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A 9,000 square-foot ice skating rink sits at the center of the village at Northstar, surrounded by cabanas, fire pits and plenty of winter cheer. (Northstar Resort)
A 9,000 square-foot ice skating rink sits at the center of the village at Northstar, surrounded by cozy cabanas, s'mores-ready fire pits and winter holiday cheer. (Northstar Resort)
The Rink Bar, just steps from the ice rink at Northstar, serves steamy hot chocolate for all and an adults-only Dirty Snowman spiked with vanilla vodka, hazelnut liqueur and Irish cream. (Northstar Resort)
The holiday ice rink at San Francisco's Embarcadero Center lets you do that triple lutz with views of the Ferry Building and the bay. (Embarcadero Center)
Dandelion's rich, thick European Hot Chocolate is served daily in the San Francisco chocolate factory cafe and at the Dandelion booth in the Ferry Building Marketplace. (Courtesy Eric Wolfinger)
Fancy a cookie with your cocoa? Oh good, because the classic House Hot Chocolate at Dandelion Chocolate's cafe in San Francisco comes with a cookie tucked into its pocket. (Courtesy Eric Wolfinger)
At the Recchiuti Confections booth in the Ferry Building Marketplace, the seasonal go-to is peppermint thins dropped into the Recchiuti Dark Hot Chocolate mixture. (Recchiuti Confections)
Tratto's Cioccalata Calda con Amaro will be available for free after 3 p.m. daily through Jan. 15 with a ticket from the nearby Holiday Ice Rink in San Francisco (Photo: Courtesy of Tratto)
Winter holidays draw visitors and locals alike to San Francisco's Union Square, where the ice rink and twinkle-lit trees make the season festive. (Allison Webber/ Union Square Business Improvement District)
Tratto, a new trattoria inside The Marker Hotel in San Francisco, is offering free hot chocolate to people who bring in a Holiday Ice Rink ticket after 3 p.m. (The Marker Hotel)
Palo Alto families have skated at Winter Lodge, the twinkle-lit outdoor ice rink in the heart of Silicon Valley, since 1956. (Winter Lodge)
Palo Alto's Winter Lodge glows during the holidays. Lights sparkle amid towering trees and fireplaces offer glowing warmth. (Winter Lodge)
At Winter Lodge, the twinkle-lit outdoor ice skating rink in Palo Alto, the frosty frolicking goes back decades. (Winter Lodge)
The historic Folsom ice rink is a holiday season tradition. (Courtesy Amber Shoop)
The historic Folsom Ice Rink draws happy families all season long. (Courtesy of Amber Shoop)
A hot cocoa stands proves a popular draw at the historic Folsom Ice Rink. (Courtesy of Amber Shoop)
A seasonal, outdoor ice rink is a tradition in Folsom. (Courtesy of Amber Shoop)
Winter brings ice skaters to downtown Sacramento each year for holiday skating. This season's hijinks will be even cooler with the opening of a new 6,800-square-foot rink in November at St. Rose of Lima Park. (Downtown Sac)
Winter brings ice skaters to downtown Sacramento each year for holiday skating. This season's hijinks will be even cooler with the opening of a new 6,800-square-foot rink in November at St. Rose of Lima Park. (Downtown Sac)
The Siskiyou Ice Rink draws figure skaters, hockey players and families to the chilly frolicking spot with spectacular views. (Courtesy Lisa Shara)
Youth hockey leagues play all winter at the Siskiyou Ice Rink. (Courtesy Lisa Shara)
The Siskiyou Ice Rink draws figure skaters, hockey players and families to this chilly spot to frolic -- with spectacular views. (Courtesy Keven Martin)
A correction to an earlier version of this article has been appended to the end of the article.
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Ice skating followed by a delectable hot cocoa has to be the ultimate holiday pairing. Here’s just a taste of Northern California’s most scenic outdoor seasonal ice rinks, with hot-chocolate choices to boot!
For more than 60 years, families have flocked to these serene indoor and outdoor rinks in the heart of what’s now Silicon Valley. For the holidays, the clubhouse, fireplaces and outdoor rink sparkle with twinkle lights and holiday trees.
Icy details: General admission is $12. Open for public skating from late September to mid-April at 3009 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; www.winterlodge.com.
Hot stuff: The best hot chocolate at the Winter Lodge comes straight from the classic vending machine on site, a longstanding Lodge tradition.
