Took the family there for.some.ice skatingThey practiced safety protocols. The ice rink was fun with a decent balance of skaters. And the view of the skyline made it even more so. Friendly polite staff. Had a great time.

This was my first tIme here with my sisters & was super fun. The supervising skaters were also very nice and helpful. Overall we had a great time. Ready to go again

Well organized in Covid times. Was easy to make a reservation online. A bit of a line for check in and wristbands. They have penguin ice skating thingies for kids to use. Not crowded.

Even with drizzling rain, the ribbon was fun. Good covid safety protocols.

Our family tradition every year!!! Always fun. Bring your own skates or else it’s always a long line for rentals. If you bring your own skates there is no waiting time and you walk right on. Check out zamboni times ahead because it does take 50 min to an hour. Plan around that for the best use of your time. We never spend a dime there unless we want hot chocolate or a snack. We put the entire family’s shoes in backpack and get on the ice. You can get a locker if you choose or throw it on one of their storage bins. No one has ever taken our bags. We just check on it visually every other time we go around. GREAT family fun, wonderful CHRISTMAS ambiance and always a good time.

Extraordinary city treasure, as there is nothing as unique as this skating ribbon in the world. the skating ribbon has some great twists and turns with some slight elevation changes, plus the backdrop in a city park framed by the Chicago skyline makes this an amazing winter stop for all tourists and locals

Me and my family were looking for a fun outdoor experience and this place killed it! The employees (Josh and Bob) were so helpful and fantastic. They were awesome. The roller skating and scooters are fairly priced. Will definitely come back again!

Even on a cloudy, cool day, Maggie Daley Park seems like an oasis amidst the skyscrapers. We did yoga in the Cancer Survivors Garden and found everything surrounding us inspirational and tranquil. Go there. You will agree.

I went on a scooter for the first time in my life. If you have your scooter (bring helmet too) you can ride it all day long or rent one with helmet (safety gear) for half an hour. It is a pleasant road. At winter they switch to ice skating which is fabulous. The facility has a drinking fountain, restrooms and you can rent a locker for 2 dollars. Maggie Daley is a gem in downtown!

By far the coolest ice in the region (no pun intended). This is the only rink you will find that allows skaters to do more than just skate in circles. Unbelievable photo ops and this is a fantastic activity for locals or tourists. This rink is widely popular so expect long wait times if you’re going on the weekend!

Terrible music.Why are you playing 50s rock at a Christmas-time Ice rink decorated all Christmas-y?Plus it was so low you could barely hear it. Staff was very nice and accommodating.Parked right outside the rink!

Visited MDP for the purpose of voting in the election. The process was smooth, and the volunteers very personable.

Beautiful place to skate with skyscrapers as a backdrop. Lockers are three dollars. Skate rentals available skating is free. Park at Millenium Garage or Lakeside garage. Easy walk from either.

Super nice place with great views of the city! There was a long line for admissions (about two hours wait) but it wasn’t too bad and it was totally worth it!Rental prices are affordable, and if you got your own ice skates then you don’t have to wait in line, you may just enter and skate.Also you don’t need to have any experience skating to do it, there are fences on the sides for people to grab on.Overall, highly recommended!

Loved this outdoor ice skating space in the middle of Chicago! To rent skates, the prices are very reasonable and the skates are in good condition. They smooth the ice every several hours. There are very slight inclines, so it can take a little getting used to. I would suggest coming a little early to avoid the lines. However, if you have your own skates, theres no admission fee! Highly recommend this fun activity!

By far one of the coolest rinks I’ve ever had the pleasure of skating on. A winding ribbon in a park right in the heart of downtown Chicago, a great experience to be had for sure! Came on a beautiful New Years morning, place was modestly busy but still more than enough space along the ribbon for skaters to spread out & be comfortable. The best part is that it doesn’t cost a thing if you bring your own skates, an awesome perk & free activity for anyone with skates that wants to come by!

This place is great! Manage your expectations - it can be crowded and you will see every rule broken but .....it your are reasonable and respectful, you can have a great time. The staff here are really nice and helpful which is a refreshing change from many of the other park facilities nearby. Go skate and if you value your time, you have the option to pay to skip the line. The money goes to the park anyways.... You will still have speed demon teen hockey players zipping past you but mostly they have the control to keep it safe. The only thing missing here is music.

Great skating. Free if you bring your own skates. They run the zamboni every couple of hours. It gets pretty rough right behavior each re-icing session.

Skating ribbon is the BEST. Suggest going on a Friday night, closer to dinner time. Ice gets very bumpy very quickly, and part is up a slight hill, but it’s seriously so much fun.Bonus points for hot chocolate cafe halfway through!

