Skates 280

We had an 8-​year-​old birthday here and it was really fun. There are not many great choices in the city for boys who want action. It’s a haul out 280 and the place definitely needs some landscaping — in fact, it looks abandoned when you pull up – but the inside is pure, cheesy 80’s magic. The staff directed us to our own party room and assigned a helper. He brought drinks and gave us armbands, shoe holder and arranged gifts. The kids could choose roller or inline skates. Music and lights were fun, DJ/​manager is very nice as is his wife/​helper at door. The place does smell like smoke and years of sweaty skating, but you get over it once you’re in. There are video games for non-​skaters and a snack bar in the back. The DJ takes requests and leads games every hour and calls out the birthday folks. My only caution would be that kids were smacking the floor like wildfire. It’s really hard to skate! Definitely don’t bring little kids here, I don’t think they will enjoy it. Frustration does not make for a great party!

I’m a recently retired rollergirl and know my roller rinks. Where as some rinks feel old and stale, this place feels very hip. The lighting is great (see pictures from others’ reviews) and they play a combination of older and new music. It is awesome to see kids enjoying skating like I did when I was their age!
Kid’s parties: The party rooms are very open to the food area and that makes it easy to come and go. The staff that serves the soda and pizza are very nice as well. I would highly recommend it!
We have only been on Saturday nights and the place is busy! The staff tries their best to keep the kids all moving and going the same direction, but it seems like herding cats. The front desk lady is a little abrasive but again, she’s trying to maintain control.
And on a Saturday at 9 p.m., the place is still packed with little kids. Babies! Go home and go to bed!
I would like to see more seating along the walls and more games for the kids… there is plenty of room… but overall, it’s an awesome rink!

We visit skates 280 approximately once a month. My kids love to skate and ask to go frequently. The only complaint I have is that the owner is constantly reprimanding kids over the loud speaker. I understand that rules need to be followed, but it gets a bit uncomfortable and we have actually left because of it. There are many smaller children that rely on the walls to help them skate. The owner repeatedly says things like «Stay away from the wall,» «Stay away from the exits,» «Stop going too fast/​slow» and my favorite «Stop falling down.» Really? Beginning skaters cannot follow these rules. They are learning to skate and they need the walls, they need the exit areas to help steady themselves, and they are going to fall down. My suggestion would be to block off a small portion at the back of the rink for beginners if you do not want beginners in the way. These things haven’t completely turned us off to going, but it seems like there is more and more complaining each time we go. I skated there with my kids last weekend and was given a pair of roller blades that were too big and obviously had a broken buckle. When I asked the owner for a smaller size, he argued that they were fine and was very hesitant about giving me another pair. The skates smelled sour and did not appear to be disinfected. There are not a lot of skating rink options, so we will continue to go occasionally. I just wish the kids didn’t get so much negativity.

My kids and I go to skates 280 at least once a month it seems. Great place to have fun and they do a great job on birthday parties for kids as well. Both my kids (12 and 10) have had their own parties there and attended parties there and they love it. The guy that runs the place makes it fun and even gives free skate lessons to the kids on Saturday mornings. My kids always leave skates 280 happy and that’s all that matters to me.

Great place for the family to have fun together. Cheap and very clean. Great staff and the owners are great people.

Yeah, I’m a big kid with equally big rollerblades, and after all these years I still like to skate on occasion — and this is the place where I like to do it. Skates 280 has been around for years, and continues to be a family-​friendly, well-​run place to go to when you have a hankering for a throwback involving wheeling around. The crowd that frequents on the weekend (Saturday is the only night friends and I ever go) is fairly mixed — predominantly small kids (for birthday parties, etc.), but with an assortment of teens, parents, and young-​to-​mid adults. (Check the hours — they’re also open during the week, if I’m not mistaken.) The guys that operate the place are *extremely* nice and know how to keep the «younglings» in line when need be, without making the experience uncomfortable for anyone; and as far as accommodating the entire crowd, the music selections are usually an equal mix of newer music, with some older (80s/​90s) tunes thrown in for good measure (for those of us who barely care to know what a *Gaga* is). The choice is available to bring your own skates (or blades) if you have them, or rent some when you get there. And no worries about upkeep — there are plenty of working lockers to stash your stuff while you skate, and the rink floor is kept in great condition, so no need to fear falling as a result of inconspicuous craters masked by the colored disco lights (just falling as a result of poor skill and balance). With regards to replenishing energy, I’m not huge on eating or drinking when there, but I believe there are drinks and snacks available for purchase by the interested.
Although this past weekend was the first time I’d been back to Skates 280 in a really long time, I had a great time there, and that’s generally been the response over all of my visits. If you’re looking for something to do with the kiddies, or maybe looking for an excuse to be a kid again yourself, Skates 280 is a very good idea.