The Depot Ice Rink

Located in a grand historic & beautiful building. If you’re parking your car, the entrance to the ice rink is obvious –but if you take public transportation/​light rail, the entrance is confusing! None of the doors facing Washington Avenue are open –they’re locked tight.
To get to the ice rink, you either have to walk around the block towards 5^th Ave towards the parking lot entrance, or you have to walk around towards 3^rd Ave and go through the Renaissance Hotel doors to get to the ice rink.
Like others have said, the price for entrance & skates are spendy –but on the other hand, the tickets are good for all day –so as long as you keep the wristband on, you can come and go as you please. This was great for us since we were spending the day downtown!
There are more hockey skates than figure skates available –and no half sizes available for either types. The skates are old, well used, ratty shoestrings, and kind of gross. Make sure to wash your hands or use antibiotics lotion after renting public ice skates. The Depot also provides ice-​skate training equipment for kids or even adults to hold onto while they attempt ice skating for the first time –it’s great!
In the corner there is a small scrappy food stand, with some snacks & hot food available, as well as hot/​cold drinks and even wine or beer.
If you go in the morning, like we did, there was no line and the ice rink wasn’t too crowded at all. It’s definitely the right time to go if you want extra space for skating. We went back with our all day wristband in the evening and wow, the place was super crowded and packed. There was a really long line for entry, but we were able to skip the line since we had our all day access wristband.
The evening ice rink was way too crowded for my liking, so we didn’t stay long. I definitely will return during the day time for ice skating, but evening ice skating just isn’t going to work for me.

first time on ice skates. Place was pretty cool for an ice rink. Lots of people, but plenty of seating and everyone was very helpful. Also fairly warm for an ice rink. Brought the kids, and they had a blast, despite the falls!

I have to admit, it’s a cool venue but completely overpriced. $ 9.00 admission and $ 7.00 skate rental along with $ 8.00 parking. They tell you not to bring in your own food and beverages. I’m sure it’s because they know when your kids see the makeshift «concessions» area, you’ll surely cave. They have a nice selection of crap food, so bring your appetite. You can find me sitting on the sidelines, guarding our 3 bags of snack size Lay’s potatoe chips that I paid $ 6.00 for.

PROS:
— BEAUTIFUL
— amazing experience
— great location downtown
— parking available
— great, friendly staff
— concessions
CONS:
— on the costly side $$$
— have to pay for parking
TIPS:
— go earlier in the evening. We went around 6pm and there were only about 10 others on a Thursday evening. 1 – 2 hours later, there were so many people that it was moreso like trying to figure out how to skate around them than to just enjoy the scene and activity.
I recommend this highly! Such a great experience.

I checked out the Depot a few weeks ago and I was really pleasantly surprised.
The facilities are fantastic and although the ‘off rink’ areas are a little cramped there was plenty of space to store shoes and other items. Lockers are provided for a small fee of 75c.
I found the rink to be well maintained and clean.
My only reservation for the Depot is the price. It is on the high end and $ 7 skate rental is quite steep especially considering the extra charge for lockers. It also has fairly limited parking which ALSO charges

while I like the indoor aspect of the rink $ 16 is excessive, particularly the $ 7 skate rental part. Oh, and then parking if you’re in their lot.
The ice was alright but rather choppy. On the plus side, not too crowded and the people I was with were awesome and we had a great time. It is a great space for kids and no one is too aggressive.
all in all, I wouldn’t pay that much again to ice skate.

everything is great there. skating, atmosphere, etc. for two people with rental it was $ 35.45, well worth it. BUT my card was charged $ 42 something. i hope this was an accident, I’m calling them today. just a heads up…

This is a very cool place to checkout, great date spot unless you are trying to impress and are a horrible skater (unless you are so terribly bad that your date will think it’s «cute» you’re actually out there making a fool of yourself).
The rental skates are actually pretty good for rental skates, the architecture outside and inside is turn of the century throwback but doesn’t seem forced. The only real drawback is that it seems they keep everyone off the ice for far longer then needed when the Zamboni comes out.

This is such a nice place to go in the winter that isn’t the usual bar, restaurant, or movie. The ambiance of an old train depot also makes it a great place for a date. My BF and I went and he has never skated before while I am ok. But, that worked out fine since there is a wide range of skills there. He was able to go around holding onto the edge just fine without feeling out of place. And, we ended up having a lot of fun.
The downside is that once you do the admittance fee and the skate rentals, it does feel like it adds up price-​wise. Before I go next time, I’ll definitely be investing in a pair of my own skates.
On another note, I have been to wedding receptions here, and they do a lovely job — a really cool venue for your wedding.