Beautiful park beautiful Chicago

Love skating the ribbon! Bathrooms are clean, lockers are convenient and the ribbon is fun to skate. The only downsides - they let kids rip up the ice making chunks in it soon after the zamboni smooths it out making it hard to skate smoothly and without tripping in the chunks and uneven spots. The other issue is when really good and fast skaters come (especially hockey players), they zoom in and around people dangerously and make it hard for younger kids who go slow and those learning how to skate. I wonder how frequent they have injuries due to these super fast and reckless skaters knocking people over. I have seen injuries at least 3x I have been there. But on a lucky day with safe and respectful skaters it is great. Beautiful view of the city while skating too.

The line for the skate rentals was incredibly long, which wouldnt be a problem if the service was better than apathetic mumbling. The skates were well worn and frayed on the edges making them hard to lace. They fit so poorly that, dispute my left foot touching on the back of my heel and the tip of my toe, the ankle was so loose that the blade was rocking back an fourth leaving me unable balance after the hour and a half of waiting. Although the ice is well lit, half the Christmas music speakers sounded like they were blown out, and despite poor rink conditions, you do get a beautiful view of the skyline which lends itself to great festive photo ops.

Love this outdoor skating rink as its not a typical oval but a winding path with elevation changes. You can rent skates for a reasonable cost, or can bring your own and skate for free. Its not too crowded most of the time but peak times you may have to wait. I wouldnt necessarily recommend this place if you have never skated before though as it can be a bit more challenging than a flat oval.

Wait time was a bit much but not exaggerated. I feel its best to go much earlier or much later in the day to beat the line. Or being your own skates if you have them. I enjoyed my time there, and would like to go again someday.

I’m rating three stars because the wait time to skate is long and the price for a fast pass is ridiculous, $40! If you’re here for people watching, great views of downtown this place is for you. If you’re willing to wait in line or spend close to fifty bucks for a fast pass to have a great time ice skating this is your cup of tea.

This place is fun! $15 to rent a skate or you can take your own. The ribbon is fairly big bit the level is a litle elevated it has some uphill and downhill that can be scary if you are totally beginner.

I went on a Wednesday evening with my daughter. We brought our skates so only had to invest $2 for the locker. It was not crowded at all; beautiful weather; beautiful setting; employees were very pleasant. The only negative is they close for an hour to run the Zamboni, so it’s not worth waiting around to go back on. Other rinks have it done in 10, 15 minutes. We walked over to the Bean after for some caroling. It was really a perfect night.

Heard about the groovy tunes, linty lights, people of all ages n levels zooming by and was immediately like take me to church!! Great vibes if nothing else! Cash only though so come prepared or head over to the corner store down the street.

The most fun ice skating rink in the city. If you know how to ice skate youll have the most fun ever because there is some slight terrain where you get to skate uphill (slightly) and gain speed going downhill. The rink is large and has handrails on both sides for people who are learning to skate. They also rent cute little penguin shaped skate helpers for kids learning to skate. Its a lot of fun and a nice change from just going around in a circle- I still love the millennium park rink, but this one is great! They do get super busy, so it can take 30+ min in line to rent and return skates.

This is an awesome park, but some of the slides were closed when we went there in december.

We paid $33 for two people to rent skates and a locker. The people working at the desk failed to mention that the rink was closing for 45 minutes to be groomed. When we asked for a refund, the manager said she is unable to issue refunds, which makes no sense since any place that can accept a credit card can issue a refund to that card. Instead, she gave us an email address to email requesting a refund. In addition, everyone was incredibly rude and nobody apologized for misinforming us. Definitely do not recommend coming here at all.

All I have to say is BANANA BREAD PUDDING!!!! Im not even a fan of bananas, but their banana bread pudding is sooooo delicious.I bought three little tubs to take home and they were good all week :)One of my favorite places to get dessert!!!

Great outdoor ice skating rink. Full of people. Staff is kind, downtown Chicago, amazing views and there is hot chocolate!! Great way to spend sometime outside enjoying the city.

Surprisingly efficient and friendly staff. Very patient folks considering the volume of people they are dealing with. Novel track with slight inclines. Ice gets pretty hammered between resurfacing, but overall a great winter activity.

Free if you bring your own skates! Still gotta pick up a wrist band before you get on the ice. If you drive, pre purchase online to park in the Lakeside Mellenium Park garage and save about 50% - Its the closest you will get to the ribbon. Walker penguins available for kids for $10. Very busy in the Christmas season, pretty open in the mornings after the holidays.

