If Verona Park Lake is still closed for skating during Winter Break, we do have a couple of local options.
If you don’t mind skating indoors and paying to skate, there are three choices. Clary Anderson Arena in Montclair, Floyd Hall on the campus of Montclair State University, and the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, which most people still call South Mountain Arena.
All of these arenas dedicate ice time to public skating, skating lessons, hockey leagues and hockey practice. As a result, there are not a lot of additional public skating hours during the week of winter break, but if you and your kids are off, this might be just the right time to enjoy skating at 10 a.m.
My favorite indoor rink is Clary Anderson and I don’t know if it’s because that’s where I learned to skate (when it was Montclair Arena) or because it’s usually the least crowded. However, given the choice, that’s where I’d go. On Monday of vacation week, Clary Anderson Arena will have a longer than usual public session, from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. . The remaining days of the week follow the regular weekly schedule. Clary Anderson charges $6 for adults and children and $3.75 for skate rental.
Floyd Hall added morning public sessions throughout the week. Floyd Hall charges $7 per adult and $6 per child. Skate rental and walker rental are $4 and $3 respectively. The Codey Arena added a second public skating session on Monday, February 15; it also is offering a President’s Day hockey clinic on Monday from 12:15-2:15. Cost is $60 per person and hockey experience is required. For the public sessions Codey arena charges $7 per adult and $5 per child. Skate rental is $4.
