Kate’s Skating Rink

Had my sons birthday party here today and all I can say is this place is a dump. It was at least 90 degrees in there, the pizza was aweful, the kids wouldn’t even eat it and the drinks was flat. I expected more from Kates and they let me and my family down. I will never go to this skating rink again. I have never has an issue with the Kates on Hudson. If you are planning a party don’t go to the Kates on Franklin Blvd or you will be depriving your child of a good party. Book tour party at the one on Hudson Blvd.
UPDATE: The owner Billy of Kates emailed me regarding this post not to remedy the situation but to inform me that this post offends him. So not only did we have a bad experience at this facility but they emailed me after to rub it in and that was offensive to me. Very unprofessional.

Got a Groupon for a family evening out. Went to Hudson Location which is 1151 Skating Rink Drive. Everything was clean, the staff friendly and just overall fun! You can choose from rollerblades or skates, whatever you wanted and there was no additional cost as long as you paid the rental. Jungle Gym was fun for the children! Older but clean! Loved the «beginner’s» corner where if someone did not feel completely comfortable yet and new to skating, although small, they didn’t have to worry about the «real» rink.
Anyhow, we went on unlimited free pizzas and hotdogs night included in admission price. From what I saw, typically a slice of pizza is $ 1.75/ slice and I personally would not pay that price for that pizza. Hot dogs were typical store bought bun and small dog, again, not something I would pay for. Considering this was our family’s first time here, I definitely would not go in for the food. Because our free pizza and hot dogs were so unappealing, I of course decided not to ordering anything else off the menu! Pricey enough and small servings and nothing special. 5 wings for $ 5? No thanks. Otherwise, loved the unlimited drink refills cup for $ 4.00!
Arcade was not huge but fun enough! Loved the little store where you could buy glows stuff or just stuff!
Just don’t go for food unless you like poor quality and taste. But, excellent place for fun for the entire family! There are a wide variety of different people with different skating levels so who cares if you are no pro or just a learner, your butt might be sore but all in good fun! We would definitely go again any day at this price! I personally would just recommend eating before you get there or after!
Thanks for taking such good care of your rink!

I started roller skateing in 1964… in the snow… outside…with clamp ons… lol…and at Kates in Charlotte by 1970… I haven’t had on my speed skates since… mid 80s… went into the gear shop… after realizing my 1972 wheels were not gonna work… the Manager was very helpful and knowledgeable. .got me into an economical set of wheels… and installed them… my 1972 precision bearings still fit !.. the new wheels are awesome at gripping the floor while I re-​teach myself how to skate… no more hocky slides for now… kids are kids… they are gonna be all over the place till they get used to rolling around… at least… they are trying something new. and getting exercise… I had a wonderful time… and made a few new friends… the 2 young men behind the skate rental area were awesome ! …they helped me with my trucks and were very friendly… I don’t think they had ever seen skates as old as mine… lol…I will be back… soon ! …Thankyou for such a wonderful time !
…ps…I almost forgot !.. they had 4 or 5 kids birthday parties going on at the time I was there… and everything ran like clockwork… kudos!

I got a Groupon for some quality family time. We enjoyed skating, the music was good. The games were a little rough around the edges. They could use some new ones. Food prices were good. We’ll definitely go back.

Skates were new and clean, facility was clean and staff was friendly. Unilocal coupon saved us $ 10.

Got a Groupon that included admission and rentals for four plus 20 tokens for games and access to the play area for $ 22. The kids were excited to go. Inside is a shiny and colorful wonderland. Loud music and flashing lights. Kind of a cool retro vibe. The floor/​rink is huge with tons of teeny boppers (some of whom were twerking by the entrance) zipping and spinning with great skill and confidence. Everyone (the staff) was friendly and helpful. The patrons were all pretty laid back too. Every once in a while I would see an area that would make me think that this place could use a good heavy duty cleaning. The indoor play area had quite a few dust bunnies higher up towards the ceiling. The stops on the shoe rentals were worn down and the ones my wife got were quite smelly. Put all that aside, it’s a fun place to take your kids for an afternoon.

Thanks to Kate’s for keeping it real! I hadn’t skated in 20 years but a bunch of friends were going so I tagged along. Most of my time was spent practicing not killing myself. Just staying upright in the never ending parade circling the rink offers plenty of exercise.
There’s always a little danger involved. It was crowded in the afternoon and kids seem to splat on the floor every other second right in front of you. But they pop back up like it was nothing and keep skating.
I think everyone should tie on some skates, have a corn dog and a snow cone every few weeks and remember what it’s like to be away from computers and TV and enjoy the simplicity of movement and being alive.

Local skate rink with friendly crew.