Skate like (almost) royalty for free: Five capital outdoor rinks

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You, too, can skate like Canada’s vice-regal.

Saturday is opening day at the Rideau Hall rink, which has welcomed skaters since the days of Lord Dufferin nearly a century and a half ago – although today it has all the modern conveniences that come with a refrigerated rink.

Officials at Gov. Gen. Julie Payette’s historic mansion promise a “truly magical experience” skating on a forest-line outdoor rink to the sounds of traditional music.

But there’s a string of only-in-Ottawa spots to lace up your skates for free under the winter sun and stars, ranging from a once-in-a-lifetime rink that opened Thursday on Parliament Hill to neighbourhood haunts such as Lansdowne Park and Ben Franklin Place.

We’ll have to wait on Mother Nature for the Rideau Canal Skateway, but city hall’s Rink of Dreams and Lansdowne Park’s skating spot are already open, and Centrepointe’s rink surface should be blade-ready by the weekend.


Young skaters L-R fourteen year old Georgia Forler and Vanessa Lu Langley show off their skills on Rideau Hall’s historic outdoor rink during the Winter Celebration Saturday January 28, 2017.


Rideau Hall Rink

What: Outdoor skating on the grounds of the Governor General’s historic estate in Rockcliffe Park.

Where: 1 Sussex Dr. Don your skates at the Winter Pavilion, next to the rink, where there’s also a small exhibit about the history of winter sports at Rideau Hall.

When: Saturdays and Sundays Dec. 9 to March 25, from noon to 5 p.m. Reservations aren’t necessary but before heading to Rideau Hall, check www.gg.ca/skatingrink or call 613-991-4422 as it may be closed during unfavourable weather. Closed Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.

The rules: “Please note that this rink is exclusively for pleasure skating” – so no hockey sticks, pucks or roughhousing. No pets. Light snacks like cookies and non-alcoholic drinks are OK, but no hot plates, crockpots, pizza deliveries or heating food or drinks on the wood stove. Also, there’s a bit of an imperial tone to “Rideau Hall will provide music for your skating pleasure.” Guessing that means no boomboxes.


Ronald Gray skates on the Ottawa City Hall Rink of Dreams, November 28, 2016.


Sens Rink of Dreams

What: A “state-of-the-art” outdoor rink that, at 12,500 square feet, is one of the city’s largest and features LED lighting, a heated change hut, picnic tables and benches.

Where: Marion Dewar Plaza, Ottawa City Hall.

When: Daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weather permitting, change hut open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The rules: Skate at your own risk. Listen to rink staff. It’s “highly recommended” all skaters wear CSA-approved helmets. Stay off the rink during inclement or mild weather. Children under seven must be actively supervised by a responsible person 16 or older. No carrying children, eating or drinking on ice. No smoking, loitering or drug use. No rough play, speed or figure skating, multi-player games or foul language.


Construction on the $5.6-million skating rink on Parliament Hill, Nov. 20.


Canada 150 rink

What: The Department of Canadian Heritage and the Ottawa International Hockey Festival teamed up to offer what’s billed as a “uniquely Canadian” experience to ring out sesquicentennial celebrations for an expected 40,000 skaters.

Where: Parliament Hill.

When: Until Feb. 27, except during scheduled programming such as an after-Christmas peewee hockey tournament.

The rules: First dubbed the “Rink of Rules,” organizers have relented on a cellphone ban but there’s still a long list of them. Only people wearing skates can go on ice, helmets are “highly recommended” for all skaters and kids under 12 have to be accompanied by an adult. Food, drink, hockey sticks and pucks are all banned and rough play, speed and figure skating, tag, races and foul language “will not be tolerated.”

A note: Passes for 40-minute skating sessions are free but available on a first-come, first-served basis online two days ahead of the day you want to skate at canada150rink.com.


Katerina Estable-Smircich, 10, skates at the outdoor rink installed at Lansdowne Park Ottawa on November 30, 2014.


Lansdowne Park Skating Court

What: An outdoor rink in the shadow of the “cattle castle” with a heated changing facility.

Where: 450 Queen Elizabeth Dr., east of the Aberdeen Pavilion.

When: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., change facility from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The rules: Skate at your own risk. It’s “highly recommended” that all skaters wear CSA-approved helmets. Stay off the rink during inclement or mild weather. Children under seven must be actively supervised by a responsible person 16 or older. No carrying children, eating or drinking on ice. No smoking, loitering or drug use. No rough play, speed or figure skating, multi-player games or foul language.


OTTAWA, ONT.: DECEMBER 20, 2009 SKATE About 20 skaters enjoyed the outdoor rink at Ben Franklin Place at Centrepointe this evening.


Ben Franklin Place rink

What: An outdoor rink with a heated change facility in Ottawa’s Centrepointe area near the ‘burbs.

Where: 101 Centrepointe Dr.

When: Expected to open this weekend after some necessary work to the refrigeration plant, then daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting, open until 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

The rules: Skate at your own risk. It’s “highly recommended” that all skaters wear CSA-approved helmets. Stay off the rink during inclement or mild weather. Children under seven must be actively supervised by a responsible person 16 or older. No carrying children, eating or drinking on ice. No smoking, loitering or drug use. No rough play, speed or figure skating, multi-player games or foul language.


Ottawa, ON: January 01, 2009. People enjoyed the Rideau Canal today as seen from the Pretoria Bridge. The first official day of skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.


The Rideau Canal Skateway

What: The world’s largest (but not longest — that’s the Lake Windermere Whiteway in Invermere, B.C.) naturally frozen skating rink with on-ice heated change rooms and bathrooms. It’s free, but don’t forget cash for a BeaverTail (TM).

Where: 7.8-km length runs to the Ottawa River.

When: Typically opens in mid-January but the earliest opening days have been Dec. 18 (1972, 1981) and the latest was Feb. 2, 2002 – and weather permitting.

The rules: It seems almost impossible to believe of this most Canadian of spots, but hockey sticks and pucks are banned, along with booze, bikes and pets (except service dogs).

Need a list of all city rinks, including an interactive map of outdoor ice surfaces? Find it here: ottawa.ca/en/residents/recreation-and-parks/skating#outdoor-rinks

For more:

Rideau Canal Skateway – rcs.ncc-ccn.ca

Canada 150 rink – canada150rink.com

Rideau Hall skating – gg.ca/skatingrink





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