My girlfriend and I loved this ice skating experience! We arrived at 8pm on a cold Friday night to find the rink pretty empty and entry was free. It was only 14 dollars to rent my skates and free for my girlfriend who brought her own. The staff was nice enough to hold her shoes with mine so we didnt have to worry about them. The rink itself is wide enough that we didnt feel rushed or in the way. We werent the fastest skates but it was a beautiful and fun Friday night date.

Bathrooms, found parking on Randolph, ice good. Free if you bring skates. Nice warming house

Its the only roller rink we have near by, I have been coming here since I was a kid myself, now I brink my daughter here. We like this place. music is good, refers are helpful and the price is reasonable.

The ribbon is my favorite place to skate in Chicago, hands down. It might even be my favorite place to skate anywhere in the US! Way more interesting than skating around a normal rink over and over—it feels like a Mario Cart circuit come to life! A must-do Chicago winter activity. ️

So much fun! The track is so much better than just skating in circles. It made for a great time with friends.

Definitely worth doing in the winter. So fun to skate on at night. What’s great is that you can rent skates and then take a break for dinner, and if you come back with your wristband you can get skates again.

Love this skating rink. I go here every holiday season and amazing ice too. I love this place, the staff are really nice, smooth ice, and good zamboni. I also learned a few ice skating tricks here. I 100% recommend this skating rink.

Total failure today. Unorganized is by far the best i can say and lack of a better word. Communication was absent minus the several lies that staff told us about when the griswold shen yun on ice show would be over. Stood in skates from around 5pm till after 6pm. None of the staff seemed informed and looked lost overall. Honestly the organizers of this event should be ashamed of themselves. In summary I have already filed this epic fail in my memory under the horror section. Sad show home team. Sad show....

I grew up playing hockey so I was very impressed with how well maintained this ice rink was! A great spot for tourists or locals. Gotta love Chicago!

Great Chicago winter attraction. If you live or visit Chicago in winter and you like ice skating, make sure to visit this place. Its the best in the evening.

Great sheet of ice, and a good experience. We visited here on Saturday night to enjoy an evening of ice skating. Overall the quality of ice was goods, the rental equipment is although a hit or miss.

Looked cool, but we rented skates, then were told it was to warm to skate after 45 minutes of waiting. Bummer, but still looked amazing

This place is a madhouse around the holidays but theyre very efficient with how they run things. Great holiday fun, I love that its not your traditional flat/arena shaped rink.

Fun atmosphere with a unique way to skate with Chicago views all around. Hot chocolate was delicious, available at the ribbon-side cafe along with other snacks and drinks. Free to skate, rentals and locked available for a fee.

Been visiting the ribbon for a few years now with the family, a few things weve learned1. Go buy your own skates from a resale shop (or bring yours from home) A. it helps avoid the LONG lines and B. Youre going to spend money on renting skates year after year anyways2. Take a look at the Zamboni schedule in advance so you dont show up and have to wait 30+ minutes to skate3. Be patient, and have fun, it can get crowded on the ribbon, take your time, have fun, and avoid accidents

I have been humiliated by the skate rental staff, they laughed at my accent, incredibly unprofessional and the manager Jacquie Vinje doesn’t even know how to deal with costumers. This place is a joke! Don’t bother to try, is Awful!

Located right in the heart of the loop this is one of the coolest parts of the city.They have rentals right there on site so you can rent some skates if you dont have your own.

Cool modern decor, quick service, easy track for beginners.Fun stop while youre visiting the park

Nice atmosphere, especially at night time. Ice quality is horrid. Also the ice is at an incline and decline in some places so its actually hard to skate. Staff is very nice! Lockers can fit either 2 pairs of shoes OR a backpack.

Such good fun. Way better than going around an ice-rink

Fun experience. Bring your own skates as the rental line is LONG. All experience levels there.

My friend and I had so much fun skating here! The view was awesome!

Such a great place! Views were also amazing

Great skyline to skate in front of. Unfortunately, the rental skates were in very poor shape - so make sure to bring your own pair! The ice was also very low quality in some places; with holes that made even experienced skaters stumble.

Absolutely amazing place!!! Chicago out did themselves with this park. Something for all ages to enjoy.

Such a unique skating experience with a small incline and decline on the ice. Santa likes to skate too! The fun doesnt stop when the ice melts...in the summer you can roller skate around the ribbon or climb the rock wall

I loved the way this rink it set up. It never felt too crowded.

Skates were a little painful but it was a fun time any way.

