I recently went to Chaparral in Austin and was rather disappointed. . . . So very many reasons too! Where to begin? (one star for being available ice, one star because if all you want is to escape the outdoor heat and say you had been on the ice- here ya go!) The ice is in bad condition. The zamboni helped- but they would need to run it twice as often to maybe have 'good' ice due to the poor conditions. Sadly that wouldn't help the sad overall feeling. Honestly the whole place is kind of run down and sad. It's crammed into what seems like a small hole in the wall. The lighting is very poor and dim. I've been to much nicer ice rinks - but sadly this seems to be the only public skate in Austin. As such it seems to me the management may feel they can get away with ' whatever ' because - who would know the difference? (and where else can one go?) An example of this is that the skates our group rented seemed not to have well maintained blades. The girl at the counter seemed bewildered when a member of our group inquired about a replacement pair and stated that the blades needed sharpening. (The girl suggested the individual just needed to signnup for lessons, not that the pair of skates in question were nicked and lacked good edges) We are well aware that rental skates always pale in comparison to ones personal skates- and were not looking for much , just not teaspoons strapped to boots. (For reference the skater in question is a proficient experienced skater who non longer needs to retain personal equipment.) Also there are no employee's clearly on the ice monitoring the activities. The single file line through the only entrance, which was partially blocked off was inefficient and slow moving. When a member of our group needed to retrieve an item from a vehicle she had to wait in the long line again as the right side of the door was blocked off . (Had it been myself, i would have just rearranged the blockade and walked through as we had already paid and donned wrist bands but she was too polite for that.) The whole set up is poorly and inefficiently concocted. I realize that Austin is not a hotspot for figure skaters, or hockey players but frankly this rink is just sad- and if this is an Austinites only exposure to ice skating it is no wonder it lacks popularity in Austin (climate aside). I would hesitate in placing someone in lessons at this location- because unless the ice is significantly & miraculously different during private ice times, it is unlikely one would achieve optimal results. There's my raw .02 read more

Great rink and the new location in Cedar Park is phenomenal. The new location is by far my favorite rink and I spend most of my time there. I live and breathe hockey and this is just an amazing place to play at. read more

Sad because their hours were wrong! My boyfriend came down from out of town just to skate, and they were closed without warning.

Not much choice when it comes to ice for hockey players/teams. The ice is in bad shape and the rink itself is possibly one of the dirtiest places on earth. I don't think this place ever gets cleaned. Whose idea was it to put the name stickers all over everything? Horrible, makes the place look trashy. I guess if you're the only game in town - who cares. I feel sorry for UT hockey and the other leagues that have to showcase this place when visiting teams come into town. read more

Bring a coat, gloves, and a hat...especially if you're not skating. YOU WILL FREEZE! There's a fireplace in the waiting area, but I've never seen it on. A past reviewer commented on the slow process of admission, thankfully they've sped that up. It's now just a colored wrist band. read more

Chaparral Ice - Skating Rinks Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Only came twice in December on different weekends. On Saturday the public skating time was 12 to 2:30PM, about 15-20 skaters were there and the ice was in good condition. I felt it might get 4 stars. This Sunday it's open 4:15-5:45PM for public, lots people were skating, around 45 maybe. Ice was fine in the beginning but it got worse and worse. The ice condition must be really challenging for beginners. I would suggest to come early on the days when it opens to public early (noon or even earlier). read more

I recently had a birthday and wanted to treat myself to ice skating because I hadn't done it in years (decades). As others mentioned in their reviews, the place was crowded on a Sunday afternoon with kinds (including a b-day party). The ice hadn't been smoothed for some time and the grooves made skating difficult at time. I'm giving a three star rating because two seems a bit harsh given the fun I had. Can't say I was impressed, but it was a fun time. I'll check out Playland next time! read more

