Arcadia Ice Arena

Cheap fun place to skate! Came with family and it was great! Super fun to take kids as well

Very pooly run. We had a game on Sunday the 18^th and the humidity was so bad you could barely see the game. You could not see the players from one side of the rink to the other. The staff just sat around and did not seem to care, most likely due to being kids.
The roof is leaking for at least a week now, if not longer. Both teams that play out of this rink pay A LOT of money to play here and the conditions are horrible. You can see the floor coming up through the ice! At what point that the owner will the owmer care and do something?!

Not the most updated of facilities but it was affordable, clean, friendly people and the ice was well maintained. Good times!

I like having a local ice rink nearby and It was approximately $ 15 for my son and I to skate, which included the ice fee and rentals– BUT the skates were so badly damaged! Within minutes, my feet were a little bit sore from the first pair, but I thought that that was normal because I don’t normally skate. After about an hour, I decided to trade the pair in, and that made a world of difference — but was still a tad bit uncomfortable because they were so worn.

Forget the haters: it’s 110 outside and in 15 minutes I can pretend to be in an Ohio winter, even wear long sleeves! Sure it’s an old place, but it looks no better or worse than the places I skated up north, so I’m just happy with whatever I get. Skates were good enough to get me through 2 hours on the ice, and everyone seemed happy, which was nice. My son and I had a blast and it only cost us $ 16. Can’t go see a movie for that price, and there are so few ways for kids to exercise here in the summer, so hurray Arcadia Ice Arena. My son and I can’t wait to go back.

Ron Filions Hockey clinics have transformed my 6 year old sons skating abilities. He is a new skater, but they gave him extra attention and coached in a positive manner where he was proud of his accomplishments regardless of how small they may have been. It’s a great additional skate to the program he is already participating in.

The Ice Tavern behind the goal was a blast! The bartender Sean/​Shawn was the best. He made the pre-​game and game experience so much more enjoyable– Spokane loves it!

This place was so dingy. The skates looked disgusting like someone or something had been chewing on them. The facility really needs an uplift. The ice was really choppy too. Almost could not find the location and no parking at the front of venue, only on the side or back. This was just weird since the place is in large shopping center.

Awful. Just awful. We spent the majority of our visit trying to find a pair of skates that fit, which never happened. After coming to terms with the fact that these decrepit old skates were never going to fit properly we hit the «ice». I say it that way because this was more like lumpy bumpy broken glass. The zamboni didn’t make an appearance until free skate was over and it was time for us to leave. The blades on the skates were so dull that when paired with the ice rink that was mostly snow cone by now it was near impossible to skate. So my feet are wrecked and I skated for a probable collective fifteen minutes. Run down dirty old facility that obviously isn’t very well up kept. Had it not been for the groupon we’d have never come and we won’t be returning. #myfeethurt #ghettoice

I took my five year old skating for the first time. While trying to teach her to skate I noticed an advertisement for the now, Little Howlers, program. I inquired and was surprised that they offer free skating lessons to kids for 4 Saturdays during the month. This includes skates, helmet, all pads, and a jersey. You can take your kid to practice in between classes and they won’t get hurt while wearing the equipment.
A big thanks to the Coyotes who sponsor the class and make this happen.
The staff is really amazing, friendly, and helpful. My daughter is very shy so I have been getting her involved in a lot of activities to try and break her shy barrier. I expected her to cry but what I wasn’t expecting was the personalized attention she got from one of the ice skating coaches, Michelle Clarke. Thanks to Michelle my daughter absolutely loves ice skating. Many thanks to the other coaches who are teaching as well. She can’t stop talking about going back.

Great rink no matter what level of skater you are. Open skates are not crowded. I learned how to play hockey here as an adult and now my daughter is learning here. They follow USA Hockey’s ADM program giving my daughter a solid base to thrive on. They always have the Kids First program giving kids 4 weeks of hockey (skating) lessons for free. Great way to try it out without having to spend a lot of money.

I’ve been going there for a number of years and it’s a great place to be away from the 100 degree heat for awhile. I definitely agree with Craig about the aesthetics, it’s an old rink, not flashy; it’s homey to me – reminds me a little bit of the McFetridge Sports Center in Chicago, but without the inside bar.
The only things I care about are (not necessarily in that order, but must be present):
* my skates are sharpened just right at the right price (yay!)
* a place to lock up my stuff, glide/​fall numerous times on the ice, afterwards get a beer at the bar (tucked way in the back so the kids don’t see it)
*consistently friendly staff
*happy kids and parents as a bonus (I don’t mind lookin’ out for the kids as they zip by me at 10mph)

Great place to skate! As Craig said before me not super flashy but for a cheap way to cool off and have a good time it’s a good place to go!

