My teenage daughter had a 15th birthday party here yesterday with her friends from all over the Seattle area. It's a little off the beaten path, if you aren't familiar with Burien/White Center/W. Seattle. Small, fun, vintage feel brought back all the memories for parents dropping off, some who stayed to skate and others who hung out in the tiny bar with view of rink. Just under $500 got a big table rink-side for 20 guests, all the skate rentals, five small pizzas (including varieties and a GF), Jones Soda, bottled water, and Full Tilt ice-cream bars and popsicles. I was allowed to bring in some cake and candles. They provided plates, napkins and everything else, and also had a small concession stand where I opened a tab for whatever else might be needed. Our host, Ambrose, was awesome, friendly, helpful and had a team of helpers in the skate booth that were on the floor, on the rink, etc. creating a great experience. We shared the rink with one other smaller party of middle school kids and it was also open skate. The place never seemed over crowded during our 11-1 Saturday stint. Fun music, fog machine, rink games, lights and all the usual stuff I remember from skating as a kid. I read other reviews where people were surprised at not being able to come in early. That was definitely true, so be ready to stand out in the weather until RIGHT at your start time and tell guests to get there 10 minutes early to right on time or they will have to wait in line with the regular patrons at check in, which is slow-ish. I felt at first like it was kind of a lot of coin, and had searched everywhere for a decent venue, but honestly, they included everything but the cake, and to see teenagers after Covid move, laugh, eat, and be joyful was priceless. As we left, I saw them work hard to clean for next set and felt like they did a great job for each group to ensure a fun experience. I'd love to go back again for open skate and will definitely recommend. I think a smaller table was offered around $300 and you can also rent the whole place out for parties. I'd totally do it and read other reviews about constraints around set up, DJ, etc. for that kind of gathering. Thanks, Southgate! read more

We had a few hours to kill before our flight and we're so glad we found this Roller Rink on Yelp! (By the way, Yelp doesn't have the correct hours for Sunday - Check their website) We had so much fun here! Great price for family skate - $9 admission includes skate rental. It was not busy at all on Sunday at noon, so it felt like our private rink. Toddler skate size goes down to as little as size 8. Both our young kids (4 & 6) take skating lessons and can skate just fine, but at busier rinks, they do get run over by big kids. This place was perfect for them! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. 5 stars!!! Tip- they take your shoes at the skate rental desk, also no outside food or drinks. Water is ok. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SKATE SCHEDULE (As of 9/11/18) Monday Closed Tuesday 8:30pm-11:30pm Adult Night 21+ $8.00 Mix of old school rink jams and today's hits Wednesday First Wednesday of every month 21+ Pride Skate 8:30pm-11:30pm $8.00 Second Wednesday of every month 21+ Skate-a-roake 8:30pm-12:30am $10.00 Third Wednesday of every month 21+ Special guest DJ McLovin' 8:30pm-11:30pm $8.00 Fourth Wednesday of every month 21+ Skate-a-roake 8:30pm-12:30am $10.00 Thursday 8:30pm-11:30pm Adult Night 21+ $8.00:30 Mix of old school rink jams and today's hits DJ Plantkiller spinning vinyl in the bar Friday 6:00pm-8:00pm Family Evening Skate $8.00 Family friendly music, games, and a great time Saturday 12:00pm-4:30pm Family Skate $9.00 Family friendly music, games, and a great time *7:30pm-9:30pm Family Evening Skate $8.00 *This session is occasionally cancelled for roller derby bouts 10:00pm-1:00am Adult Night 21+ $10.00 Mix of old school rink jams and today's hits Sunday *11:00am-12:00pm Learn to Skate Class $13.00* *Class will begin October 7th* (Includes Family Skate following the class) 12:00pm-4:30pm Family Skate $9.00 Family friendly music, games, and a great time 3rd Sunday of every month Industrial Skate Night 21+ Gothic Industrial music with guest DJs 7:30-10:00pm $10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ read more