Today at 11:30 am we reserved to celebrate my younger daughters 10th birthday at Chaparral Ice near Burnet road. I was the first one to arrive. I was greeted by the female manager who was very courteous and helpful in getting all the necessary paperwork done and to prepare for the arrival of all the guest. Once the main party arrived including my wife Melinda Gonzalez and my three other daughters to include Carolina, I saw two other female employees helping with the instructions and skates. I remember seeing a younger and taller female employee being super friendly helping with wearing skates with the little kids and also taking them to learn how to skate and to be their guide on the ice. The other female employee, who was much older was helping with the skates. At one point I was both female employee and manager coming from the front desk together heading back to the party room arguing. At one point I was both stopping at the outside corner of the male restroom to argue. They both then continued walking to the party room at which time both kneeled to help my birthday girls with her skates because the original set was very tight due to a toe nail. With manager holding Carolina right foot and the other female employee holding her left foot, the female employee was literally arguing and fighting with the female manager in front of the eyes of my daughter, myself and many other guests. At one-point Carolina told me, they are arguing, and I feel bad. I said to her don't worry. I then saw the younger employee taking all the kids to the training area before heading to the ice. The older employee disappeared. Soon after I saw my wife Melinda very upset because I learned that After going to the front desk, she heard the older female employee talking bad about by wife. My wife then called the manager to meet with her ASAP. When the manager came my wife explained in a very upset manner that the actions and behavior of the other employee were unacceptable, mainly talking bad against a customer with other employees. I then stepped in and told the manager that I witnessed the entire first episode in which the manager was also part. I finished my intervention by indicating that both behaviors were wrong, that we will never consider Chaparral to host any other event and that I will let the world know of our horrible experience. Bottom line, we to include my 10-year-old, were mistreated and humiliated by the actions of an employee and the inaction of a manager who clearly was in the business of covering for her employee. We then continued with the party until it was time to pay the bill. We did and left with the knowledge that we will never be back again. read more

Our five year old has been taking lessons for about nine months and we could not be more thrilled with the experience. She loves the lessons and staff so much that she insisted on a birthday party at the rink, which was also a great experience. So glad to have been able to start the kiddo out where I took lessons 30 years ago! read more

Went ice skating here several weeks ago. I went when it was empty on a weekday so the only rule they gave me pretty much amounted to not being a dumbass. It's ice cold inside the rink so dress for Russian winter if you're coming here. Staff was friendly, and someone would occasionally ask me if I was okay whenever I fell really hard - which happened a lot. Would come again, nice price considering you have unlimited time there. read more

Omg this was my first time every ice skating and I enjoyed it along with my son and daughter. The only problem is the ring itself needs to be more open to suit everyone. When they closed the ring to smooth the ice over. All skaters where standing all in top of each other in one area which was so crowded. They need to add more seating and a shoe shelve would be nice also so when people leave there drinks under the benches I don't have Gatorade all in my shoe. So if you want to take your family here for fun it's cool but don't expect to have a lot of space to enjoy you and yours. read more

We were in town visiting family and had looked this place up on Yelp, right under the location there is a check in offer for $4 of admission that even has a timer and no expiration listed. The staff was very rude and tried to say we couldn't use the coupon. Skates are in need of some upgrading and rink could be cleaned, ice was fine. read more

I've been coming here for a couple years and it's a pretty standard ice skating experience. The rink itself is a bit smaller than other ice skating rinks but in Austin it's all you've got. The skates are hit or miss, and they're sometimes lazy about redoing the ice so it's hard to skate. They also have a lot of private lessons going on so sometimes people who are training may get in your way. Other than that, this place will probably be super busy on weekends or holidays, especially during the winter, but they do have a fireplace and it is walking distance from some food and coffee. Good place to hang out with friends for a day! read more

I was really excited to go ice skating on a date cause i haven't gone in years. Immediately when we got there there was this lady I think someone called her Sue. She was being extremely impolite and impatient and completely ruined the date. she rolled her eyes at us and acted like we were stupid when we did not pull the credit card out right away. We saw her rolling her eyes at other customers when they were trying to pay and i saw her banging on the glass to yell at someone skating later. She seemed very angry the whole time she was there. She should not be allowed to work in guest service!!!!! read more

