My boyfriend and I have a tradition to ice skate at a new place each year once finals are over. This year we did some research on the Christkindl Market/Rosa Parks Circle and decided to make a GR day out of it. The rink was very fun and I will always love skating but there were a few things that made the experience not merit 5 stars. We wanted to make reservations beforehand since we have trauma from Detroit's ice skating lines being INSANE. But, you have to make a reservation over a few days in advance, and don't try to call their office because they won't answer. Thankfully it wasn't busy the day we went so there was no wait, but something to keep in mind when planning your visit. Parking is tragic and that's coming from an Ann Arbor local who is constantly fighting for a spot (and her life) on State street. What we thought to be an easy parking garage turned out to charge a nightmare price of $14 for only being there a little over an hour. Not to mention, the place was a bit of a walk on unsalted and very slippery sidewalks to the park. Compared to other outdoor skating rinks, this one was quite small. The path to the rink is downhill and dangerous to walk in regular shoes, let alone your skates when you've put them on! I counted so many people who almost ate it coming to and from the rink because of the icy path. I'm aware it's an ice attraction, but no one wants to be skating before they actually get to the rink... The ice rink itself has a wall of snow all around like it's carved out of snow, which is cool, but results in snow falling on the ice and it being pretty rough to skate on. There were also a bunch of kids digging at the snow and creating snowballs and throwing it at skaters passing by. PTL I wasn't one of the ones targeted but still, a safety hazard in itself! They were given several warnings by the employees but were never taken off the ice despite being told multiple times not to. I will say that for the cons, there are a few pros. The cost of skates and skating is a combined price of $6 per person so you don't have to worry about bringing your own skates. They have plenty of cubbies to hold your shoes/belongings that are within eyesight in case you're worried about things getting stolen. (Even if it was stolen, the thief would break his back trying to run away because of how slippery it is!) There is a nice area where parents/non-skaters can sit looking over the rink. For it only being $6, the ice skating does it's job, but doesn't stand out in comparison to other outdoor rinks I've been to. read more

Rosa Parks Circle - Parks Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Rosa Parks Circle is a community gathering place in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. It features a large open concrete area/amphitheater where people can gather for an outdoor lunch during the day, and it also acts as a stage for festivals, swing dancing, musicians, and more throughout the year. You can sometimes find food trucks parked here in the summer. In the winter months, it's transformed into a public ice skating rink. This park was designed by artist Maya Lin and is formally known as Ecliptic, which refers to the path the sun follows in the sky among the constellations over the course of a year. The park includes features that portray water in its three states: The central ice skating rink is water in its solid form, a mist fountain represents water in its vapor form, and finally, the table-like fountain represents water in its liquid form. Another unique feature of the park are the lights beneath the ice rink's surface. 166 tiny fiber-optic lights shine at night, depicting the millennial constellation of the sky over Grand Rapids on January 1, 2000, the start of the new millennium. Currently the park is under construction, with plans to refurbish the bandstand and restrooms, add a bus shelter and more shade trees, benches, drinking fountain, and additional trash receptacles. I'm excited to see the updated park and encourage anyone visiting to visit once it's completed. read more

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On 15 July 2023, I visited Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids, MI. There was a live band playing good sounding music, the park was bustling with people and a few vendors. read more

The amazing Maya Lin installation. It has seen better days and could use a power wash, but it is located by the art museum and restaurants so it is an easy space to wander into. Art 21 offers the back story to her vision. read more

This is a Maya Lin design. (My photo doesn't do it justice.) read more

Rosa Parks Circle - Parks Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I finally had the chance to check out the ice skating at Rosa Park Circle this winter. It lived up to the hype and I enjoyed every moment of it! I found that renting skates was super easy. Renting and ice skating is only $3 per person and there really is no time limit on how long you can skate. I came on a Tuesday night so it wasn't really all that crowded at all. I can imagine on a weekend that I am sure it is pretty packed and they may have some sort of system that circles people on and off the ice. Everyone was pretty respectable on the ice. It was awesome to skate next to the tree all lit up at night. There is music playing as well. It is at a pretty good volume but not too loud where you can't hear the person next to your skating. My only negative is that the ice was pretty choppy. I am not sure how often they level it out but it definitely needed it when I was there. Overall, I still didn't fall so that is a huge win in my book! read more

