Just in time for the holidays, an 80-foot synthetic ice skating rink has transformed a D.C. museum into a winter wonderland.
The National Building Museum in Northwest D.C. opened its first-ever ice skating rink on Monday.
“It feels like I’m a really fast cheetah out there,” said Serefina, who was the first kid to break in the ice as she confidently skated circles around the rink’s edges.
The ice skating rink stretches across the museum’s great hall, keeping skaters out of the chilly weather outside.
Little kids were the first to get familiar with the ice — some skating, others tumbling around and crawling.
Mike, who visited and brought his son out skating after a visit to the Lego Exhibit at the museum, said he’s a fan of the hefty “guides” shaped like whales that kids pushed along to prevent falling.
“When I was growing up as a kid, learning how to skate was just like face planting over and over, and so having the little things to help out there was really fun,” Mike said.
It was his 3-year-old son Asher’s first ice skating lesson.
“I was pleasantly excited. He did great. No tears at the end, which was always the measure of success,” Mike said.
When asked about whether he had fun skating, Asher gave an affirmative, “Si!”
You can register to skate online. The rink is open from noon to 8 p.m. daily and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
It’s free if you bring your own skates, or you can rent a pair for $5.
The rink is in partnership with the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) as part of the Downtown D.C. Holiday Market.
“We’re really focused on bringing people downtown for the holidays,” said Gerren Price, the CEO and president of the DowntownDC BID. “What better way to spend your holidays than to do some fun ice skating?”
It gets Price’s stamp of approval: “Really fun, and I’ve been on it myself, and can attest that it’s a really smooth skate.”
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