MINNEAPOLIS — If you haven't dusted off your ice skates yet, now is the time as a number of Minneapolis and St. Paul skating rinks are ready to go.
Minneapolis:
As of Tuesday, here are the rinks the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has opened:
- Bohanon Park - hockey and skating
- Hiawatha School Park - skating
- Lake Hiawatha - skating
- Lake of the Isles - hockey and skating
- Longfellow Park - skating
- Lyndale Farmstead Park - skating
- McRae Park - hockey
- North Commons Park - hockey and skating
- Pearl Park - skating
- Sibley Field Park - skating
The city's Ice Arenas opened Monday, but not for all usage. Parade Ice Garden will offer open skating starting on Jan. 11. No walk-ins are allowed; participants will have to sign up for a spot online. Everyone is required to wear a mask. You can read more here. Meanwhile, Northeast Ice Arena is available for group rentals.
MPRB staff are still setting up outdoor rinks at other locations, including broomball rinks. A total of 39 rinks are slated to open in Minneapolis, fewer than in previous years due to the pandemic.
There are a few other differences, too -- rinks will not have free loaner skates, and people from different households are required to stay 6 feet away from each other. The city only plans to open eight warming houses this year, which are set to start opening Jan. 18.
You can track the rink-building process (and whether a warming house will become available) with the Ice Rink Daily Status Map.
St. Paul:
The following rinks are listed as open in St. Paul. Their hours and more information are available here.
- Desnoyer - Hockey and skating
- Edgecumbe - Hockey and skating
- Groveland - Hockey and skating
- Langford Park - Hockey and skating
- North Dale - Hockey, skating and refrigerated hockey
- Palace - Refrigerated hockey
- Phalen - Hockey, skating and refrigerated hockey
Due to budget and staffing considerations, St. Paul recreation officials said ice rink maintenance at eight locations will be eliminated this season. Rinks impacted are Aldine, Battle Creek, Griggs, Hayden Heights, Hazel Park, Linwood, Nathan Hale, and Northwest Como.
St. Paul ice rinks require a 12-foot distance between people from different households.