Not sure if this place deserves even one star. It is absolute chaos, and the fact that they expect to be successful having hundreds of people there taking lessons at the same time is just ridiculous. They should be ashamed by the condition of some of the children's rental skates. Last Saturday they had ONE person doing check-in for all classes, and recommended that people arrive 30 minutes early for a 30 minute class. We arrived 40 minutes early, and barely made it. Disorganization on a grand scale. We will not make the mistake of wasting more time and money on this place. Rude instructors, horrible equipment, and huge crowds. No thanks. Do not give them your money until they can properly maintain the place and equipment, and have a better (less crowded) environment for paying students to actually learn. read more

This was the worst skating experience of my life. The rink is poorly taken care of. The ice was never smoothed out in the whole time we were there. The skate rental was the most uncomfortable I have ever had. It just feels yuck. Won't be back. The only good thing I can say is that the staff was nice. read more

Very crowded on the weekends. It is super cold inside the rink, so layer up. The ice skates were really uncomfortable (I think this is a universal problem with rental skates), so don't skimp with the socks. It's one of 2 ice rinks in Austin that are open year round, so your options are kind of limited. The only pro is that it is bigger than the rink at Whole Foods. read more

Change programs back and forth. Keep changing policies. No consistency. Some days add students in or promote them to the next level. Some days kick students out. Standards are different from coach to coach. Very messy, unscientific and immature! Do not send competitive kids there, they will ruin your kids. It is just a place for fun, not a place for serious learners. read more

Pretty over crowded and kind of depressing to be honest. But it's the only skating place around so I really can't complain. Never got around to skating unfortunately too many people and the line never moved. read more

I've gone to this skating rink for years and today I decided I'm never going back! First off on Sunday's, public skating goes on for barley two hours. Now I understand that there are lessons going on so the rink is occupied but this creates such a crowded rink. Also the girl with the gold round hippie glasses (she looked 15) was giving the absolute worst customer service. When we asked for a different size skate she rolled her eyes. THEN! When I pointed out that she gave me two right foot skates. She proceeded to not say a word (roll her eyes) and sets the skate right in front of me and moves on to the next person. Not even apologizing for the small mishap. Then! Right when we finally get on the rink I realized that this place doesn't sharpen their skates. My skates had no grab on the ice!! My friend broke her ankle here about 6 months ago and now I understand why. I encourage those to go else where. If you have your own skates then you won't go through these problems but to put people in these rental skates is dangerous. read more

We had a blast here! The music was fun and there was a really good mix for everyone to enjoy! The skates are relatively clean and the ice was cleaned every so often. We got a deal and it worked! I took my 4 year old son and everyone was nice enough to let us skate slowly by the edges, although there are always those punks that are speeding by, but they didn't bother me much. We went on a Saturday night, so it's to be expected! read more

As far as hockey goes, this place sucks so hard. Ankle-breaking gouges all over the place, even after they zam it. What's worse is that during the stick & puck times coaches bring their D-league peewee teams and take up one half of the ice to run drills. Most of the people are nice enough...but they need to have a separate time for adults. I'm tired of holding back to accommodate chirpy middle school hockey teams read more

So apparently this ice rink is for people "in the know"...because there is absolutely no sign. You enter at Guitar Center and the rink is hiding right down the hall. It's fine. I mean, it's busy and the ice was far from smooth, but it was definitely worth it to see my boyfriend fall on his butt 3 times :) $20 for 2 people read more

The whole place is pretty dingy and, I'm no expert, but the ice doesn't seem very well maintained. There don't seem to be rules or anyone monitoring the rink during the public skate. Kids skating the wrong way are unnerving for novices. However, it's cheap fun. read more

There was a Yelp coupon for $4 off advertised and when I went to use it the staff refused to honor the coupon although I had it on the phone and showed it to the staff. They made me pay full price. It is bad business to falsely advertise discounts just to get people to show up and then charge full admission read more

Chaparral Ice is exactly what you need it to be. There's a pretty big rink, decent skates, and a good time when you are in the mood for ice skating once a year or something. It is definitely freezing cold so make sure to wear thick socks and other warm clothing. Great for a date or just family fun. read more