Wonderful place for a kids birthday party! Very friendly, helpful staff. Definitely recommend splurging and booking the party room in back. It's spacious and private, and I think a party would be much harder to keep cohesive in the common area. The pizza, sodas and ice cream that came with the party package were great too--definitely an upgrade from normal skate rink fare! read more

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So much fun! great nightlife for people who aren't interested in the typical bar scene. I'm not a big drinker and I had so much fun. Love the live music and the vintage feels. read more

Great vibe, super friendly service, and OG video games....you can have fun at this place with or without wheels. There is an attached bar for the adults and family skating every Sunday, plus turned nights throughout the week. Go get your skating on at Southgate and you will be happy. read more

Always have a good time here. The adult skate is perfect for a date night. Have a bar and karaoke as well. Also, they do classes on Sundays for beginners. Big fam of this place! read more

drove over an hour to get here for skating. its not posted on their website that ID is required but they'll turn you down if you don't have it and won't accept a photo. absolutely wild. incredibly rude staff and disappointing experience. will never be back. if you cant post the rules where people can find them how do you expect people to know?? guess they expect you to be a mind reader. read more

This place is AWESOME! haven't been in a roller rink for near 20 years and Southgate brought me right back to my teenage years. I really want to give a big shout out to all the staff that were sincerely nice and encouraging, I've now been there a few times, started with my kid's birthday party. Our friends liked it so much they booked parties for their kids too. It can be pretty busy but its a great deal for what you get. We'll try later sessions or maybe the adult skate time as its does get hard to navigate with all the kid's parties going on but still everyone seems to be having fun. Thanks again! read more

Cool old rink, arcade games, connected bar (just some canned beer and seltzers but a full liquor bar is coming soon). I would not recommend seasoned skaters who own their own to have really high durometer wheels as they tend to catch on the dips/chips in the wood. Use a hybrid wheel or 62mm so it can easily roll over the imperfections in the floor(its a really old rink so its bound to happen). This is one of the smaller rinks I've been to, but its quaint and eclectic. read more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NRnIIQ9bnc This is the most fun you can have with a disco ball, some loud music and NO BOOZE. Yes, I said it. No booze and still so much fun. The staff are amazingly nice, the space is fun and great to hang out at, skate, do the limbo (YES THEY STILL DO IT) and generally pretend it's 1976 if you want to... or it's now and you're a hot prospect for the Rat City Roller girls... Family skate is a regular thing, so is adult skate on Saturday nights, and the prices are about $6 for skates and admission.... like the trailer above, it's love on wheels, baby. read more

Drove all the way from Eugene to go to a birthday party only to find out they will not allow children with disabilities (wheelchair users) out on the rink. Granted, I should have called first to see if they will allow him out there, but the lack of compassion and inclusion was completely void! I asked for a manager and if there was anytime that my son could possibly go out on the rink. They lady says very stern and abrasive, "um no. We don't allow it." I asked her again, just to clarify, "so you guys do not allow children with disabilities to be on the skating rink?" "No-we don't." She then gave me a snarky look and walked off. I've taken my kids to several roller rinks, and NEVER felt such discrimination. I will never come here again. read more

MY FAVORITE!!!!!! The rink itself very clean (employees zip around picking up any spills as soon as they happen) and it's comfortably laid out. I like the sideline benches where you can sit and watch the action once you're tired (or in my case lazy). Free skate rentals if you need them! They have really nice employees too! Everyone is helpful and understanding. Even the other patrons are great if you're just learning- a nice man said to me "everyone has to start somewhere". They don't mind skating around your wobbly self. Tuesdays they have hip hop (I'm not a big hip hop fan and I didn't find it annoying at all), Thursdays 80s music and classic rink jams, and Sundays they have a beginner skate class followed by "family skate". SUCH good fun! I appreciate the adult-only nights where you don't have to worry about little kids careening into you. There's even a parking lot! read more

