Clark Gillies Arena (Dix Hills Ice Rink) — Local services in Town of Huntington

Nicely taken care of ice rink right down the street from me. They offer group open skating, freestyle/figure skating training, hockey leagues and teams for men AND women. The hours change frequently, so make sure you check them. If you plan to skate a few times a year, your best bet is to buy a "Recreation Card" from them, which is good for two years. I'm not sure why but it was $20, now the town has upped the amount to $40/2yrs. I got it the very last day of 2018, b"h, but it also discounts skating sessions from $11.50 to $7.50 and gives significant discounts for other Town of Huntington recreational facilities. Lessons, court rentals, beaches, access to golf course/golf carts, fishing etc. are all connected to the Rec. Card. So, if you live here and use their services frequently, then it's certainly worth it for the discount. If it's just a one time thing, don't bother with the Rec Card. The facility itself has two, well-cared- for rinks and a pro shop inside. The pro-shop is slightly overpriced, but not by much and skates come sharpened. They have plenty of lessons and camps in the summer for kids and even mid-life crisis adults, such as myself. I used to be really good at roller skating, but those places seemed to disappear when we got computers. Lol . They offer a lot. Just be mindful of their hours. I'd definitely check...

Dix Hills Ice Rink is a very nice facility, well lit and well taken care of ice, with friendly staff, and average pricing for public skate. I've skated at The Rinx in Hauppauge and Superior Ice Rink on Indian Head and found their public skate more enjoyable than here at Dix Hills.

The reasons are that Dix Hills public skate is really limited during their evening public skate. Both ends of the ice are reserved for lessons and the center, like most rinks, is reserved for the figure skaters. This leaves a very small circle for public skate around the middle of the rink. For the size of the rink there were a lot of skaters and I was cut off a few times by skaters practicing maneuvers for hockey.

With this all considered I think it would have been more enjoyable with only one end reserved instead of two giving public skate more room on the ice. I would not recommend evening skate at Dix Hills if you're looking for a more casual...

It's been years since the new rink was built. Since day one the roof leaks, the ice was always wet because of numerous coolant problems, and the original rink was never rebuilt. Didn't the low bidder who won the job put up a performance bond? I blame the Town of Huntington for not following up on this on a timely basis. It will cost many millions more to rebuild the old rink today. The new rink still needs work. My daughter skated here for many years and often complained about the quality of the ice. Update: 12/29/22. Went for a HHH alumni game. The new rinks ice wasn't wet with puddles on a night that was warm for December. Both water fountains in the main lobby were broken and had duck tape covering the levers. The rink was cleaner and looked like the maintenance has been improved. Can't comment on the older rink. Changing...