Open from Nov. 18 through  Jan. 29, the Piedmont Winterfest’s outdoor skating rink has been a staple of the winter season in Greensboro for years, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2014. You can find more details on their website, www.piedmont winterfest.com. 

A partnership between City of Grace Solutions, Downtown Greensboro LLC and the Ice House, this outdoor attraction is located in LeBauer Park in downtown Greensboro. Although many students who are not from Greensboro may not have heard of it, it’s in a prime location to explore downtown and get food and drinks after skating. 

 Dalia Zimmerman Levyi and Caitlyn Espadero, both sophomores at the Early College at Guilford, recently went to the Winterfest with friends in early December.

 “It’s like the New York experience, but in North Carolina,” said Zimmerman Levyi. “I think it’s a good experience, and a lot of college students aren’t familiar with the events downtown.”

 “It’s really good because you get to hang out with people… there were a lot of little kids, but it was the perfect temperature for ice skating and drinking hot chocolate,” said Espadero.

According to the WFMY News 2 Piedmont Winterfest web page, tickets are $15, no matter your age. Rental skates are also available, with the price included in the ticket. 

Guilford Farm manager Nick Mangili last went a year or two ago with his family. He noted that both the Winterfest and Ice House are good places to hang out, but the Ice House might be a better option for college students, as it has more room. 

 “I think that there’s a lot of different opportunities,” he said of downtown Greensboro. “Just based on the different parks and stuff. I would say maybe sometimes downtown is more geared towards things like restaurants and bars and things like that. But I think there’s a good amount of opportunities just for, like, walking around as well.” 

According to a 2014 article in the News and Record, the outdoor ice skating rink used to be located off South Elm Street, before LeBauer Park was finished. Before that, it was located in Festival Park off Davie Street.  According to the News and Record, Winterfest moved from Festival Park to become part of LeBauer Park, which was built with a $10 million grant from the estate of Carolyn LeBauer.

The colder it is, the better time you’ll have at Winterfest, Mangil said.

“That’s why I was really excited when we went on the day that we did and it was so cold,” he said. “It made you feel like you’re somewhere where it snows all the time.”