By the time you realize that you don't remember how to smoothly transition on skates from sitting down to standing up, its already too late. You've traded your shoes for roller skates, stashed the shoes, and laced up. Distance from aforementioned shoes and peer pressure to keep this party going are both factors. It's a momentary struggle, however, since your friends are facing the same quandary. How do I stand up without falling on my ass? After all, its probably been a decade or so since any of you hit the rink. Amidst self conscious giggles, you wibble and wobble, push off in the general direction of the rink, and cling to the wall for a few rounds. You are almost bent over with laughter and ineptitude. Thankfully, the lights are dim and the music is loud, which helps with the self consciousness. You might fall once or twice. That's ok, even though you'll get a rush of adrenaline, just like you did back in junior high. The anxiety is, oddly, based on whether you've hurt yourself. Not on whether anyone cool saw you fall, which would have been your primary concern back when you were twelve. Fortunately, the pros, who have special pads and supercool skates, don't seem to notice. More likely, they've your type many times before. They're gliding around in tight circles, sometimes kneeling, twirling, or skating backwards. You'll wonder how often they come here to be that competent. Once a week? More? After a couple songs, you'll feel smoother, perhaps even graceful. (Though that could be a boost of confidence in the form of alcohol or ice cream sugars from the rink bar.) You'll suddenly realize that you are standing in a more or less upright position, moving in time to the music. Perhaps you're even starting to do a small crossover step on the turns. Your friends are starting to relax, speeding up on the turns or doing that kneeling move that you've seen better skaters do before. Someone, even you, might try skating backwards. As the night goes on, you'll get better. And happier. After all, its good clean fun to move on skates, whether graceful or not. And its oddly relaxing to zone out and just circle around while the music pulses and the rink fills up. read more

We came here last Saturday looking for a fun night out, and even though we hadn't roller skated in 10+ years, we had a blast!! This place is like my favorite skating rink from middle school- except better! Southgate smells fresh and clean and new inside- the skates have great padding for rentals, and the staff were awesome. It wasn't too crowded, and the crowd that was there was respectful, diverse and fun. Lots of middle school kids, a few older couples, and lots of families. The music was fun and the snack bar was low priced! Bonus was the easy parking and the free happy hour drink coupon to a local bar that we received on our way out! We'll definitely be coming back to skate more! read more

ALL SKATE! The venerable rink is back in action and there's even more reasons to come to Rat City. I went to the rink before it closed 6-8 years ago and by contrast this is super deluxe. The skating area is larger, the floors are refurbished, the rental skates are spankin' new, the sound and lights are high-quality and the chartreuse walls make it all very happy indeed! The staff were helpful and friendly but with it being opening night they were busy attending to the droves of skating devotees and dealing with last minute details. We left early because of the aforementioned droves filling up the floor, but it's ok because we will be back! I'm giving 4 stars because they don't have lockers for stashing stuff safely; I'm hoping that's just another detail to yet be attended to. read more

This place was so awesome!! The bartender was beyond helpful and the woman at the front was also Nice and helpful. We will definitely be back just because of the service tonight. Ten thumbs up if I could!!! read more

Without air conditioning this is a recipe for death. Waiting for the bacteria to kill someone is another consideration - and we HAVE Legionnaires RIGHT HERE in WA state - RIGHT UP THE STREET, look up the story within the last MONTH. A clean skating rink that is COOL and DRY isn't too much to ask! read more

One word: Skatearoke! Yes, it's is karaoke on roller skates. A-mazing. $10 includes skate rental. Plus, it's Baby Ketten karaoke so it's the best in town. Karaoke is super popular so get your song requests in asap if you want to sing! Turns out I actually do remember how to roller skate! Who knew? read more

