Ice skating – Salem Happenings

Ice Skating at Boston Common Frog Pond

The weather’s starting to get warmer, which means that if you’re an ice skating fan, time is starting to run out. In fact, with spring right around the corner, this weekend could very well be your last chance to get on the ice before it all starts to melt. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a place to skate, there is probably no better place in the Boston area than the Boston Common Frog Pond. This is because from the end of November to the middle of March, the Frog Pond becomes one of the most popular outdoor ice skating rinks around. The Boston Common Frog Pond, which is open for skating from 10:00 A.M. to 3:45 P.M. on Mondays, 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. every other day of the week (weather permitting), is also relatively inexpensive. Best of all, skaters that are 57 inches or shorter can skate for free as long as they have their own skates (you can rent skates at the Frog Pond for a rate of $12 per day for adults and $6.00 per day for Children.) For more information on the Winter Ice Skating at the Boston Common Frog Pond, please visit the Boston Common Frog Pond’s Winter Programs page.

Photo credit: Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism via Visualhunt / CC BY-ND

Embrace the Winter (Before it Becomes One Big Wintry Mess)

As you’re probably already aware, this has been a historic winter. Mountains of snow, ice dams large enough that you could go ice skating on your roof if it hasn’t already collapsed under the weight, and cold bitter enough to freeze a volcano has plagued the Northeast for almost a month now. To make matters worse, there’s a storm that is expected to dump a mix of rain, sleet, and ice this Sunday, which is sure to finish off a lot of the structures (and people) still standing. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy the weekend before the next wintry mess arrives, you may want to try these wintry activities before the snow turns into one big sheet of ice and the ice all turns into slush.

First, if you and/or your kids are big fans of ice skating, there are number of public skating rinks that you may want to check out:

1. Harvard Skate, which is located in front of the Harvard University Science Center (just outside of Harvard Yard) in Cambridge, MA, is an outdoor skating rink that is open to the public from 12:00 to 9:00 P.M. daily. This rink will allow you and your family to skate for absolutely free if you have your own skates or rent skates for a fee of $5 a person.

2. The Steriti Memorial Rink, which is located at 561 Commercial Street in Boston’s North End, is an indoor skating rink that is open to the public from 1:00 to 3:30 P.M. on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 12:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday; 12:00 to 3:30 P.M. and 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Friday; 3:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Saturday and 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday. Skating at this rink is completely free during these hours if you have your own skates and $5 a person if you need to rent skates.

3. The Rockland Ice Rink, which is located at 599 Summer Street in Rockland, MA, is an indoor rink that offers public skating from 11:00 A.M. to 12:50 P.M. on most Tuesdays and Thursdays (these days and times may vary from week to week depending on the rink’s schedule, so you may want to check the website to make sure that the rink is available for public skating.) Skating at the rink is completely free, but you must bring your own skates.

4. The Winter Skate at Patriot Place, which is located at Patriot Place plaza (right next to Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, MA, is an outdoor skating rink that offers public skating from 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday; 4:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Friday; 11:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. on Saturday and 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. on Sunday (these hours may vary, so you may want to check the website to make sure the rink is open.) It is $6 for children under 12 and $8 for anyone over 12 to skate at the rink with their own skates and an additional $4 a person to rent skates.

If, on the other hand, you and/or your kids are big fans of sledding, you may be more interested in one of these sledding hills:

1. The sledding hill at Franklin Park, which is located right behind the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse on Circuit Drive in Dorchester, is open to the public daily. However, this hill offers a little more than your typical sledding hill because the Franklin Park Coalition sponsors a number of special events. In fact, the Franklin Park Coalition is hosting an Indoor-Outdoor Snow Day tomorrow (Saturday, February 21, 2015) from 12:30 to 3:30 PM that will give you and your family the opportunity to not only sled but also to enjoy indoor activities like arts and crafts, board games, food, and hot chocolate. For more information on the Indoor-Outdoor Snow Day at Franklin Park, which is free to attend, please visit the Franklin Park Coalition website.

2. Cable Gardens Hill, which is located in front of Cable Gardens at the corner of Routes 1A and 133 in Ipswich, MA, is open daily for public sledding. This hill is a little smaller than some of the other sledding hills in the Boston area, so it makes it the perfect place for small children.

