There are a number of ice-skating rinks that have been popping up each winter across Long Island. For a scenic outdoor ambience, Port Jefferson has once again welcomed The Rinx for winter ice-skating in front of the harbor’s backdrop. Located at the Village Center, the outdoor skating rink remains open daily through mid-March. Skates and helmets are available for rental at the rink, and skate guards are in attendance.
The rink is available for public skating sessions as well as for private parties, skating classes and private lessons. If you need a spurt of inspiration, you can soon find some on television. This is a winter Olympic year, so take in some coverage of the skating competitions. You may not be pulling off triple axles or spinning like a top, but you can enjoy the fresh air as the blades carry you across the smooth white surface. No matter what level of skater you happen to be, the rink hosts every level of proficiency, from the apprehensive beginner who opts to hug the wall as he makes those tiny steps around the rink all the way up to the figure-skating Olympic daydreamer who confidently sees an empty space on the ice as her moment of opportunity to strut a new move and strike a favored pose.
For those who prefer to people-watch from the sidelines, the upper level of the Village Center provides the perfect observatory, complete with cozy couches and seating that overlooks the rink from the comfort of indoor warmth. Parents can make a stop at one of the tea or coffee shops in town and then deposit their offspring for a session of skating while they lounge and socialize in comfort upstairs over cups of java. When the skating session has concluded, young children and adults alike enjoy watching a Zamboni in action as the driver expertly clears away the ice shavings and smooths the surface, restoring the rink to its glistening, smooth, slippery state for the next sessions of skaters.
Whether the kids are bored, you made a New Year’s resolution to be more active or you and a friend are craving a healthy dose of the sun’s rays, outdoor air and a view of the Sound, ice-skating on the harbor is just what the doctor ordered to chase away the winter doldrums.