We’d been to Arcadia ice a couple of times before deciding to have our 6 year old’s birthday party there.
Although far less flashy than the ice den in northern scottsdale, Arcadia has the essentials down. Their equipment is fairly old and worn out — but the issues I found with the skates and facilities were solely aesthetic issues. The skates work well and the ice surface is well maintained. The staff is helpful and the place has a genuine neighborhood feel.
The public skates we’ve attended at Arcadia don’t have the frenetic feel of those we’ve attended at the ice den, as they limit the number of participants to what appears to me to be a reasonable number.
The party we had was reasonably priced (at least a hundred dollars cheaper than the offering at the ice den), and the staff was very helpful and dedicated. From our party helper who handled skate fitting and pizza serving, to the instructor who gathered our kids and have a lesson, to the Zammboni driver who conversed with our 6 yr old the entire ride; everyone involved made the day great.
As long as you can stomach a slightly non-​polished experience, save your money and avoid the crowds at Arcadia ice.

Before pop culture coined the term tween; but only by about a year or two, I had the privilege of playing ice hockey as a young teen. I had a few ‘wordy’ on ice debates over this or that during a peewee season. «I think you’ll like they way I use ‘Pow!’, ‘Bam!’, and ‘Zap!’ in a sentence.» I ‘politely’ explained to the defense-​man, alas, I was cordially invited to take a ‘break’ from the sport I so loved. Time marches on, or so the song goes, and fifteen years later I still hadn’t picked it back up.
Shazam! I got this wonder-​brained idea about a year ago, I’m going to play ice hockey again!
Fifteen years later, the call to get back on the ice was overwhelming, I felt like Uncle Sam himself was calling me to serve my country, do my duty, stand up and take action! I spent a few months debating weather I would do it or not and decided to take the plunge.
Being the frugal person I am, I chose to pay the entire season instead of game by game. You’ll spend closer to $ 20 per league game, instead of $ 25 by paying it upfront. I picked up a few new pieces of necessary gear I didn’t already own, a helmet, gloves, athletic protector (those boys are sensitive you know) ;-), and away I went.
Suiting up that first time, brought back that feeling of sporting camaraderie you can’t find anywhere, at least outside of a locker room. Taped the hockey stick, laced up the skates, pulled on the jersey, buttoned up the helmet, and away I went. The puck dropped for my first rotation on the ice, I skated my heart out, and holy cr*p! What the heck was I thinking! OMG, I think I’m about to die, right here, on the ice.
I looked up at the clock, and it was only about 67 seconds into the game, go figure. My next thought was «I knew I shouldn’t have paid the ‘entire’ season. Now I have to come back :-/​«
Fast forward nine months, I’m still going back week after week. I can finally make it back to the car after a game without limping the entire way there, and no longer feel like I’m punishing myself for the future possibility of keeping up in Adult League Ice Hockey.
I’ve been told by a number of skaters that while Arcadia doesn’t have the best facility, they’ve got one of the better patches of ice in the valley. Lucky for me, I live only a few miles from here, short commute!
Check them out for a free skate, drop in for an open hockey, or join me for C-​League. There’s always a beginner class happening on the weekend for anyone interested, they’ll even loan you out some gear if you’d like to ‘try before you buy’ so to speak.
Happy Unilocaling Phoenix, see you on the ice!

Sometimes, an establishment gets an extra star boost for being unique. As the only ice rink in Phoenix, Arcadia Ice Arena is just that kind of place. And, needless to say, in an area that is consistently warm and a goddamn inferno in several months of the year, why shouldn’t I reward a place that allows me to enter frigid temperatures and relax by taking a few spins around the ice?
Granted, the place is in a moderately sketchy shopping center and the arena itself is rundown, but the staff is generally nice, the ice is well maintained and the prices are affordable (even before the recent slurry of Groupons). And, yes, I did just use a ice-​related word.
The best part about Arcadia Ice Arena? The fantastic bar, Ice House, featuring a ton of different local and craft beers, microwave popcorn, live music on weekend nights, darts and a great view of the rink. What a one-​of-​a-​kind experience to have here in the Valley of the Sun!

