Embrace the Winter (Before it Becomes One Big Wintry Mess)

Stop Snowing!
As you’re probably already aware, this has been a historic winter. Mountains of snow, ice dams large enough that you could go ice skating on your roof if it hasn’t already collapsed under the weight, and cold bitter enough to freeze a volcano has plagued the Northeast for almost a month now. To make matters worse, there’s a storm that is expected to dump a mix of rain, sleet, and ice this Sunday, which is sure to finish off a lot of the structures (and people) still standing. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to enjoy the weekend before the next wintry mess arrives, you may want to try these wintry activities before the snow turns into one big sheet of ice and the ice all turns into slush.

First, if you and/or your kids are big fans of ice skating, there are number of public skating rinks that you may want to check out:

1. Harvard Skate, which is located in front of the Harvard University Science Center (just outside of Harvard Yard) in Cambridge, MA, is an outdoor skating rink that is open to the public from 12:00 to 9:00 P.M. daily. This rink will allow you and your family to skate for absolutely free if you have your own skates or rent skates for a fee of $5 a person.

2. The Steriti Memorial Rink, which is located at 561 Commercial Street in Boston’s North End, is an indoor skating rink that is open to the public from 1:00 to 3:30 P.M. on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 12:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday; 12:00 to 3:30 P.M. and 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Friday; 3:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Saturday and 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. on Sunday. Skating at this rink is completely free during these hours if you have your own skates and $5 a person if you need to rent skates.

3. The Rockland Ice Rink, which is located at 599 Summer Street in Rockland, MA, is an indoor rink that offers public skating from 11:00 A.M. to 12:50 P.M. on most Tuesdays and Thursdays (these days and times may vary from week to week depending on the rink’s schedule, so you may want to check the website to make sure that the rink is available for public skating.) Skating at the rink is completely free, but you must bring your own skates.

4. The Winter Skate at Patriot Place, which is located at Patriot Place plaza (right next to Gillette Stadium) in Foxborough, MA, is an outdoor skating rink that offers public skating from 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday; 4:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Friday; 11:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. on Saturday and 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. on Sunday (these hours may vary, so you may want to check the website to make sure the rink is open.) It is $6 for children under 12 and $8 for anyone over 12 to skate at the rink with their own skates and an additional $4 a person to rent skates.

If, on the other hand, you and/or your kids are big fans of sledding, you may be more interested in one of these sledding hills:

1. The sledding hill at Franklin Park, which is located right behind the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse on Circuit Drive in Dorchester, is open to the public daily. However, this hill offers a little more than your typical sledding hill because the Franklin Park Coalition sponsors a number of special events. In fact, the Franklin Park Coalition is hosting an Indoor-Outdoor Snow Day tomorrow (Saturday, February 21, 2015) from 12:30 to 3:30 PM that will give you and your family the opportunity to not only sled but also to enjoy indoor activities like arts and crafts, board games, food, and hot chocolate. For more information on the Indoor-Outdoor Snow Day at Franklin Park, which is free to attend, please visit the Franklin Park Coalition website.

2. Cable Gardens Hill, which is located in front of Cable Gardens at the corner of Routes 1A and 133 in Ipswich, MA, is open daily for public sledding. This hill is a little smaller than some of the other sledding hills in the Boston area, so it makes it the perfect place for small children.

3. Holt Hill, which is located at the Ward Reservation on Prospect Road in Andover and North Andover, is open from 8:00 A.M. to sunset daily for sledding. This hill is not only the largest sledding hill in Essex County but also the highest point at an elevation of 420 feet. As a result, this sledding hill is not really the best hill for small children or the faint of heart, but older children who have a “need for speed” will definitely want to try this one.

Photo credit: jpctalbot / Foter / CC BY

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