Ah yes, the experience of gliding on water-infused-ice is something that only some people can say is an enjoyable experience. Maybe those people are from up north and understand how to deal with it on a daily basis or maybe people in Texas just wish they had a better way to experience the thrill of ice skating. If you haven't been here before and wondering if this is a place to spend your time and money then I will be happy to explain some of the ins and outs of this place. I will try to incorporate other people's reviews as well so you can get the full understanding. If you don't have your own pair of ice skates then you want to make sure of two things before you go. Take extra thick long socks, or shin guards to protect you from getting cut on the back ankle from the tight shoelaces. After skating for an hour or so your legs and ankle will start to feel a little raw. If you are wearing thick socks or shin guards, you will have a great time. Otherwise bring your own skates. The temperature inside matches the experience so if you plan on going in shorts to "ICE SKATE" then it will be a great learning experience for you, otherwise, dress like its 30 degrees outside and as the time passes you will be able to peel off the layers. So what is it about little kids not understanding what direction to skate in? Well, there are two parts to the rink, one, the main section which is the outer circle where everyone skates in one direction and the middle rink where you can practice moves, or learn how to skate. 9 times out of 10, it's the little kids either hanging out and moving in their own direction or little girls trying out practice moves that will usually run into you, so always be sure to yell out, "Watch out!" whenever you see them coming. The weekends are the most crowded so be prepared to wait in line to pay. If you are looking to get into hockey, then they have free training on saturday mornings (http://www.chaparralice.com/generalpublic.php?page=56). They also have practice in the evenings during the week if you are interested in joining. Well, if you plan on going, just be prepared for lots of kids and some bad music. They don't offer snacks and very little seating area, so if you plan on waiting then you might want to bring something to sit on. read more

It's amazing that when it's 114 out there you can go to this place to experience winter and have some fun! The ice does get crowded at times, so I mainly go in the evenings if it's open. Often there will be a bunch of amateur hocker players (or maybe they are professional ones) who are way too aggressive, and often there are kids who just go all over the place. But still I have fun every time I am there. The price is good, $10 for admission and skate rental. Compared to places I heard about in other cities, this is a really good price for ice rink. The rental skates need replacement though. Some of them are really worn out. The people working there are usually friendly enough that if you want another pair, they will replace them without problem. read more

It's an ice skating rink. Nothin' too fancy fancy. Family friendly. They have lockers for 50 cents and a nice lil fireplace. The $4 off yelp deal is nice, too. read more

Friendly and helpful staff. Good, clean, family fun. Reasonably priced. Definitely bring a coat, especially if you are just planning to watch. A bit difficult to find. read more

Yesterday I went to the Northcross location for the first time. I took my kid to bust some energy on a weekday afternoon, and found that it wasn't crowded at all. The price is comparable to the rooftop rip-off that attracts people to a certain downtown food store, but the sessions are much longer, and the rink is large enough to build up speed. I knew it would be cold inside, but at least there was no whipping wind! The staff was very nice, and the facilities were clean (A single-stall restroom with a locking door is a big plus when you have an opposite-sex child who's too old to go into the restroom with you). I enjoyed watching from a spot in the center seating area, with a pretty good view of everyone who was still on two feet (If my kids were smaller, it would be difficult to keep them in sight). For the first hour, my kid never stopped smiling, despite being covered in "snow" from falling so many times. About 15 minutes into the second hour, a power outage knocked out the lights in the entire shopping center. They allowed my kid to skate a few minutes longer under the emergency lights, then shut the place down. We had gotten as much time on the ice as the Whole Paycheck tent experience, but the session should have lasted longer--so they gave us free passes to come back! They apologized profusely and begged us to return. We live a fair distance from the rink, but we'll definitely go back. read more

I've been around hockey all of my life as a player, coach and administrator. Up north, in Dallas and now in Austin. This is by far the worst youth hockey organization i've ever seen or been a part of. Angie is great and a shining part of an otherwise tragic organization. If you have hockey players that are young and/or in the house leagues, Angie will help them. She is great and really cares about the kids. If they want to start in the travel leagues or in High School Hockey it's a complete waste of time and large amounts of money. Put it this way, I think hockey is the greatest sport on earth and I'm going to start my daughter in Tennis, I won't even bother with this place anymore. Breaks my heart. read more