This place is a train wreck in a refrigerator. Its very cold (which is to be expected) but also extremely dilapidated. The ceiling is falling in, its old and worn, and worst of all, there is NO ONE to control the children. The children (which are more like teenagers) are running a muck, creating cracks in the ice and throwing it at other people.
I don’t like the ice throwing, and I don’t like cold ceilings falling in. When asked if you should go to Arcadia say, «No!»

This place is definitely showing its age. It has withstood time in that it is still in operation, but it is in dire need of some serious renovation.
The «warm room», which is the snack bar, is often a disaster area.
There is some sort of «camp» for kids, which apparently meets up in the warm room. Then destroys it. Then leaves it like that.
I paid $ 2.50 for a «deluxe mocha», which was instant coffee, and powdered cocoa. How that constitutes «deluxe» I’ll probably never know.
There is no comfortable seating to be found anywhere.
The skates were considerably aged.
Ostensibly in an attempt to clear the condensation on the viewing glass (but failing miserably) there was a large fan blowing the cold air down toward the seating, just to ensure you weren’t able to be warm at all. (Not a major problem the day I went, as it was approaching supernova temps outside)
There was actually a diaper on the floor in the «warm room», that remained there for the entire duration I was at the rink, which was almost 3 hours.
I would sooner pay the cost to go to the Ice Den. It is far cleaner, much more maintained, has comfortable seating, much more, and much better amenities.

3.5 stars!
A few weeks ago, I introduced my 4yr old son to ice skating at this rink and he LOVED it! Despite the heavy teenage presence, no one acted like an ass, there was no bumping into beginning skaters or showing off. Everyone was really well-​behaved and considerate. It was a very welcoming atmosphere for those who were just learning to skate and I appreciated the lack of attitude I generally find at similar facilities.
It’s not in the greatest area I guess, and the teen-​age employees had some munchie symptoms & blood-​shot eyes… but more important to me was that everyone was friendly and having a good time. It reminded me a lot of the rink I used to frequent when I was 14, where my friends and I drooled over the hockey players. If you’re looking for fancy amenities, this probably isn’t your place but hey… they had a bar in the back! That’s fancy enough for me :)

Arcadia Ice Arena… is on the very far boundary of Arcadia. This is no posh neighborhood ice arena. This is your inner city ice arena, if there ever was one.
Situated behind a Radio Shack and next to a Walmart, the AIA is in a busy parking lot. When we were looking for the place, we almost ran into not one, but three scruffy looking guys. The 9 year old who was with us said «you’d better make sure to lock the car door when we park.» And we did — twice.
When we walked inside just after the session was supposed to start at 6:30, they were just starting to prep the ice for the session. The Zamboni did not even come out until maybe 6:45. So, they were a little behind.
We checked in and gave them our Groupon, which we had purchased for four admissions and four skate rentals a couple months ago. The girl working the register was friendly enough. DH and I have our own hockey skates, so we only needed two pair (for DD and her friend). We went to the counter to get the skates and the young girl who was supposed to retrieve them (who also works at the snack bar) seemed very confused. She said she organized the skates in the morning, but now they were all over the place. They were all in their spaces, but she didn’t even know where to begin looking. She couldn’t find the right size for the girls, so we made do with what she did find. She seemed a little dazed and confused, if you know what I mean.
When we finally did get onto the ice, we noticed it was not smooth at all. The ice was bumpy and grooved… and just not the smooth ice I have skated on before. Not that I am a pro or anything… I could barely stand up compared to others there. Still, it is worth noting.
It also bummed me out that when I pulled out my camera to take a picture of DD’s brief two minutes on the ice, I must have dropped the 9 y/​o $ 20 bill. No one turned it in, so I felt horrible. And, yes, I will be going to the atm in the morning to make the kid whole again. But the kid and I decided that if someone would just scoop up someone else’s money without turning it in… they probably needed it more than us. Smart kid.
Did we have fun? Sure thing! Would we come here again? No way! We will try Polar Ice in Chandler next. At least then we’d be closer to our neck of the woods.
**The best part of the experience? Getting to meet Marsella M and her son! He was ice skating and doing an EXCELLENT job. What a trooper!**