Walnut Creek On Ice

Fun local seasonal event! I've passed by this setup several times over the years but finally decided to try it in 2024 :P At only $20/person for 90 mins, I think it's worth it.About two weeks in advance, I booked tickets online for our group on NYE day. Glad they were open-- super cute activity before our NYE party!Staff scanned our tickets at the entrance, then had us file in to grab a pair of skates. The skates are as you expect from typical ice rinks-- a bit worn but still quite sturdy. For a staff of mainly teenagers, they were all exceedingly professional and kind. I was frankly impressed (and appreciative) given that they were working NYE!No spot dedicated for shoe storage, just left them under the benches where we changed into skates. Restrooms were portables with hand wash stations.The rink is relatively small, about the quarter of a standard rink, with dozens of skaters at any given time. Plenty of folks of all ages using their rentable walkers ($15/each). Staff are continually gliding around checking in on guests. Even then, it didn't feel too crowded and we had ample breathing room. When the occasional person fell, there wasn't any crazy traffic pile-up LOL. My only gripe is that they should resurface the ice more frequently. It was preeeeetty scuffed by our 3:00 pm reservation which led to a few beginner-unfriendly divots and bumps. A group of mischievous kids were even scraping a hefty pile of "snow" in one spot to make a snowman LMAOOOOO. But not too bad once you gained your balance. There were LOTS of experienced skaters zipping along gracefully without a hitch. Had a great time :D The 90 mins really flies by! Most of us hadn't skated in years so it was a lovely treat for winter.NOTE: I really appreciate their purchase insurance! Was not expecting an event like this to have an option to refund your tickets in case you can't make it. Although we did end up going, for $6 it was worth the peace of mind in case our plans changed~

Skates smelled, were damp inside, and were unusable - they ran large and even after sizing down didn't fit correctly. They also leaned inward and put so much pressure on my ankles that I had to stop skating after 5 min or so.We came to get tickets in person to avoid the online fee, but they didn't let us purchase in person and instead directed us to the website.

Disappointing Experience, today visited this ice skating and ice slide venue, and it was a huge letdown. The ice was poorly maintained, with large patches of melted areas that made skating extremely difficult and even unsafe. The ice slides were just as bad--most of them had melted to the point where they were more water slides than ice slides, leaving everyone wet and uncomfortable.The overall experience felt poorly managed and unprofessional. For the price they charge, I expected much better maintenance and safety measures. I wouldn't recommend this place until they fix these issues and ensure a proper ice experience. Definitely not worth the visit.

We went on a Littles Skate session which was for ages 5 and under with an adult accompanying. This was a great idea because the little ones don't have to deal with trying to avoid the big kids or the fast big kids running them over. Most of the 5 and under kids are just learning to get the hang of skating and practically all of them need the skate aid, which is like a skating walker. We had a really good time and I highly recommend the skate aid if it is your young child's first time skating, it gives them confidence to be able to skate long strides without falling down.The ice was not well groomed though and I would say that was the thing that needed improvement. It's hard to skate when there's little breaks in the ice or when it's not smooth. If it wasn't for the skate aids, it would've been a lot harder trying to skate over those little breaks and cracks. They have a parking lot, but it fills up pretty fast so I would say to go early.

Hate to say it but walnut creek on ice was a BIG disappointment and also I've heard is the best skating experience in the winter which is sad for me as someone who's grown up in seattle. It's pretty small (not as small compared to union square), but the main other issue is that the logistics are pretty bad and they only book the ice for a certain 90 minute increment, which doesn't help because there is no parking within the ice rink / in the park and you have to find somewhere else to go. They also don't regulate the kids / the walkers so we were constantly trying to navigate all of the kids / avoid them while skating and they only zamboni between the 90 min blocks which means that the ice gets REALLY bad. I think it's sort of cute for the vibe but not worth it value wise. They also dont charge less if you dont have the skates and it's kind of expensive tbh, so just go somewhere else if you can.

Second time going and both times had a great time. We had a coupon we wanted to use and the manager, AJ, was so accommodating and helpful to us when we couldn't get it to work online. When I thanked him for his help he thanked us for our business! We will be making this a yearly tradition with our boys for sure! Thank you for a fun time!

Walnut Creek On Ice is a great place for the whole family. New for 2024 they added a slide which is a great option for those who don't want to skate or can't. I'll be back for 2025!

Same story as when I came 3 years ago. Same ol crappy shoes. Even worse this time. Ice was horrible. Puddles of water in some areas. Do better!

Manager AJ gave away our fire pit despite our paid reservation online and did not refund our moneyUnsafe, too crowded, teen staff zooming in and out too close to unsteady skaters and children, skates were wet inside with laces tangled and frayed and too long to tie. Not coming back

Booking tickets was super easy for Apple Wallet. Parking and having bathrooms on-site were a nice convenience. The concession stand staff dude was kind, but the hot chocolate was awful--it tasted like dirt.The ice was a big disappointment. It was slushy the entire time, and it clearly hadn't been resurfaced before our 90-minute session. Skating on it wasn't smooth and made the experience a challenge to say the least.One safety concern: an employee (probably late teens or early 20s) was skating way too fast, zooming dangerously close to people. It felt like he was showing off, and it wasn't safe for families or kids.Overall, my daughter had fun, and her smiles made it worth it, but I'd look for a different rink next time. They really need to resurface the ice before every session and improve the quality of their hot chocolate. Oh, and employees should tuck in the rental laces, asking patron after patron to do their job is not service-friendly.