around the festive outdoor rink transition to dinner or catch a new release at the AMC Rosemont 12. On Nov. 22, attend the grand opening, at which 80,000 holiday lights will be turned on for the Christmas kickoff. Also on offer: Santa, horse-drawn sleighs and artists carving sculptures out of ice. Parkway Bank Park is accessible via the Blue Line; parking is free with validation.
Maggie Daley Park Ice Skating Ribbon
337 E. Randolph St.; 312-552-3000
$5 admission with own skates; $17 weekday skate rentals, $19 walk-in (holidays rates are $21 skate rentals online, $23 walk-in)
Nov. 14-March 8, 2026
Stretching for a quarter mile, the Ribbon forms a long trail with gentle inclines and dips. The path is surrounded by pine trees, and yet skaters may marvel at the city’s skyscrapers as their backdrop. The Ribbon seems to be the spot for couples so brace yourself for hand-holding pairs who must be navigated around. The Rink Cafe is good for hot apple cider and cocoa, as well as belly-filling fare, including Chicago-style dogs, nachos and mozzarella sticks. Reservations for public skating at the Ribbon are highly recommended, and walk-up tickets aren’t guaranteed if a session is full.
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
1 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-742-5222
Free admission with own skates, $5 for peak periods; $17 skate rental weekdays, $21 weekends and holidays
Nov. 21-Feb. 1, 2026; subject to weather
Reserve your spot to skate at the rink in Millennium Park because, well, it’s crowded for good reason: The 16,000-square-foot oval is Chicago’s Rockefeller Center, within sight of the Bean and the city’s official Christmas tree. Admission is free with your own skates, but reservations are still required. Nearby, Momentum Coffee sells hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches and coffee. Millennium Hall, the Italian-themed food hall that replaced Park Grill in 2022, has pizzas, pasta and craft beer on the menu. Before the rink closes for the season, try to catch free skating lessons from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays; reservations are required.
McFetridge Sports Center Ice Rink
3843 N. California Ave.; 773-478-2609
$6 admission for skaters 13 and up, $5 for skaters 12 and under; $4 skate rentals
Year-round
The skating rink at McFetridge Sports Center is one of only two indoor rinks owned by the Chicago Park District (the district is operating eight skating locations this season). The draw is affordable prices, adult-only skating from noon to 1:30 p.m. on weekdays and ample free parking in the adjacent lot. The popular all-ages public skate — from 3:30-5 p.m. Saturdays and from 4:30-6 p.m. Sundays — is first come, first served so get there early to avoid being at the end of a long line; online reservations through the Chicago Park District activities portal are required for adult-only skating. Eat before you skate because there are scant snack options on site.
Midway Plaisance Ice Rink
1130 Midway Plaisance; 312-745-2470
Free admission; $7 skate rental
Nov. 28-Feb. 17, 2026; subject to weather
Run by the park district, the Midway Plaisance Ice Rink sits amid the dramatic Gothic architecture of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park and on the former grounds of Chicago’s 1893 World Fair. Skating is free with your own equipment, but online registration is recommended for all sessions. Offerings include dedicated hockey time; for example, Stick & Puck ($8 for adults, $10 for adult and child), which lets players practice stickhandling and shooting, and Pond Hockey ($8 for adults, $10 for adult and child), five-on-five no-contact games. There are also senior skate hours at all five outdoor park district rinks this year for those 50 and older who prefer their own company.
Paul Hruby Ice Rink
415 Lake St., Oak Park; 708-725-2000
$12 admission, skate rental included
Year-round
Insiders report that the best time to visit the Paul Hruby Ice Rink, located inside the Ridgeland Common Recreation Park in Oak Park, is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. “The rink is super empty, which is rare for public skate,” said one devotee of “Noon Skate.” Otherwise, you’ll be battling throngs of teens, hockey kids and all manner of family unit at the evening sessions on Fridays and Saturdays (cosmic skate!) and during the day on Sundays. On Dec. 31, celebrate the New Year on the rink with giveaways and a balloon drop at noon. Fun perk: The rink offers free hockey gear rental for youth.
