Penn Ice Rink — Local services in Philadelphia

Overall: This rink is on Penn's campus and was originally built approximately 50 years ago to support a D1 men's hockey team, which lasted a little less than 10 years before the university cut it due to fiscal troubles. Thankfully, the rink still exists today and it happens to be the only rink that's close to Center City and is easily accessible with public transportation, unlike literally every other year-round rink in the area that requires a car to easily reach. The building is not in perfect shape but the 2019 renovations definitely kept this place from being demolished. While the ice is not the best compared to that at some of the other rinks in the area (this rink tends to have "softer" ice), there are still several public and private events throughout the whole year. The rink is open year round except for most of May and June.

Public Skate: Weekday sessions have few people, even during the academic year. However, weekend sessions during the academic year are busy to the point of overcrowding. I have been to sessions where far too many people were on the ice for it to be safe. Crowding isn't an issue in the summer due to fewer people.

Open Hockey: Open hockey sessions are only on some weekday mornings and afternoons due to being reserved for college team practices, Snider Foundation camps, adult leagues, and private events. Typically, there aren't many people at the sessions (due to the inconvenient times for most) except during the academic year when MBA hockey league students fill the Friday novice sessions.

Adult Hockey League: The adult league is two or three divisions that are separated only by skill level (no age-specific leagues). There's one that aligns with the academic year and another one during the summer. Each division has at least four teams and a normal season during the academic year is 20-25 games with the summer being 10-15 games, typically all in the late evenings or night on any given day of the week. Most of the divisions have skill parity, but in the lowest division, they don't do a good job of ensuring this in the rosters. Thus, it'll sometimes be the case where a team with less experienced or elder team members will face off against another team that has advanced players who clearly belong in one of the higher divisions. Officiating is also quite inconsistent and sometimes borderline negligent from my experiences. Absolute beginners or newer people trying to grow their skills in a competitive environment are advised to look for...

Bravo Penn! Nice, large rink with smooth ice and ample seating for spectators. The University of Pennsylvania ice rink was a gift of the class of 1923 and although the rink is nearly 100 years old, it fulfills all the necessary requirements for a fun ice skating outing. The restrooms are clean and well maintained. The open skate hours are very limited so be aware of the hours (which may change. Public skating is available Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12:30-2:00, Saturday from 6:00-7:00, and Sunday 1:00-2:00. Skate rentals are $4.00 and general admission is $8.00. Students get a dollar off admission. Meter parking is available in Penn Park but that lot is often very full so plan accordingly. The only complaint I have is the music. They seemingly played every single Michael Jackson song and nothing else. Please,...

We were told we are paying for a private skating area which it wasn’t true, we found out when we got there. We booked from 12 to 3 and they told us no skating from 12 to 1 and that we can skate from 1 to 3. So we went out to eat so time can pass and we don’t have to wait at the place. It was 1:30 by the time we all got in there then we were told we couldn’t skate from 2 to 3 but we can skate from now to 2 which was another mistake they made so by the time we put on our skates and got out it was for literally 10 minutes. Horrible communication,...