Chattanooga Times Free Press - ChattanoogaNow
Have an ice day
Ice on the Landing opens Nov. 15 for nine-week season
Glide into the holidays with a visit to Ice on the Landing, Chattanooga’s popular ice-skating rink in the gardens of the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Ice on the Landing will open for this season on Friday, Nov. 15, offering daily wintertime fun and nostalgia through Jan. 20. The 120-foot by 40-foot ice rink is surrounded by gas lanterns, fountains and holiday grandeur in the gardens of the Southside’s iconic Choo Choo landmark.
Opening night will be celebrated with live holiday music by organist Buddy Shirk from 6 to 7 p.m. Skating prices remain the same as last year — $10 for adults, $8 children 12 and younger. The fee includes skate rental and a two-hour skate session. Visitors may bring their own skates to the rink, but the admission fee will remain the same.
Birthday skating parties and other parties will continue to be offered, with pizza and cupcakes served in the Choo Choo’s arcade room prior to skate time.
Those who don’t know how to skate won’t be left out in the cold.
Carla Pritchard of event producer Chattanooga Presents says Ice on the Landing will offer a basic skills skating course each Saturday morning at 9 a.m., just prior to opening hours. Additionally, the rink has “skate buddies” available for a rental fee of $4, which help rookies move around the rink at an “ice and easy” pace.
Ice on the Landing will offer free hot chocolate to every skater who comes to skate in an Ice on the Landing T-shirt or sweatshirt.
But everyone can take advantage of festive rink-side hot and cold concessions sold from Adelle’s Creperie, which will include hot chocolate, cider, chai tea, coffee, soft drinks, water, Nutella crepes, s’mores crepes, ham-and-cheese crepes and a vegetarian crepe.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, some heartwarming cocktails will also be offered.
Weekly promotions will keep the skating schedule lively. Special events range from Family Night to Pajama Night and the return of the popular Skillet Curling League.
The skillet curlers made their debut last year as a clever Southern spin on the tradition of Bavarian curling. Anyone interested in registering a five-person team (four competitors and one alternate) can contact Tom at lasleyt@epbfi.com.
Ice on the Landing will close when outdoor temperatures drop to 20 degrees or lower. For information about early closure due to rain, keep an eye on Ice on the Landing’s Facebook page.
Ice on the Landing was named “Best (Outdoor) Ice Rink in Tennessee” in 2018 by Step Outside magazine.
Information, operating hours and activities on the rink are available at www.iceonthelanding.com.