My nueve and I went here for the family skate night on Saturday evening. She skates a lot, I don't. But it was really fun. This place plays great music and the staff were all friendly. The other people there were kind as well, making a beginner like me feel welcomed and free to skate super slow. The floor was great accept for one rough spot and some minor slants which required a bit more leg power to skate through. It provided a lovely challenge. Overall, we enjoyed our time here and will come back. read more

Fun, fun, fun. Had not been roller skating forever! Friend was taking her son & his young friends and she wanted a friend to come with her. So glad she called me. Skated for an hour & was smiling the whole time. Well except for when the little kids would fall in front of me. They need to give skating lessons. Parking lot small. Look forward to going back for adult skate. read more

Great patrons that come here- workers are subpar. great music played when I went and it gives heavy middle school vibes. Great for nostalgia. read more

Rollerskating at it's finest. Friendly staff, great prices - and they just opened a bar in the back!! I love coming for adult night and the monthly Pride Skate. I appreciate that there is room for a variety of skill levels - everything from doing tricks off the wall to hugging the wall... read more

Southgate Roller Rink - This is my "WTF" face. Pride Skate pajama night. - Skating Rinks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Did an AWESOME job on the rink. I went opening night and there were HUNDREDS of people here. The floors were beautiful ( a little sticky, but come on! It's opening day), the sound system sounded great with a good mix of music, and for being incredibly busy, the staff was helpful and nice. I'm even more of a fan since it's a good 7-10 minutes from my house. ALSO if anyone is interested on SUNDAYS from 5-7pm they have a Derby Class. I do the thurs. classes at Magnusson and it is a BLAST. You can pay a drop in fee or buy a package. For more info: http://seattlerollerderby.com/membership/southgate-roller-derby/ read more

Wow, I'm pretty baffled to see so many negative reviews! I went to Southgate for the adult skate on a Tuesday night. I hadn't skated much since I was a kid so I thought I might feel intimidated--not the case! All the staff were so friendly, as were the other skaters/customers. There was a group there for someone's birthday, but even with with that it didn't feel too crowded and everyone (even the real hot dogger skaters) was super nice and courteous. The music was awesome, and I love the old school arcade games and little bar at the back. I can imagine that it could get too packed on a busy night, as the rink itself is kind of small. As for negative reviews, I can't speak to others having had bad experiences with the staff or with other customers, because that was not the case when I went. If the music, temperature, or overall vibe of the place is at issue, I think that comes down to personal taste. Bottom line for me: cool place, affordable, good music, good people, had a super fun time! read more

Took 8-year old who "knows everything" to the 12:00 skating lesson, which he completely enjoyed, and then the family skate following it. He had a great time and spent nearly 3 full hours skating full-tilt. He will sleep well tonight. The staff is very helpful, nice and patient, and they are excellent skaters! We will be back. It's a shame there aren't more rinks in the area, but this one is worth the drive. Parking in the B of A lot after hours. read more

Been skating here since a kid, always such a good time. Family run, good prices for skating and the floor is well maintained. Love this place!! read more

Decent roller rink with cool themed skate nights and roller derby events but this place only gets 1 stars because they do not recycle. Beer and some selection of bottled drinks and cans (non alcoholic) yet nothing but trash bins throughout the facility. Looking throughout the link, nothing but recycling overflowing in their trash bins! Truely pathetic for being in Seattle (white center) and the northwest! read more

What's not to love? Nice Rink, good music and a disco ball! I was instantly 10 years old and cool again with the wind whizzing through my hair! They even have a fog machine and lights! Roll on down, folks, to this fabulous place. They have Gay Skate the first Wed of every month and Family Skate for your kids on weekend afternoons! See you there- I'll be the one with a grin from ear to ear! read more

Old skool AF! Roller skates, big disco ball, DJ's spinning retro rink classics, 70's/80's era record covers on the walls in the bar...what more do you need? It would be even more awesome if the rink was a little bigger but, unless you're trying to go really fast (which you probably shouldn't be doing in roller rink anyway), it works. read more

