With all the perks of a night out like dancing, fried food, and disco lights, roller skating rinks hold a magic that is both nostalgic and joyous. Even through the social and economic changes spurred on by the 2020 pandemic, they make visitors feel free in a way few places can.
Roller rinks have a long history of doing just that, dating back to the mid 1700s, when stage actors tried imitating ice skating as part of a skit. Eventually skates were patented, and roller rinks were opened in the U.K., and then in the U.S. By the late 1800s, the activity had gained widespread popularity, and sports like roller derby were born.
Roller rinks have also evolved with American history since—they were initially segregated (which the documentary United Skates digs into), but have also been a staple safe haven for Black and Brown youth and their families to come together. Rinks thrived with the disco boom, birthing Roller Disco, and rode the coattails of hip-hop’s rise.
Still, over recent years, roller rinks have been suffering, with places like the iconic Northridge Skateland in California—one of the premier roller skating rinks in the nation known for star appearances—closing down in 2020, along with SkateDaze in Omaha, Nebraska; Golden Skate in California; and countless other once-thriving community treasures.
Nonetheless, interest in roller skating remains. In 2020, while roller rinks may have been suffering, skating shops were running out of inventory. At a time when so much of nightlife is increasingly costly (and arguably monotonous), spots like Tampa’s United Skates of America offer an affordable, creative alternative. And if you’re traveling? What better way to tap into a new city than through a visit to a time-warping roller rink.
Pack your socks, and plan to check out some of these roller rinks in the U.S. that are keeping the unique enchantment of skating alive in 2023.