In the heart of the city, surrounded by glittery holiday windows at Saks, Neiman and Macy’s (don’t miss the kittens and puppies in the windows!), colorful blurs glide around a massive Christmas tree and a lighted menorah. There are special events like Drag Queens on Ice, and you can even ring in the New Year with Polar Bear Skating, where skaters are encouraged to dress “barely there” in their chicest, wildest and most inventive beach attire.
Icy details: $18 for adults, $13 for children 8 and under (skate rental included). Open from November through mid-January at 333 Post St.; www.unionsquareicerink.com.
Hot stuff: A short walk away is Tratto, the trattoria inside The Marker hotel, which offers complimentary Italian Hot Chocolate, available after 11:30 a.m. on weekends and 3 p.m. on weekdays throughout the holiday season when you show your Union Square ice rink ticket; www.tratto-sf.com.
Backed by a view of the Bay Bridge and Ferry Building, the seasonal rink has been a San Francisco tradition for more than 25 years. Off the Grid trucks are usually parked nearby on Saturdays, and nights sparkle with the Bay Lights installation on the bridge.Related Articles Travel | Bay Area ice rinks and gourmet hot chocolate go hand in hand Travel | Oakland’s first and only holiday ice rink with pizza, tacos and more Travel | Holiday lights: 19 spectacular Bay Area displays Travel | 12 great Bay Area outings for holiday houseguests
Icy details: $12 adults, $7 children 8 and under. Open November through mid-January on Embarcadero Plaza, adjacent to Four Embarcadero Center; www.embarcaderocenter.com.
Hot stuff: Post-skate, walk over to the Ferry Building Marketplace to the Dandelion Chocolate kiosk for exquisite European drinking chocolate or the seasonal Gingerbread Hot Chocolate; www.dandelionchocolate.com. (Or, if you’d like to make cocoa at home, pick up a box of Recchiuti Dark Hot Chocolate pistoles at the Recchiuti Confections booth nearby; www.recchiuti.com.)
This rink has been a seasonal tradition on “The Kay” (the corner of K and Seventh streets) since 1991, creating a signature holiday experience for the region with special events like a Silent Disco skate night.
Icy details: $13-$15 adults, $6 children 6 and under. Open November to January in St. Rose of Lima Park; www.godowntownsac.com/events.
Hot stuff: The rink partners with a Starbucks right across the street, but those in the know suggest the short walk to Steamers in Old Sacramento, a great place to load your Thermos with hot cocoa (and there’s a full soda fountain, if you want to go frosty); www.steamersoldsac.com.
Siskiyou’s seasonal rink — possibly the only full NHL-sized outdoor rink in the country — takes advantage of the region’s long, cold winter season in the shadow of Mount Shasta. Fun special events are sprinkled throughout the season, like Full Moon skates, New Year’s morning Pajama Skate and Cheap Skate Night, a community event where you pay what you’re able.
Icy details: $10 adults, $8 teens and $7 children 12 and under. Open November through February in Shastice Park, 800 Rockfellow Drive, Mount Shasta; www.siskiyourink.org.
Hot stuff: There’s hot chocolate at the rink, but if you want something more in the gourmet mocha vein, try Yaks Mount Shasta Koffee & Eatery in town; www.yaksmtshasta.com.
This beautiful circular ice rink was designed specifically for the plaza in Historic Folsom, built around the vintage railroad roundhouse in 2012. Snow flurries erupt regularly from nutcracker speakers/snow machines around the rink.
Icy details: November through mid-January; $12 adults, $10 children 8 and under; 200 Wool St.; www.folsomicerink.com.
Hot stuff: Folsom’s Bravo Coffee Bar, which offers locally roasted coffee beans and hand-crafted beverages, serves pour-over coffee and yummy hot cocoa all season at the rink; www.bravocoffeebar.homesteadcloud.com.
This 9,000 square-foot ice skating rink sits at the center of the village at Northstar, surrounded by cozy cabanas, fire pits and winter holiday cheer.
Icy details: Free. Open from November through ski season at 5001 Northstar Drive; www.northstarcalifornia.com.
Hot stuff: The Cabana Bar and Rink Bar, just steps from the ice rink, serve steamy hot chocolate for all and an adults-only Dirty Snowman spiked with vanilla vodka, hazelnut liquor and Irish cream. Yum.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that the Recchiuti Confections booth at the San Francisco Ferry Building sells hot chocolate. The booth sells chocolate pistoles for making hot chocolate at home.
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