Skateville Family Rollerskating Center — Attraction in Burnsville

Skateville: A Nostalgic Roller Rink… with a Side of Sweat and Pricey Snacks

Update: the review below was written before the NEW OWNERS - They Floor has been refinished - the new owner seems to have their finger on the pulse of how to run a skating rink and interact positively with the public - They should probably rename the place so they can start a new Google Review page and get the 5 stars they now deserve

Ah, Skateville. A place that promises to take you back to the glory days of roller rinks—where neon lights, Top 40 hits, and the smell of overworked rental skates collide. But before you lace up those decades-old wheels and hit the floor, here are a few things to know.

The Cost of Nostalgia Admission is $11 per person, plus a $3 skate rental fee—which, at first glance, seems reasonable. That is, until you realize the rental skates haven’t been cleaned since the ‘90s, and you’re about to test your balance on a floor that’s in desperate need of refinishing. Think of it as an extreme sport: Roller Skating Meets Ice Capades—Without the Ice.

Bring a Sweat Towel Planning to skate on a warm summer night? Buckle up, because there’s no air-conditioning, and only one of the two industrial fans actually works. You’ll be gliding through a humid cloud of other people’s body heat in no time. It’s basically a cardio workout with an added risk of dehydration.

Rules, Rules, and More Rules Before you commit $43 for a family night out, keep these in mind: • No re-entry. Once you’re in, you’re in. Forgot something in your car? Tough luck. • No outside food or drinks. You’re stuck with rink snacks at “captive audience” pricing. • Everything costs extra. Need a place to store your stuff? That’s 50 cents to a buck. Got a kid learning to skate? That’s another $5 for a homemade PVC pipe “trainer.”

Snack Bar or Highway Robbery? Now, let’s talk snacks. You’ll find an 8 oz slushy for $4, a 12 oz soda for $2.75, and a small bottle of water for $2 (which feels criminal given the sauna-like conditions inside). A “meal deal” consisting of a hot dog, a handful of chips, and a small fountain drink will run you $6.50. Meanwhile, a pitcher of soda is a whopping $9, and candy is $3 a pop. The markups are wild—especially when the only hydration alternative is questionable-tasting drinking fountain water. How about investing in a decent water filter or lowering bottled water to, say, a buck? You’re still making a hefty profit, and nobody wants to drop $2 on lukewarm Dasani.

Staff & Management Vibes The staff? Friendly. The management? Distracted. Employees were nice and helpful, but instead of directing them to clean the rental skates (which desperately need it), they seemed more focused on chatting. Meanwhile, the male owner was glued to his phone in the snack bar, and the female owner was busy collecting entry fees. Priorities, people.

Final Rating: 2.5 Stars • Points for: Friendly staff, the nostalgia factor

• Deductions for: No AC, overpriced snacks, and rental skates that feel like they were last maintained during the disco era

Skateville remains one of the few roller rink options in the metro area, which might explain why there’s no real push to improve. But if they ever did want to step it up, here are some easy wins:

How to Level Up Skateville Clean the rental skates. Soak the wheels in hot, soapy water and scrub off the black gunk. Your customers (and your floor) will thank you. Install a DIY skate cleaning station. A spray bottle of rubbing alcohol and shop rags at the entrance? Genius. Let skaters clean their own wheels and help maintain the rink floor. Make safety a priority. Train staff to clean all rental skates after each use—because nothing says “liability” like a floor full of unsuspecting skaters sliding out of control.

At the end of the day, Skateville could be great with a little TLC. Until then, bring your own skates, budget for expensive snacks, and prepare to leave...

I can say first hand, that the staff, owners, and management at Skateville go above and beyond to keep the establishment a safe, respectable, morally ethical, crime free, modest, family friendly environment. The policies, standards, rules, and expectations are listed in the lobby before you entry the skating rink facility. Notable are the descriptions for the dress code, which are also at the discretion of the managements decision. From my opinion, I interpret that males must keep pants at their waist (no boxer or brief exposure), Tasteful, non-violent t-shirts and shirts. Shirts must be worn at all times. For females: no short shorts, revealing skirts or dress, no low cut, no back, or exposing tops. Of course, its up to the managements discretion in every situation, which it should be! This is one of the main reasons Skateville has continued to provide customers with a Family Friendly Safe Environment! In response to Kitty Sands negative Google review, I can Attest to the fact that the costume in question is listed under the sexy adult costumes section. The individual did NOT enter the establishment wearing only the revealing, stretch tube top, and skin tight spandex leggings that were uncovered and exposed at the 9:00 pm costume contest. The individual entered and was wearing a zipped up long sweat shirt the entire evening up until the contest at 9:00pm. After my 13 year old son and his friends, along with some other parents noticed the depleting elasticity in the compressed tube top the individual continued to display after the contest end at 9:30pm, I went to the management. The management confirmed that the individual hadn't entered the establishment wearing only the strapless tube top. Since the manager and staff were getting things ready for the end of session and a private party after the session, I offered to kindly ask the individual to "please put her sweatshirt back on." I approached the individual sitting on a bench, and spoke softly so I wouldn't embarrass them and kindly informed them that the manager had given me permission to ask them if they would please put the sweatshirt back on since the contest was over. The person proceeded to put the sweatshirt back on and I expressed my appreciation. I returned over to the manager to inform them that the individual had put the sweatshirt back on, when I looked to see the individual conversing with someone and removing the sweatshirt. The manager asked me to politely ask the individual again along with suggesting that the individual could go to the front desk to speak to the manager. The individual's friends, which wasn't even present when I spoke to the person, first addressed the manager. This individual has no relevance to fact since they weren't even present, so her opinion on this review aren't based on what really happened. This establishment upholds a moral standard as a family based facility. If the individual's costume wasn't questionably in their mind along with possibly drawing attention and being questioned by management, then why did the individual wear a zippered long sweatshirt while entering the establishment all the way up until the costume contest at 9:00pm? Please note: The costume contest was not being judged by subcategories. (sexiest, funniest, scariest, etc.) There's a big difference in a crop top...

i have read the review's and they a bit of every where so I will list the pros and con's from my experiences and stuff you can Interpret how you want.

pro's: the price it's reasonable not to an expensive to be unaffordable but not too cheap to be sketchy.

The skate rentals were in pretty decent condition as far as rental skates go but not as good as if you were to just bring your own

they do have lockers they're hidden but they're there and there between 50 cents to a dollar depending on the amount of people

con: they don't have air conditioning or at least not very good air conditioning so if you do go I would almost recommend going in the winter months over the summer.

The parking lot is small so parking is hard to find

up to preference:

the rink is wood not tile

I don't eat rink food but I here its both bland and undercooked but I've also heard that it's fine.

The music, some would say it's outdated I've never had a problem at least when I've been there a majority of the music they've played have been from late 2000s and mid 2010s apparently they do also play a lot of '80s music

It does have an arcade but it's small I personally don't mind the place especially if it's just for roller skating since I generally don't eat food from roller skating rinks so I've never had a problem there but in the end it's what works best for you, your family or the people you're going with. 3 out of five need some improvement but it's fine.

Update: I went again a couple of weeks ago and I have some stuff to correct

The building has air conditioning but because you are constantly moving in a crowded place you're not going to really be able to feel it.

The music is by no means outdated, they play what's popular that might mean the occasional older song but it's really not that outdated.

they rent out every table for events unless you're going on a day it's slow or you booked at least 3 months in advance you are not getting a table.

In the end though nothing will ever compare to roller Gardens which sadly closed its doors back in May of 2021 that place...