Cloud gate(Thebean) is so cool, the garden so full of color.

Loved this rink as it wasnt just round. 1 hr waiting on weekends ($15). They should maintain the rink more though; its got a lot of rough spots.

Its great! If you go during the busy time the lines can be long, but it is a lot of fun.

Fun times. The line was long but it moved really fast.

We had a fun time here. The skates are well-used so if you can bring your own, thats great. It was pretty rough in patches and it was busy when we were there, so be careful. Nonetheless, a great experience and something well probably go back to every year.

This place is really awesome! Rollerblading, wall climbing, all kinds of reasonably priced family activities! $, parking$$$ml

Great time wait was alittle long but got Togo on in less than an hour worth the wait ...

Could have been built better the place has lots of potential.

We waited in line for about an hour before we got to the skate rental area. Despite the wait, the staff and the rental process was efficient. Quickly donned our skates and anxiously wobbled towards the ice... We havent done this in years! Locked arms with each other as if it would prevent us from falling and nervously moved forward. We were so slow! Haha awesome experience and completely worth the wait. Best winter date!

Get a size smaller skate. Good activity for the winter months.

Lockers cost $3 and are pretty small. Cannot wear backpacks on the ice. There is a ln open shelf near the rink for backpacks.Hotchocolate and snack shack just off the ice rink.

Love it. Not the smoothest Ice. But a fun lil course

Great ice rink although be prepared to wait in line for at least an hour or bring your own skates. This place gets busy

Nice ice skating here.

Great fun... but hot chocolate was not the best, tasted watery

Sooooo much more fun than a typical ice rink. Amazing views of the city as well. Ice is typically resurfaced at 2 and 5 and takes about an hour. The line to rent skates is usually fairly long but you can get right on if you have your own skates.

We take the train out and skate with a group of us once a year. The line is a bit long but we enjoy spending time together and catching up while we wait.

Not enjoying these new policies like wrist bands and no backpacks on the ribbon. Usually enjoy going, this year the ice seems pretty good so far.

Fun.Strengthen your ankles.

Too crowded for such a narrow skating rink; otherwise it is a nice rink with both upslope amd downslope elements.

Cool skating experience. Much better than the usual skating in a circle at a rink.

Its winter, and cold. But beautiful and skating is awesome

Beautiful park, long line if you dont have your own skates, but if you do skating is absolutely FREE!

Great events for kids. Really not for date night or adults. Unless you go ice skating.

So much fun...

Nice place to skate. The skate rentals were a little hectic and the skates I got were a little damaged and made it hard to skate, but I had a pretty good time even as someone who does not really know how to skate. There are quite a few places to sit down if you get tired, and the railings are well placed. Overall, a good place to go in the winter for ice skating.

Fantastic ice ribbon in an awesome park with tons to do. Easy to get to by all train lines and many buses (avoid the very high parking rates). You can rent skates but the lines are very long on weekends. If you bring your own skates you can just hop on the ice for free no waiting.

The ice ribbon is a fun trip! More of a novelty than anything, however. It is rather small, and she to the sheer volume of visitors the ice wears down quickly and can become quite bumpy. However, there is free admission, and skate rental is not too expensive if you need them. Its the outdoor place to skate thats right downtown, so I wouldnt skip the visit!

Its best to bring your own skates since the line is at times unreasonably long. There are also long breaks to resurface the ice, and it may be possible to look online or call ahead to avoid that. But once on the ice, it is an experience to remember. Nothing like it with the Chicago skyline right there and skating a pinch up and down the mini incline, around bends, and with lots of happy people. And its free to skate!

Awesome rink. Friendly staff. Skates are in good condition.

My secret tip is to avoid the crowds and go on the coldest days when most normal people spend their time complaining instead of embracing the cold. No lines and clean ice!

I took my 5 and 6 year old and they loved it! Plenty of benches to hang out and take a break, and they loved the hot cocoa. It is extremely well maintained, very impressed

There was a line but it moved fast. We stayed longer than expected because we were having so much fun. There is music and a food stand with hot cocoa and other snacks. I recommend to go during a sunny day to fully enjoy the experience.

I came in the summer and it was a great experience the staff were pretty nice.

Wait for ice skating was a little long but really fun once you got on the ribbon

Haven’t been able to skat here but in the summer the surrounding park area is great to walk around and enjoy.

Wife and I had a blast. Came around 6:30 on a Thursday in early December after work. No line for skates and the ice wasnt too crowded. If you have your own skates you can just walk right onto the ice for free. Fun, great way to spend an evening. Employee told me that weekends and holidays are the most crowded.