If you live along Santa Rosa Road, where can your family skate outdoors this holiday season? For the past several winters the honest answer was nowhere in Thousand Oaks. This year there are two rinks, two weeks apart. The Holiday Ice Rink at The Lakes, at 2200 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., reopened on Nov. 6. Ice at The Oaks, a new rink at 147 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., opens Friday, Nov. 20.
The two rinks don't run the same way. They charge differently for skates, they use different clocks, and their holiday-hour windows start on different days. Between now and Jan. 11, the better pick for a valley household changes from week to week. Sometimes it's the cheaper rink, sometimes the one open earlier, sometimes the only one open at all.
The Lakes Rink Is Back, This Time by Choice
The rink at The Lakes began as part of a deal. According to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, it started out as a public benefit when the city leased the property to Rick Caruso for 95 years in 2004. It first opened in 2005, on top of one of the ponds that give The Lakes its name.
The rink was suspended during the pandemic. The Acorn reports that after Caruso signed a new agreement with the city in 2021 to buy the land and build apartments behind the shopping center, he no longer had to host it. So this season's rink is one Caruso chose to bring back. The Acorn describes it as sitting on top of the property's three-tiered pond, open-air, through Jan. 11, 2027.
The rink is also part of a busy year for the center. The Acorn notes that The Lakes recently added Erewhon and has several more businesses planned: Sora Hand Roll Bar, Satva, solidcore, PopUp Bagels and Bread Head. On the rink's weekend nights, the property has live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m., which gives an evening skate something to do before or after.
A few details on The Lakes' rink page are worth knowing before you go. The rink is cashless. Admission is $20 per person, or $25 with skate rental, and tax and fees are added on top. Booking ahead is recommended for both tickets and skate rentals. Caruso Signature members get free skates with paid admission, and the Acorn says that perk applies on select days.
Ice at The Oaks Runs Every Session on the Same Two-Hour Clock
The new rink works more like a scheduled class than a walk-up attraction. Its website says Ice at The Oaks is in its first season and is built and managed by Special Ice in partnership with Eventful LA.
Apart from the one-hour Grand Opening Skate, every public session lasts 90 minutes. Then the ice is resurfaced for 30 minutes, so a new session starts every two hours on fresh ice. In regular weeks, sessions start at these times:
- Monday through Thursday: 3, 5 and 7 p.m.
- Friday: 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: 11 a.m. and 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 p.m.
Because of that schedule, it matters when you arrive. Show up at 4:15 on a Tuesday and you'll wait for the 5 p.m. session, not step straight onto the ice. In exchange, every session starts on smooth ice, and The Oaks has built special nights around the schedule. The last two sessions every Tuesday have a theme. Ugly Sweater Skate is Dec. 1, Glow Skate is Dec. 8, Holiday PJ Skate is Dec. 15, and "'80s & '90s Night" is Dec. 29. On Fridays and Saturdays, the last session is a Late Skate with a DJ and colored lights.
Families with young children have their own options. Littles Skate runs Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for skaters 8 and under with one adult. It costs $44, and a third child skates free. Learn to Skate classes run Sunday mornings at 9 and 10 a.m. and cost $185 for four classes.
The rink's FAQ says there's free parking nearby, with a parking map to be posted before opening, and a rideshare drop-off at the entrance.
What a Family of Four Pays
Comparing ticket prices alone hides the real difference, which is skates. The Lakes charges separately for skate rental. At The Oaks, skates are always included. Here's what four skaters pay at each rink, using each rink's posted prices:
| Scenario | The Lakes | Ice at The Oaks |
|---|---|---|
| Four skaters, rental skates | $100 plus tax and fees | $88 |
| Four skaters, bringing their own skates | $80 plus tax and fees | $88 |
| A regular-week Monday | Standard pricing | $64 with "Cheap Skate" at $16 each |
| A regular-week Wednesday | Standard pricing | $60 for the Family Night 4-pack |
| One skater, all season | No season pass listed | $199 Snowflake Season Pass |
If your family owns skates, The Lakes costs less than standard admission at The Oaks, though the Monday and Wednesday deals at The Oaks still come in under the $80 at The Lakes. If you rent, The Oaks costs less every day, and on the Mondays and Wednesdays its deals cover it's roughly two-thirds of the price at The Lakes. But those deals only run in regular weeks. Cheap Skate Mondays fall on Nov. 30, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. Family Night Wednesdays fall on Dec. 2, 9 and 16. The Oaks also takes $2 off for military members and first responders with ID.
Prices on both rinks' sites are for this season. The Oaks notes that its prices may change.
Which Rink Is Open When, From Now to Jan. 11
The season splits into stretches, and each stretch favors a different choice.
- Now through Thursday, Nov. 19. The Lakes is the only one of the two open. Regular hours are 3 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
- Friday, Nov. 20. Ice at The Oaks opens at 5 p.m. The 5 to 6 p.m. Grand Opening Skate is free for the first 25 guests, who pick up tickets at the ticket window. For everyone else, that hour costs $16.50 online. Regular sessions follow at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
- Thanksgiving break, Nov. 21 through 29. Both rinks switch to longer holiday hours. The Lakes opens at 1 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, and The Oaks opens at 11 a.m. every day. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, The Oaks is open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Holiday hours at The Lakes run one day longer, through Nov. 30.
- Dec. 1 through 18. Both rinks are back on regular hours. These weeks are the best value at The Oaks because Cheap Skate Mondays, Family Night Wednesdays and most of the Theme Tuesdays all land here. On weekend mornings, The Lakes opens at 10 a.m., an hour before The Oaks.
- Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20. The Oaks starts holiday hours two days before The Lakes, opening at 11 a.m. and staying open as late as 11 p.m. on Saturday. On Dec. 20, The Lakes is still on regular hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Dec. 21 through New Year's Day. Both rinks are on holiday hours. At The Oaks, Christmas Eve hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Christmas Day hours are 1 to 8:30 p.m. On New Year's Day, The Oaks stays open until 11 p.m.
- The last weekend. The Lakes goes back to regular hours on Jan. 2. The Oaks closes for the season on Sunday, Jan. 10, after an 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. day, and The Lakes closes on Monday, Jan. 11.
In short, a household that wants the lowest price should plan around the first three weeks of December at The Oaks. A household that wants a weekend morning on the ice should look at The Lakes, which opens at 10 a.m. all season. Anyone heading out this weekend or next has one choice, the pond at The Lakes, until the new rink opens on Nov. 20.
Questions about holiday plans and questions about homes often come up together. If your household is weighing what next winter looks like from a different address, or you'd just like to know where your Santa Rosa Valley home stands this season, Puckett Real Estate Team is glad to help. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll walk you through it.