The Peninsula Sky Rink
108 E. Superior St.; 312-337-2888
$20 admission for adults including skates; $10 for kids 12 and under
Nov. 21-Feb. 16, 2026
The Sky Rink at the Peninsula Hotel in downtown Chicago is exactly as it sounds: a rarefied spot on a terrace with views of the city’s skyline. You pay the same admission fee whether you bring your own skates or rent them. But since the rink is synthetic ice, you should probably rent because the hard polymer surface can dull metal skates within just 30 minutes. Reservations are not required but check the rink’s schedule before going (hours subject to change, according to the hotel). Getting there can be tricky: Take the elevator to the Peninsula’s lobby, then find the stairs to the Shanghai Terrace’s patio. If you get lost, ask for directions. Once there, you’ll be rewarded with above-average fare at the Chalet, the hotel’s cafe, which offers hot apple cider, hot cocoa and taffy apples.
Robert Crown Community Center Ice Rink
1801 Main St., Evanston; 847-448-8258
$10 admission for 18+, $6 admission for under 17 and younger; $4 skate rental
Year-round
Making an indoor ice rink in the suburbs exciting can be a challenge. But the programmers at the Robert Crown Community Center Ice Rink in Evanston are really trying. Once a month, DJ Skate Night spins new pop under cosmic lights and occasionally ups the ante; for Halloween this year, the rink hosted skating in costume. Tickets for DJ nights are only a dollar more than regular tickets.
Skatium Ice Arena
9340 Weber Park Place, Skokie; 847-929-7900
$7 admission; $4 skate rental
Year-round
Michelle Cain, Skatium’s customer service coordinator, says the predominant clientele at this large suburban rink is elementary-age kids and their parents. Skatium has an intriguing offering, but not for much longer: The on-site cafe sells Filipino food, including Spamsilog, Chicken Tocilog and Longsilog — which are grilled-meat variations of a breakfast plate that comes with garlic fried rice and an egg — but the vendor is leaving Dec. 1, says facility manager Kurt von Helms. French fries and sandwiches are also available. Vending machines stock the usual array of snacks.
Warren Park Ice Rink
6601 N. Western Ave.; 773-761-8663
Free admission; $7 skate rental
Nov. 28-Feb. 17, 2026 subject to weather
Among the park district outdoor venues, Warren Park Ice Rink is arguably the most popular. Located in the West Ridge neighborhood, this Olympic-sized rink offers programs similar to others in the park system, including amateur hockey games called Rat Hockey (with a $10 fee). Jennifer Urbaszewski-Grono, a park district spokesperson, said Warren receives compliments on how similar the ice is to indoor rinks — smooth and well groomed. “Warren is kind of our star facility,” she said. On Jan. 11, the Winter Wonder Fest will offer free skating from 3:30-6 p.m., festive characters and games of ice bocce, which is like bowling on ice.
Weinberg Family Recreation Center Ice Rink
305 Randolph St., Glencoe; 847-835-4440
$12 admission for Glencoe residents, $24 for nonresidents; $5 + tax skate rentals
Nov. 28-March 1, 2026
Erin Classen, the superintendent of marketing and communications for the Glencoe Park District, believes the appeal of this popular suburban rink is its nostalgic, old-timey feel. “It’s a beautiful old rink that generations have been skating on every year,” she said. Located on more than three acres of land at Watts Park, this refrigerated outdoor rink is ideal for beginners because, according to one mom, “wild behavior is not tolerated.” Families can also make a day of it — across the street, Watts Hill is the spot for sledding in Glencoe. You must have a season pass to skate on weekends, so consider buying one if you’re charmed and plan to come back ($69 for residents, $139 for nonresidents). Skating is free on opening day (Nov. 28) and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19).