Venues offer families opportunities for ice skating fun

Love ice skating? Would you love to break out the skates but can’t find a place locally to have some winter fun? 

There’s no reason to look outside the region or the state. Central Park Plaza in Valparaiso and Deep River Waterpark in Crown Point offer families, individuals, and groups opportunities to enjoy their favorite outdoor winter sport.

Here’s a little on the two sites:

Central Park Plaza/Urschel Pavilion – This year-round venue at 68 Lafayette St. in downtown Valparaiso offers cold weather fun from mid-November through early March. The William E. Urschel Pavilion is a 12,000-square-foot, year-round facility converted to winter with its 80-by-120-foot outdoor ice rink protected from the elements by a towering arched roof. Open to individual skaters, families, or groups, the pavilion features a sound system for music and colorfully changing lighting.

The plaza houses the Indiana Beverage Activity Center that not only welcomes guests to the ice rink, along with skate rental and concessions. The center has tables and chairs for skaters to warm up or relax, as well as a conference room that can be reserved for small parties. Locker rental is also available. A full glass wall affords those inside a view of action on the ice.

That action includes a youth hockey league running now through March 6. Helmets are now required for hockey. 

General skate admission is $5; skate rental is $4. Helmets and lockers may also be rented. Admission passes for individuals and families are also available.

For more information on the Urschel Pavilion, call 219-548-4888 or visit www.centralparkplaza.com.

Deep River Waterpark – Located at 9001 E. U.S. 30 in Crown Point, this watery facility known for summer splashing converts to winter skating at the plaza from late November through February.

The ice-skating plaza features include skate rentals, concessions, parties, and themed events. Admission is $5 for all skaters, $6 skate rental. Spectators are free, and guests may always bring their own skates. 

Weather permitting, the Deep River skating season runs through Jan. 30. The skate plaza may be closed at any point due to inclement weather. The plaza is open for skating Thursdays through Sundays, opening at 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and at noon on weekends. 

The waterpark’s ice-skating plaza is available for parties and group gatherings. To learn more about the facility or to schedule a group outing, call 219-947-7850 ext. 604 or visit www.deepriverwaterpark.com.  

Photo cutline:

Ice skaters make use of the Urschel Pavilion during the 2016-17 season. The current season at the downtown Valparaiso facility runs through early March.