A Twin Cities skating plan does not have to wait for outdoor ice. Indoor arenas offer another route, but the season and the public timetable still matter. A building can operate for teams, training and rentals while leaving only selected openings for recreational skaters.
Roseville, Parade and Bloomington make a useful three-way comparison across the metro. Each has its own history and a different setting for a return to the ice. This guide considers their published facilities and public programs, without assuming that indoor ice means a walk-in session at any hour.
Roseville Ice Arena, with the indoor rink clearly identified
Roseville’s indoor arena dates to 1969 and has an indoor walking track as well as its ice surface. The city lists public skating separately from open hockey and figure-skating sessions. That separation is the first thing to keep in view when comparing available times.
This recommendation is for the indoor arena. A search for Roseville skating can also bring up other skating facilities, so keep the venue name attached to the session when planning a weather-independent outing.
The city offers rental skates but notes limited sizes. If the smallest member of your group needs a particular size, check before building the whole afternoon around a rental pair. For repeat visits with your own equipment, the public-skate calendar is the more useful comparison than the arena’s opening date or overall range of programs.
Plan your visit Prices, rentals & more
- Admission
- Open Hockey/Public Skating sessions are $8.00. A 10 session punch card is $70.00. A Senior Skating Session is $6.00. The walking track is free. Source · 2026-10-02Review due · confirm the current policy
- Skates & rentals
- Skate rental is $5.00, limited sizes available. Skate sharpening is $6.00. Source · 2026-10-02Review due · confirm the current policy
- Parking & arrival
- The Roseville Skating Center lots hold up to 250 vehicles. Source · 2026-10-11Review due · confirm the current policy
Parade Ice Garden for a Minneapolis starting point
Parade Ice Garden opened in 1973 and contains two full-size rinks and a studio rink. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board lists open skating for all ages, with separate adult, youth and senior prices and an additional rental charge.
It also lists hockey and figure-skating practice as different activities. A studio sheet or a practice block should not be counted as another general public opening simply because the ice is in the same building.
For a Minneapolis-based outing, Parade is a practical first place to compare dates. Follow the operator’s open-skate booking link, rather than a generic facility-hours listing. The smaller studio and the full-size sheets make the building versatile, but they do not tell us which space your session will use unless the event specifies it.
Plan your visit Prices, rentals & more
- Admission
- Open skating is $5 for adults and youth. Source · 2026-10-05Review due · confirm the current policy
- Skates & rentals
- Skate rental is $3. Source · 2026-10-05Review due · confirm the current policy
- Skating with children
- Kids under 5 skate free. Source · 2026-10-05Review due · confirm the current policy
- Parking & arrival
- Off-street parking is available. Source · 2026-10-11Review due · confirm the current policy
Bloomington Ice Garden after its 2025 update
Bloomington Ice Garden began with one rink in 1970 and now has three. The city describes a 2025 modernisation that included rink and refrigeration work along with locker rooms, concessions and restrooms. It is useful context for someone remembering an older visit.
The current public-skating season shown by the city runs from September 2026 through May 2027, with selected weekday and Sunday openings. The page also identifies cancellations. That combination matters: the seasonal timetable gives you a pattern to investigate, while the exception list determines whether a particular outing survives.
For families, the operator’s rule against carrying another person on the ice is worth reading before arrival. Plan for each participant to skate independently or investigate an appropriate learning program, rather than assuming a parent can carry a tired child through the session.
Plan your visit Prices, rentals & more
- Admission
- Open skate is $5 per person for all ages. Source · 2026-10-05Review due · confirm the current policy
- Skates & rentals
- Skate rental is $5 a pair. Source · 2026-10-05Review due · confirm the current policy
- Accessibility
- Bloomington Parks and Recreation provides Inclusion Services to support participants with disabilities. Source · 2026-10-11Review due · confirm the current policy
Make an indoor plan that survives the forecast
These are choices for different parts of the metro, not three stops to fit into one afternoon. Begin with the Twin Cities public-skate schedule, then compare travel and equipment needs for the openings you can use.
A local discussion about year-round skating can point you towards an arena, but it cannot establish today’s hours. This guide uses the operators’ published programs for that distinction. The rink cards keep practical details close to the comparison, and the official calendar remains the fallback when a current session has not reached our preview.