Beltway Bambinos

(re) discover Washington DC through the eyes of your children

Ice rinks and roller rinks in and around Washington, DC

Outdoor ice skating rinks

Color Burst Ice Rink at Merriweather District– Downtown Columbia, MD
The Color Burst Ice Rink at Merriweather District is back for the 2021 – 2022 season! There will be plenty of celebrations and themed events throughout the season, as well as music and pop-up food and beverage. You will have a 75-minute skate period beginning when you enter the rink.

Pentagon Row– 1201 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA 22202
October 25 – mid-March
Reservations are required to skate. Reservations are open two weeks in advance. They also offer skating lessons to children and adults.

Canal Park Ice Rink– 202 M Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
November – February and open on holidays

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink– National Mall at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408
Skating fees are for two 45-minute sessions. November 19, 2021–March 6, 2022, weather permitting. You can purchase single tickets, seasons passes and they offer skating lessons.

Silver Spring Veteran’s Plaza Ice Rink– 8523 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD 20910
October 29 – mid-March
This season reservations are required to skate at the rink. Reservations are open two weeks in advance. They offer group and private skating lessons.

Rockville Town Square Ice Rink– 131 Gibbs St., Rockville, MD 20850
Mid-October – mid-March
This season reservations are required to skate at the rink. Reservations are open two weeks in advance. They offer several options to learn to skate- whether you are an aspiring hockey player, beginning figure skater, an adult wishing to get reacquainted with the ice, or anything in between, they have an option for you.

Wharf Ice Rink– 960 Wharf Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
November 26 – late February and open on holidays
This year, The Wharf Ice Rink has gone ALL CAPS. Check out the Washington Capitals décor and ice resurfacer, and join fellow hockey fans on the ice for Rock The Rink skate event on January 15. The Rock The Rink skate event features a DJ, Caps gear giveaways, and a visit from Slapshot. During the event, they’ll also broadcast the Capitals’ away game on a jumbotron near the ice and fans wearing Capitals gear receive $5 off admission to The Wharf Ice Rink. Also, join for a free, friendly game of curling every Wednesday evening in January! The Canadian game marries hockey and shuffleboard for a low-pressure evening on the ice—no skates needed! Want to play? Preregister for your desired gametime on Eventbrite. Games begin at 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm every Wednesday through January. 

Washington Harbour Ice Rink– 3050 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007               
Reserve your tickets here.

Gaylord National Ice Rink– 201 Waterfront Street National Harbor, MD 20745
Tickets must be purchased in advance online. No on-site box office. Unlimited same-day skating and skates.

Indoor ice rinks

Cabin John Ice Rink– 10610 Westlake Dr Rockville, MD 20852
Open year-round with three rinks (NHL, Olympic, and Studio), public skate sessions, lessons provided, camps, three party rooms available to rent, a pro shop with skating equipment, apparel, and skate sharpening and repair services.

Wheaton Ice Arena– 11717 Orebaugh Ave, Wheaton, MD 20902
NHL-size skating rink, public skate sessions, camps, lessons provided, two party rooms to rent, a snack bar /vending machines with refreshments and snacks. Pro Shop with skates, hockey equipment, apparel, skate sharpening, and repair services.

Fort Dupont Ice Arena– 3779 Ely Place SE Washington, DC 20019
They have a program which offers opportunities for kids from 5-18 interested in hockey, figure skating, synchronized skating and speed skating.

MedStar Capitals Iceplex– Ballston, VA
Practice rink of our Washington Capitals! You can public skate, take lessons, adults can take part in a pick-up game of hockey, kids can take hockey lessons, have a birthday party and attend camps.

Indoor roller rinks

Lanham Skate– Lanham, MD
Family fun nights, arcade games, lessons, STEM field trips, birthday parties, school break days and more!

Laurel Roller Skating Center– Laurel, MD
Birthday parties, lessons, family nights and more!

Temple Hills– Temple Hills, MD
Family skate nights, glow nights, arcade, STEM field trips, birthday parties and more!

Skate Zone– Crofton, MD
Lessons, birthday parties, STEM field trips, event calendar and more!

Cavalier Family Skating– Stafford, VA
Birthday parties, speed team, arcade and indoor play zone, lessons and more!

Skate-N-Fun Zone– Mannassass, VA
Laser tag, arcade, indoor play zone, themed nights, STEM field trips and more!

Outdoor roller rink

Anacostia Park– SE, DC
Skate rentals are free at this outdoor rink! And on summer weekends you can dance to DJ music as you enjoy this open air roller rink. This is the one and only roller skating rink in the National Park Service but is only open for a short season. Skate rentals will return Memorial Day to Labor Day 2022. 

11 best places to ski and snowboard with kids near Washington, DC

There are several mountains you can get to locally in an hour and a few that you can plan a fun overnight trip to. This post is intended to inform you about skiing and snowboarding options with your Bambinos but you can assume most of these mountains are open in the summer; think hiking, zip lining, fishing, swimming and more!

(Photo: Massanutten Resort)

This winter ski and snowboard post is sponsored by Massanutten Resort. Located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley; Massanutten is 121 miles from Washington, DC, less than a 2.5 hour drive, and has an elevation of 2,922 feet. With height like that, Massanutten possesses the highest vertical in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and offers plenty of powder for winter enthusiasts. Massanutten is home to wide groomed trails, a dedicated learner’s area, terrain parks and night skiing. Skiers and riders who visit Massanutten have access to 70 skiable acres, including 14 runs serviced by 7 lifts. [Read more…]

This week’s adventures: Mr. Skip, Art Workshop & Storyville

We wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming support we continue to receive! We love finding the areas top picks to share with you.  We are working on  a summer camp wrap up post and will publish it by the end of the week, so stay tuned. Please continue to share, like and comment as we would love to reach more of you and learn about how we can better serve your needs.

Monday, Feb. 3

9:30am- Harambe at BloomBars
(3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC. 20010)
Think of it as your little one’s first opportunity to express his or her voice (into a microphone), dance, play a drum or percussion instrument, shout, or sing-along to songs that build character, confidence and community.

9:00am-9:00pm- Storyville (Monday-Friday & weekends)  images
(6105 Kenwood Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21237)
(1811 Woodlawn Drive Woodlawn, Maryland 21207)
Baltimore libraries opened Storyville for children 0-5, an interactive early literacy and learning center in two locations, Rosedale and Woodlawn. In Storyville, they have created an incredibly well-designed mini-village, complete with a post office, grocery store, house, theatre, construction zone, and a library (each area includes themed books available for check-out). Free!

12:00pm-9:00pm- Leisure Pool at Cub Run RECenter (Monday-Friday & weekends) leisure_pool_playground
(4630 Stonecroft Blvd. Chantilly, VA 20151)
With a zero-depth entry and plenty of play features, this is the perfect pool for children. This 4,860 square foot leisure pool is equipped with an in-water playground, numerous spray features, a current channel (lazy river), vortex, open area for classes and lessons, and two waterslides, including one 50 foot fully enclosed slide that exits the building and reenters at the bottom. The whirlpool spa overlooks the leisure pool.

12:00pm-9:00pm- Ice Skating at the National Harbour in Georgetown (Monday-Friday & weekends; hours may vary)
(3000 K St NW, Washington, DC.)
It’s not too late to lace up those skates & take your bambino ice skating. Open all week & on weekends. After you skate you can walk up to Baked & Wired to taste DC’s BEST cupcakes (in our opinion at least!) [Read more…]

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