Lace up your ice skates Tampa Bay, the Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa is now open! Mayor Bob Buckhorn made it official as he drove the zamboni machine through the grand opening ribbon. (Let’s be honest, a zamboni is so much cooler than scissors!)Â 
While the outdoor ice skating rink is pretty cool (literally), the Winter Village has so much in store for you and the whole family! There’s an outdoor cafe featuring delicious snacks and beverages from Mise en Place and Sono Cafe. There’s also the Winter Village Marketplace which is a unique concept we are loving . It’s a row of 7 pop-up boutiques in PODS, yes, the storage PODS you are thinking of! More than 20 local businesses will rotate through the Winter Village Market place through Christmas Day. The snack bar at the Winter Village Rink will be selling holiday classics like roasted chestnuts, candied nuts, and more.
What’s the scoop? It’s $12 to ice skate for 90 minutes. We asked how small the ice skates sizes go–it’s about a size 7/8 for a toddler, so you can even bring the little ones. Kids ages 3 and younger are free. You can also purchase gloves and socks for $3.50 and a lock for a locker for $4. The Village will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 4:00pm-7:00pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00pm-7:00pm. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day. You can park in the William F. Poe Parking Garage which is just north of Curtis Hixon Park. For free parking, try on street parking in the downtown area which is free after 6:00pm on weekdays and on weekends.
By the way, the Winter Village is so cool we decided it was the perfect place for our December cover shoot with Darlene Barlows Photography and cover model Peyton. We can’t wait to share the December issue with you!