I had always wanted to give this place a go and it seemed like a kind of flirty place to go on a date so that’s exactly what I did. Overall I had a fun experience; it was a happy environment and everyone I saw seemed to be having a good time. For the two of us it cost around $ 33 which you can cut down if you have your own skates. Parking at The Depot is going to run you $ 6 or more so keep that in mind.
The skates were in decent condition and when we first got there the ice was a bit marked up from all the skaters. We did a few awkward laps which was surprisingly tiring (as a regular gym-​goer I fancied myself more fit than this made me feel). About halfway through our evening they made everyone get off the ice while they resurfaced the ice which made skating a lot easier for those of us who were more out of practice.
This is a place I would recommend for a fun night out, although if you haven’t been skating since you were young, don’t hold any illusions this is going to be a graceful activity for you.

This is such a cute place to go! My group of cousins and I have started an annual tradition where we go at least once a year. Even better this year because I live 1 block away.
If I was all into the romanticness of things, I’d definitely want a date to take me here so he can catch me in his arms while I fall on my a**.
I’m not much of an ice skater or a winter person, but this place just elicits the warm and fuzzies… and simple happiness!

This was one of the few places I’ve been to in Minneapolis and it was a pretty fun activity to do. There is a certain charm to the venue and it was definitely nice that it was an indoor rink with teh weather we were experiencing. It can get a little crowded at peak hours.

The Depot Ice Rink totes itself as being one of the best places to skate in the US (as praised by USA Today and MSNBC)… and from one Unilocaler to the next, I whole heartedly agree.
This rink is simply great, because …
1) it’s INDOORS, so you never have to worry about how the sleety, snowy 0 degree and –30 wind chill will ruin your fun, or worse, that cute skating outfit you picked out days ago
2) it truly somehow caters to all ages, all party sizes, and all skill levels
3) they have a snack bar… with hot chocolate that is quite heavenly
I’m am now a regular here. I’ve been to the depot alone, on dates, and with groups of friends with folks who have skated for years, skated 10 years ago, and never skated in their life, and it has pretty much been always been a success filled with laughter and joy.
If you like room to move and want to try out a few fancier moves, I would highly recommend avoiding peak times such as 6 – 8 in the evenings and holidays (ie New Years Eve), unless you like the claustrophobic feel of skating counter-​clockwise for hours with couples an arm’s length away on your right, teenagers whizzing past on your left, and a 5 year old immediately in front of you that you’ll fall over if you don’t swerve now.
When it comes to skating, there’s no better feeling than gliding on fresh, smooth ice right after the rink has been zambonied. They’ll zambonie the ice as they see fit depending on crowd and ice condition. I feel like it’s happens about every 2 hours or so.
Always check the calendar on their new and improved website before you go (
): the rink is only available a few months out of the year, and the day and hours they’re open each week tend to vary.
Adult admission is now $ 8; $ 6 for seniors and minors (17-​).
You can also score $ 6 admissions with military or college ID every Thursday they’re open, or if you buy a 10-​punch card for $ 60 (only valid for one season).
Skate (hockey or figure) Rental is always $ 7. You can also rent skate trainers for $ 2 — these are senior walker-​like devices you can take out on the ice with ya to help you balance and convince you that you don’t need to hold on to the edge of the rink with a steel grip.

I went here on my anniversary with my honey. While there were a ton of kids skating and falling, some Blades of Glory type guys, and wanna be hockey players, this place still was magical and romantic. It’s a little on the pricey side if you have to rent your skates, along with the admission, but it was so worth it. I had so much fun!
I would definitely come back for a date night!

I’m glad I came here. We had a great double date here and we all had a good time getting out there and testing our skills. It can get a little crowded but there is no real need to be speeding around this place anyways. The main perk is that it is warm inside so you won’t freeze to death.
I would go back someday, but there are a lot of outdoor rinks that are just as fun around the cities.

Ice skating at the Depot when you’re 26 is strangely similar to going to roller skating parties in fourth grade, except colder and with more booze. But the fundamentals remain: Bad pop music, nervous couples holding hands, showoffs in the middle doing tricks and falling a lot, and a disco ball. Pretty swell.