3. Holt Hill, which is located at the Ward Reservation on Prospect Road in Andover and North Andover, is open from 8:00 A.M. to sunset daily for sledding. This hill is not only the largest sledding hill in Essex County but also the highest point at an elevation of 420 feet. As a result, this sledding hill is not really the best hill for small children or the faint of heart, but older children who have a “need for speed” will definitely want to try this one.

Photo credit: jpctalbot / Foter / CC BY

How to Have Some Winter Fun in New England

New England has been known for its harsh winters ever since the first English settlers stepped foot upon its soil. However, just because the area is regularly buried in snow with a temperature ranging anywhere from 0 to 50 and a wind chill of who knows what doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t enjoy the weather outside. In fact, if your children are going a little stir crazy (and, in turn, driving you crazy), there are a couple of wintry activities this weekend that are sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

First, if you and/or your kids have always loved snow tubing, you should definitely check out Amesbury Sports Park. This is because Amesbury Sports Park boasts the steepest snow tubing hill in all of New England, and with 8 lanes that are kept almost constantly snow-covered during the winter (temperature allowing), your entire family should have no problem enjoying the hill over and over again. Best of all, it’s only $27 a person for up to three hours of snow tubing, and you don’t have to buy your own tube. It is important to remember though that you cannot bring your own sled, and you will have to sign a waiver for each person going down the hill before anyone in your group can go sledding. For more information on Amesbury Sports Park and its facilities, please visit the Amesbury Sports Park website or call 978-388-5788 ext. 106.

Secondly, if really steep hills seem a little unnecessary to you and/or the price of tubing doesn’t really sound like such a great deal when you have eight kids, you may want to take a trip down to Holyoke, Massachusetts. This is because the Third Annual Holyoke Winter Carnival runs from today, February 7th to Sunday, February 16th, 2014. This event will give you and your family the opportunity to enjoy arts and crafts, chili cook-offs, dancing, hockey, hot chocolate, ice-skating, music, quilts, races, scavenger hunts, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Third Annual Holyoke Winter Carnival, please visit the Holyoke Winter Carnival website.

Photo credit: gfpeck / Foter / CC BY-ND

2014 US Figure Skating Championships

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about writing is that it gives me the opportunity to learn new things. In fact, while I was researching this week’s blog post, I learned that the amount of snow that a particular location will get during a storm is closely tied to the temperature. Now, I know that some of you are already thinking to yourselves “No Duh Sherlock” (or a less politically correct version of that particular statement.) However, I’m not talking about whether it’s above 32 degrees Fahrenheit and we get rain or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and we get snow. I’m talking about how much snow we actually get when there is a storm.

You see, slight differences in the temperature actually play a key role in how much snow a particular location gets because the temperature affects the size and shape of the snowflakes. For example, if the temperature is 28°F in a particular location and that location is expected to receive the equivalent of an inch of water (or, in other words, an inch of rain if the temperature was above 32 degrees), that location will end up with approximately 12 inches of snow. An area with a slightly lower temperature, however, say 23°F, would actually end up with approximately 15 inches of snow.

If, after reading this, you’re wondering why any of this actually matters, the truth is that, unless you’re a meteorologist or someone who is truly obsessed with the weather, it really doesn’t. However, it is one of the reasons why two neighboring towns can end up with two drastically different snow totals, and it does prove that if the Northeast is supposed to get buried by snow, it must be pretty friggin’ cold. As a result, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy your weekend without becoming an ice sculpture with a tasty human filling, look no further.

First, if you’re a big fan of figure skating and/or you always wanted to see someone actually get into the Olympics, Boston is the place to be this weekend. This is because the TD Bank Garden and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is hosting the 2014 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships from Sunday, January 4th to the following Sunday, January 12th. This event will feature juvenile, intermediate, novice, junior, senior, and champion skaters competing for national titles in both individual and pair competitions. It will also feature a number of well-known skaters and some not-so-well known skaters competing for the right to qualify for the Olympics as a member of Team USA. And, for those of us who think single digit temperatures are a little too cold to be wandering around in, they have wisely made sure that all of the events are indoors. For more information on the 2014 Prudential US Figure Skating Championships and/or to order tickets, please visit the Official 2014 US Figure Skating Championships website.