I love this place! I go here as often as I can even though its almost an hour drive for me. They usually play good music and the employees are friendly. read more

Southgate Roller Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Surprised to find a roller rink hidden in this part of town. Called ahead to see what size kid's skates they had & was also surprised to have a real human answer the phone. He was really nice so thought this was a good omen for visiting later. The rink itself seems to be oriented towards adults which makes sense since it's in an area surrounded by bars. Most of it's schedule includes adults only (21+) themed skate sessions. If you are going to take kids out though, Friday & Saturday evenings will be your nights with one Sunday daytime session (12-4:30), preceded by an additional learn to skate session if you want to pay an extra $5 per person. The family friendly sessions seem really popular: lots of kids & some parents. Though one of the pluses of this place is that it's one of the few with a parking lot, the space is limited so if you're a local & can walk or take the c bus (stops 1/2 ablock away) that might be a decent option. There is also limited street parking within a couple blocks if you're willing to drive around. It'll help reaquaint you with some of the nice local businesses like nearby El Tiburon (great super burritos) & the Salvadorean bakery. So, loved the idea of skating since the rest of us haven't done this since middle school.& Though I know there is definitely a local following of kids that will be there, I really hope not to go back. For those that don't want to skate or are dragged along somehow, there are video games, a small concession stand, and even a hidden bar in the back. But for those of us forced to skate with the kids, you may find yourself exercising the most strenuous form of babysitting that ever existed. You will be trying to teach skating while holding wiggly, noodle bodied kids and avoiding other falling children like land mines. Though it could get better with time & practice, now keep in mind, you'll be fighting off their strong urge to overplay video games and spend your last quarters on chintzy fake gold jewelry or 1/2 inch size gummy unicorns. The staff will keep the heat up high and you're just gonna wish you sat this one out as the staff that seemed nice at first become suddenly smirky as they decide they'd rather skate than man their skate stand or that it's somehow your fault their change machine isn't working (except for that 1 nice guy still stays nice). & They'll still smirk with sass, then smile, as if that let's them get away with not being nice somehow (though you've done nothing to them). Overheated, treated rudely,...babysitting on steroids..I think you can give it a try, but I was more than happy to get out of there! read more

Southgate Roller Rink - Family skate..Sundays 12-4:30pm - Skating Rinks Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I'm not really sure how to respond to Josh directly so I am just going to go about it on here. My advice would be Josh, just apologize for your employee being rude. Don't talk about your policies about cake and how I have to spend more money to bring in a cake. Just apologize that she was rude to me, my boyfriend (whose birthday it was), my boyfriend's parents, our friends and others. Also you still didn't explain why you don't let people who are clearly unable to skate, but would like to attend a friend's party or get together have to pay the same as some one who is going to skate. That seems really unfair to look at someone with a broken foot and say 'You have to pay to come and sit and watch your friends skate, while you physically can not.' Whatever about the cake now,I guess, though I would like to mention that I did call and ask all of these questions over the phone before the party. So it wasn't a miscommunication, or whatever you want to call it, it was the wrong information entirely. It would be nice if your staff is more courteous of your customers. read more

Fantastic skating community! Great vibe, great music and events. I just love this place. An excellent place for adults to have some fun without little kids falling down in front of you all of the time. read more

This is like your hole in the wall flashback into time roller rink, And I love it. It's real! The staff are great. Kid friendly, with arcade games throughout. read more

We hosted a party for my son's birthday here. The staff was incredibly courteous and helpful! This rink had an old school feel that we all loved. I would love to come back without the kids! Definitely recommend for a party or just for fun. read more

This place is so old school, I love it. The skates are old, the music is old, the wood rink is old.Usually when I go it is full of young kids who stumble and fall and miraculously it is like a swarm of gnats. Nobody bumps into each other. they have fun contests like limbo and racing skate. the only thing I don't like is the can't bring your own food and theirs is limited and overpriced. It can get pretty hot in summer too but I like the old school vibe of no air-conditioning. read more

