How would you like to strap on your ice skates and take to the rink in sunny, 80-degree weather with a sandy beach, the ocea and palm trees in the backdrop? Or how about a quick skate around the top of the Eiffel Tower? Or maybe through Ottawa on a frozen river? Turns out, these options are all possible.
While doing some research for another article recently, I came across a list of the best ice skating rinks in the world. While not necessarily hockey related, I figured anyone who knows the giddy feeling of taking that first stride out onto a fresh sheet of ice could appreciate a list like this. These rinks range from the magnificent to the tropical and everything in between. But most of all, each of these rinks provides a spectacular experience for the skaters with beautiful backdrops all over the world.
Perhaps one of the most impressive ice skating adventures is the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, Canada. As the world’s largest ice skating surface, the Rideau Canal freezes solid in the winter creating a massive 4.8-mile long skating rink. That’s the size of 90 ice hockey rinks lined up end-to-end! The canal also serves a functional purpose as many children and adults strap on their skates daily to commute to school and work, bypassing more traditional means of transportation.
How about a spin around a rink that sports an Ansel Adams photograph as the backdrop? The exactly what skaters get at the Curry Village Ice Rink inside of Yosemite National Park where a massive ice rink stands in the shadow of Half Dome, a spot often photographed by Adams. An outdoor fire pit and skating hut allows areas for skaters to get out of the cold. Yosemite also offers a vast collection of other outdoor activities including downhill and cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, sledding, ice fishing and sleigh rides. But remember to bring your own skates if you intend to go skating.
These are only a handful of the awesome rinks featured on the list. Nor is the list exclusive to North America – rinks in Russia and Japan also made the cut. You can see the full slide show of all of the coolest ice skatings rinks in the world at the Travel & Leisure magazine website.
Have you skated on one of these rinks? Share your experiences or tell us which rink would find a place on your bucket list!
