Herbert Wells Ice Arena

Herbert Wells Ice Arena in College Park offers a great Sunday family activity. For each adult paying skater, up to two kids get free admission. A family of four can skate for two hours including rentals for only $18!

Located on Paint Branch Parkway directly across the street from the College Park Aviation Museum, the Herbert Wells rink feels a little like stepping back in time. This no frills facility has everything you need but could use a little facelift. Admission and skate rental fees are paid for at an outdoor booth at the front entrance of the facility. Once inside skate rentals, lockers, restrooms, party rooms and vending machines are located in the main heated lobby. Be prepared to hand over your shoes in exchange for your skates.

The rink is located through double doors in a covered but only semi-enclosed space. We visited on a beautiful day so it was nice to see the sunshine and the blue sky while skating. For not so warm days heat lamps surround the bleachers and a small fireplace is located in an open air seating area for resting or snacking during the session. A small food concession operates here offering 50 cent hot chocolate and 50 cent popcorn.

The rink at Herbert Wells is regulation hockey size. University of Maryland’s hockey team plays their games here as do several private teams in the area. The Sunday Family Skate was busy but not too crowded. The two rink guards patrolling the ice were very friendly and helpful. Be aware that the ice surface was really wet at the beginning of the session due to the recent resurfacing. Bring a change of pants for your kids if they are prone to spending a lot of time down on the ice. There were many families with young kids learning to skate on the day of our visit. The arena supplies large orange cones that youngsters learning to skate can use to push around the ice in order to learn to keep their balance.

In addition to the Sunday Family Skate, Super Saver Ice Skating sessions are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 12 to 2pm and Fridays from 3:15 to 5:15pm. Cost for Super Saver Sessions is $4 for residents and $5 for non-residents including skate rental. Saturday public sessions are held from 2:30 to 4:30pm and 8 to 10pm with different weekly themes during the night sessions. Admission for Saturday sessions is $5 for adult residents (includes PG and Montgomery Counties), $4 for resident children 17 and under. Non-resident fees are $1 higher. Herbert Wells Ice Rink operates seasonally from October to March.

As with any skating facility come prepared with helmets, gloves and warm pants for all kids (and adults) who are new to skating. Lockers are available but many people opted to keep their excess belongings in a bag out on the bleachers. Water fountains plus snack and drink vending machines are available in the lobby as is a changing table in the women’s restroom.

Bottom Line

Try out Herbert Wells Ice Arena for an affordable glide on the ice with an open air breeze.

FYI

  • Be sure to check ahead for any schedule changes to weekend sessions. Since Herbert Wells is the host arena for UMD hockey, sometimes public sessions are cancelled due to games.
  • For an extra special treat, sign up your child (10 and up only) to ride the Zamboni during the ice resurfacing at your session. Reservations for this must be made 24 hours in advance and the cost is $10. Call 301.277.3717 to reserve your seat!
  • Herbert Wells Ice Rink is metro-accessible, located just 2 blocks from the College Park station on the Green Line!

Photo by Kim Engstrom

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OK Editorial Team

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