Awesome, awesome! I just took my daughter here for her 8th birthday party. We arrived at noon on Sunday to take advantage of their open skating lessons. The 1 hour lesson was well worth $3 dollars over the admission price. ($10 total per kid for 1 hour lesson, skates, and up to 3 more hours of skating) The downside of not doing their "party" is no cake, and no reserved seating. We were prepared to be creative about having no cake, and grabbing seats where we could. Because we arrived at noon, there was plenty of seating. I checked with the staff, and they were happy to let us sit at the "party" tables until the parties arrived. Next was a stop to size up the snack bar. I settled on using a few soft pretzels to make "the birthday cake". We ordered a round of slushees when it was time to open presents, and all the kids had a fun time. To respect their "no outside food" policy, I brought glow in the dark stickers and bracelets for goodies. Cost Saver: Buy the $2 pitchers of water instead of individual water bottles. 5 stars - the staff were great with the kids and very patient with the frazzled mommy. :) read more

Not very happy or impressed with this place. Went for second time and this time around it was waaaaaay too crowded. It was 10pm adult skate we got there at 1043 and left by 1101. We could not skate because of inconsiderate people skating too close n running into us. My partner was having an anxiety attack because of all the people, crappy loud rap music and all around shitty situation....when telling the dude at counter he was nice in telling us days it's not as crowed (thus the 2 stars)--- but then dude wouldn't give us a refund or even partial... we were there 20min max. So if you don't like crowds or drunks skating with crappy rap don't go. You won't get $ back. Glad it wasn't a whole lot but 14 bucks is a few days in gas to work! Shoot. :,,, ( read more

Opening night (adult-skate) thoughts; I'll save the humor and go for a long list, since the place is so new. Pros: Clean, clean, CLEAN space. Nothing like the dingy crap at Skate King. Entry on every night is roughly $6, including skate rental, which is a pretty fair shake. (You don't save any cash by bringing your own.) Lots of vents above the rink to keep the room from getting stuffy. Brand-new skates (for now) that look cool and control well. Four '90s arcade machines for that nostalgic touch (I actually wrote them down: The Simpsons, Cruisin' World, Area 51 Site 4, Virtua Racing). Affordable concession stand. Slick, new hardwood floor. Fun, friendly crowd. Good DJ who was willing to mix up modern tunes w/ the usual skating rink junk--and the music volume struck the right balance between rockin' and not-annoying. Oh, and, er, hot ladies and gents. I will come back. Cons: The rink is smaller than Skate King in Bellevue--not by a huge margin, but the rink length leaves a little to be desired. No rails on the sides for novices. No lockers. When the lights would dim, it'd be TOO dark. Thus, more accent lighting would be nice, especially since opening night already attracted more than a few speedy/tricky skaters dancing through the crowd. I noticed a bumpy spot in the rink floor along the longer wall near the Virtua Racing machine, and while it was minor, I hope that's addressed. No options for roller blade rental, if that's a dealbreaker for you. Overall: Opening night was adult-skate only, and with a smaller rink than Skate King without wall-rails, I wonder how all-ages skating will feel in comparison. But I dig the spot, and if I lived anywhere near White Center, I'd be here weekly. As it stands, it seems worth the hour-long bus from my home. Check the hours before arriving, as the 8:30 start time on Thursday nights is a weird one. read more

Of the three roller rinks in the Seattle area this is definitely the smallest which isn't really a bad thing especially if you're chaperoning a group of kids. The smaller size makes it very easy to keep an eye on the kids. It's a fairly clean place. Definitely nicer than the one up north but not as nice as the one down south. The staff seemed very friendly. My only two complaints would be that the snack bar needs a major upgrade and some lockers would also be nice. Other than that, a perfectly nice place to skate. read more