You kidding, bro?!?!?! What's not to like? Everything about this spot is top grade jet fuel. Right by the art museum, countless good restaurants, it's a great concert and ice skating venue and the food trucks seem to have a special bond with this spot Whenever someone is in town from "out of town" and they ask me where they should go, I always look up what is going on down here. Because if you get down here during any event... the rest of the night will just fall into place. read more

I was visiting from out of town and the young (17-18) 5'4 blonde medium length haired female employee who helped me was very rude. She tried to double charge me for my skate reservation, didn't ask what color gloves I wanted when I purchased them (the other employee did), was very reluctant to assist me in trying on a smaller size of skates as I was worried they were too loose, and went so far as to say my time spent deliberating would be deducted from any skate time she was allowing me. To top things off, she gave me cold stares and when I asked her if she could take a quick 30 second video of me ice skating she essentially tried to kick me off the ice rink because the Zamboni was approaching in the next few minutes. I told her multiple times it would take less than a minute and she begrudgingly did it, only after contradicting her previous statement by telling me I should just figure out how to prop my iPhone myself and film it, which would have taken way longer than a few minutes. The look on her face was a mixture of disgust and disdain. For someone her age it seemed really strange she conveyed she had no idea how to operate a smartphone. Obviously she resented the fact I wanted some help posting to my Instagram story. Sorry I'm a single woman who travels alone?? There was another patron who was also so rude. I asked her, when I arrived, where the registration area was and she completely ignored me. I really don't like the conservative vibe of Grand Rapids and feel I was judged for how I dress and carry myself. It's not my fault I like to dress stylishly and carry a designer bag. I would NEVER have been treated like this at Millennium Park's skating rink in Chicago. read more

Ice skating at night around Christmas with the music and lights? Come on! What else do you need? Walk-in and the kids behind the counter are all business, no chit-chat. "Hey. Two?" "Yea" "Six bucks." "Thanks" Easy. Love it. Get your skate size, and lace up! Plenty of cubbies for shoes to sit while you skate and enough benches that I could sit on my own with no one bumping into me. It was a Tuesday night so not super crowded which was good. We showed up about an hour before closing time. Which probably also worked in our favor as it was not very crowded. Though when it is, I can see this being less romantic and more hectic. Walking out to the ice is an interesting idea, rubber mats lead the way, but when it's cold and wet the water freezes on the rubber making a (fun?) journey from the changing area to the ice something to remember. The ice rink itself is a good size, not huge, but big enough. The ice itself was terrible. Like really bad. Thousands of heavy deep gouges in it...everywhere. If you're not great at ice skating, these will make you fall. 100% They need a more consistent way to maintain the ice and resurface it. Maybe because were there the last 90 minutes or so we missed all of the hourly Zamboni trips (this is doubtful) so I am curious how this is usually handled or if our experience was how it always is. Getting past the ice quality, the rink was nice and the whole thing has handrails all the way around, plus they have little helper push gadgets to help those with a bit less practice. They were a bit small and meant for kids, but plenty of adults could use them and it would have been nice to see some more adult sized offerings. The music playing was nice and approporaite and not over poweing. But being downtown and seeing the lit up tree, and the snow falling, made for a very fun experience and a great time. I'd come back again with gloves, and mid-day to see if the ice is better. read more

The city of Grand Rapids has so much to offer and it is places like The Circle that are such unique features of the City. Nestled next to the GR Art Museum it always has concerts and other fabulous events. Check it out when in town. read more

Rosa Parks Circle - Parks Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I love figure skating and free style, Rosa Parks Circle (616) 456-3696 is the Place to go. Great for beginner's to advanced! All Around Good Size Arena, Hockey Player V.S figure skate. Real Men figure skate , AKA Swann's read more

Happened upon the Tuesday night dancing ... it felt a little bit like being in the middle of an awesome dancing movie! A few hundred people are all doing swing or line dancing to music broadcasting over the park. A guy on the mic MCs the event and they even teach a little bit. It was fun to watch and such a cool thing to be happening in the middle of downtown! read more

Rosa Parks Circle - Parks Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

This is a great lil spot to hang out while walking around Downtown GR. But better yet go where they are playing free music. Its a blast. Some of the free shows I've seen here are amazing. Really doing a great job down town GR. read more