I love this place! It can get a little busy and crowded at peak hours, but the people are amazing. Everyone here loves skating, and most of them are enthusiastic, friendly, and ready to help you. Just don't be afraid to ask if you need something! The instructors are really excellent, too - I showed up for an adult class barely knowing how to stop (most of my previous skate experience was in-line, and it doesn't all transfer very well!), and they were really willing to meet me where I was and teach me what I needed to know. I agree with a few other comments that timing can make a big difference in your experience - there's a lot more space on weekdays, especially in the morning! If you're a nervous skater, maybe aim for off-peak hours so you can have an extra buffer of space. It's amazing how much more relaxed you can be with a little more room, and being relaxed makes it much easier to settle into good form. :) read more

Been skating at Northcross for over 25 years. The owner of the rink is very nice. The ice is well kept and the facility is nice. The people who are at the front desk are always very nice as well. Highly recommended!! read more

A employee that spoke on the phone was not helpful at all. We wanted to celebrate my daughter birthday and we cake and there was a hockey game going on. The employee didn't advise us about this even though we asked. read more

Great fun for the kids and reasonably priced. Really packed today. Temperature is comfortably. Seems to be lacking anything for parents who dont skate. read more

This place is cool. Hadn't skated in years after moving to Austin from Houston. The staff was friendly and the rental price wasn't bad. The only knock I have on this rink is that the couple times I have gone, the ice was always a little rough. Other than that, it is super convenient and always fun! read more

This place is amazing. I've had almost 4 years of skating in my life and so far this ice rink is the best. It gets VERY crowded on some days though... which makes it a little harder to skate. They have great service, all the staff members are so happy to help you learn to skate or even tie your skates. They have great classes that will surely teach you some moves or even how to stand up straight if your looking for a way to keep cool in the summer, this is the place you'll wanna go. read more

Honestly...Austin deserves a better rink than this. It's always super crowded and you have to wait in line forever to pay on public skate days. The staff don't seem to care much. During the week they double book the figure skating club with the public skate time, meaning that 13 and 14 year olds are doing their best Peggy Fleming impressions without regard for who is around them. The quality of the surface can be spotty at times, and there's no where to sit to put on your skates once you get in there. There's no place to park and it's in a seedy part of town. It's $9 for a public skate which is higher than other locations like Houston and San Antonio and the quality of the experience is lower. But when I smell the ice it's all worthwhile. read more

I was skeptical of this place after reading the reviews posted on yelp and google about how its dirty and the ice is in poor condition. Here's the deal, I played Ice Hockey in Ohio for years before coming to Texas. In Ohio there is a rink in every 15 mile radius from 1 rink, to 4 per location. If you want to play hockey, or your child wants to play hockey, this is your only option and it's way better than the option I had as a teenager. The fact they have a gear shop and a league for every level of player is absolutely incredible considering we are in central Texas. The ice is amazing except some color showing through from the worn sand below the ice. Its cold? um... hello... its an ice rink. It smells bad? Well water literally touches everything inside that place so they're doing a great job, compared to dozens I've been to up north. If i get wet and sit in my car once I have to smell that for a week. This place is beyond what I expected after reading reviews. The only place I've been to that is generally (all things considered) better than this place, was in downtown Cincinnati. If you want to skate every now and then but have a list of issues with this particular location, then maybe roller skating is for you. Some of the comments about the ice are pretty funny. The ONLY thing I would say about it is the rented skates should be sharpened more, but I'd say that about EVERY public ice rink. I refuse to rent skates, so I bought my own. For a beginner I'd say rented skates are probably better. That being said Dan Graesser is the man. If you want to give ice skating a solid chance, talk to him. You can get private lessons, group lessons, learn to play hockey, and get the lay down of every single piece of gear here. If you want to seriously get into it, even just to the point you want to come every Sunday, talk to Dan. read more