Things that Entertained Us: The Ice Palace

I was 12 and my gloved fingers worked clumsily to lace up the skates that seemed cemented on my feet. For the first time in my life I could see my breath—so cold was the air—I gave my laces one last tug and slid nervously onto the ice to experience this new-to-me-phenomena called ice skating. Did I experience this on a trip to the mainland, or, perhaps, Canada or Japan? Believe it or not, this memory dates back to 1982 in Salt Lake.…well, Salt Lake in Honolulu, Hawaii at The Ice Palace , that is!


Children and families still flock to The Ice Palace some 28 years after it first opened. The skating rink now offers “The Ice Palace Academy of Dance” , along with birthday party services , skate school and a hockey league community . And, perhaps not so surprisingly, The Ice Palace now boasts among its instructors, a champion figure skater—Jennifer Jones — originally from Edmonds, Washington.

I have yet to take my children to The Ice Palace, but we’ll make our way there as most Hawaii residents do, eventually. And when we get there, I’ll be sure to lace up their skates nice and snug, and marvel with them over the wintry “weather”.

What do you remember about The Ice Palace? Share it with our readers here, on Hawaii Traditions!

Photo Credit: matthewmcvickar on Flickr