If, on the other hand, you’ve decided it is entirely too cold to go out this weekend and you have no interest in leaving your house at all (which I completely understand), you can always make your own movie marathon. I know it may sound lame, but grab some microwave popcorn, make some hot chocolate, and toss in your favorite movie or a movie that you’ve never taken out of the package. Sitting on the couch watching movies can be a lot more fun than it seems, especially when walking outside may result in your extremities falling off.

Don’t have a copy of your favorite movie or you’ve already watched everything you own nine thousand times? Don’t worry. You can always rent or purchase a movie from Amazon if you have a computer or a streaming device or On Demand if you’re an Xfinity subscriber. You can also watch movies for free online with Amazon Prime, Netflix, or another movie streaming service as long as you have a membership.

Photo credit: kennymatic / Foter.com / CC BY

Keeping Your Kids Busy During The Holidays

With Christmas less than two weeks away, the countdown has truly begun. In fact, most parents and children are now running around faster than their electric meters in anticipation of the arrival of Old Kris Kringle. As a result, many mothers, fathers, and other guardians are currently in the process of trying to figure out how to alleviate some of their children’s excess excitement before they go out to get the gifts that their children are so excited about. Fortunately, if you are running around trying to find a way to keep your kids busy or, at the very least, find a way to keep them from tearing your house apart, there are a couple of holiday events this weekend that are sure to help.

First, if your children really love to see all of the holiday decorations and/or you prefer holiday decorations when their attached to someone else’s electric meter, the Somerville Illuminations Tour may be the way to go. This tour, which begins at Somerville City Hall, will allow you and your family to see all of the decorated houses in East or West Somerville (depending on the tour your choose) from the comfort of a trolley car. Best of all, you will not only be able to see all of the lights without driving around aimlessly, but will also be able to enjoy coffee, cookies, hot chocolate, kid’s crafts, and music while you wait for the trolley to arrive. For more information on the tour, which runs from 4:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. on Saturday (December 14, 2013), please visit the Somerville Arts Council website.

Secondly, if you’re looking for something to do later in the weekend or you had a traumatic experience with holiday decorating at some point (perhaps you never found the one bulb that burned out), the Charles Hotel in Cambridge may have the event for you. This is because the Charles Hotel is officially opening their ice rink on Sunday and, in honor of the occasion, the Hotel is hosting an Ice Rink Opening Party from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. This party will allow you and your family to skate for free, drink hot chocolate, watch professional skaters demonstrate their skill on the ice, and keep your kids busy with arts and crafts if skating really isn’t their thing. For more information on the Ice Rink Opening Party at the Charles Hotel, please visit the Ice Rink Opening Party’s Yelp Page.

Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Friday Fun: Things to Do During February Vacation

This weekend marks the end of February Vacation for students throughout most of the Northeastern United States and a number of other areas as well. As a result, there’s only a couple days left for all the parents out there to find something to do with their kids, and many parents have already begun their desperate search for an activity that will keep their children entertained this weekend. Unfortunately, trying to locate an activity that your kids will find entertaining is often as easy as trying to get your children to pick up their toys, and you may be having trouble coming up with an idea that your kids will truly enjoy. However, if you’re looking for something to keep your kids entertained for a few more days or you’re just trying to make up for the fact that you had to work all week, you may want to consider taking your kids ice skating.

Ice skating can be a fun and a relatively inexpensive way for you to spend a day, and you will be able to find at least one ice skating rink in most areas. In fact, if you live in the northern section of the United States or anywhere that typically experiences colder weather during the winter, you may be able to find an outdoor rink that offers free skating and/or low-priced skate rentals. In most cases, the best way to find an outdoor rink is to check out the website for the closest major city.

For example, if you live in the Boston area, you may be able to skate on the Boston Common Frog Pond by calling the Boston Centers for Youth and Families at 617-635-2120. Skating on the Frog Pond is typically free for skaters younger than 14 and $5.00 for skaters age 14 or older. Skaters below the age of 14 can also rent skates for a fee of $5.00, and skaters age 14 or older can rent skates for a fee of $9.00. If you can’t find an outdoor rink or you’d rather find an indoor one, you may be able to find an ice skating rink by using Map Muse’s Ice Rink Locator.

If, on the other hand, you or your kids are about as coordinated as I am (or, in other words, you put on skates, walk two inches, and then end up face first against the ice), you may want to check out the websites for some of your local art, science, or children’s museums. A lot of museums, especially museums that are more geared towards children than adults, have a number of special events to keep kids and their families entertained during each school break.