I went to a Sacramento winter wonderland on a budget. Here’s what I got for $25

Pro tip: Ice skating is nothing like rolling skating.

In my more than 20 years of life, I have never put on a pair of ice skates — which is laughable because one of the most popular ice rinks in the world, Rockefeller Center in New York City, sits less than five miles away from my old apartment.

Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink at 701 K St. was a good place to start.

As I made the seven-minute drive into downtown Sacramento, I thought about all the possible ways I could bite the ice.

Here are a couple:

• Flat on my face
• On my ribs
• Through the ice
• On my wrists (ouch)

Parking at DOCO in Sacramento

If you live in Sacramento, you know that finding a parking space downtown can take two minutes, 20 minutes or two hours. I lucked out on an on-street parking space after 15 minutes of spinning the block.

I eventually parked my car (for free because meters are shutoff all weekend) and walked five minutes to join the line of people waiting to get inside the rink.

Skating in a California winter wonderland

The weather, 42 degrees and cloudy, added the winter wonderland vibes.

The wait to get into the ice skating rink took another 10 minutes, but once it was my turn in line, the last few steps breezed by: Pay $15, put on a wristband and pick your skate size. While I laced my rental shoes, I read over the rules on the ice, conveniently plastered on the side wall of the rink. Here are a few that stuck out to me:

• No phones
• Skaters must have a wrist band
• No food or drinks
• No skating against traffic

Then it was time to hit the ice.

Remember when I said ice skating is nothing like roller skating? It’s because ice skating is much, much, much harder.

Maybe the learning curve stems from the fact that roller skates includes four chunky rubber wheels, while ice skates are designed with one thin metal blade. Whatever the reason, my ankles were burning after just two minutes.

I didn’t know I had muscles in my ankles.

My poor attempt at ice skating was overshadowed by the festive music that could be heard from a block away, and the fairy lights threaded around the perimeter of the average-sized rink. Those not on the ice sipped hot drinks seated on blue metal chairs at cafe tables on the outskirts of the rink.

Adults watched their little ones make their way round the arena, holding out their hand for a congratulatory high five as their child whipped by them.

My laps around the frozen ground weren’t as smooth ... quite the opposite actually. I fell three times, once on my wrists.

Is Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink affordable?

How much you spend at the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink will vary depending on how many tickets you buy and if you qualify for one of the several discounted tickets. Children 6 and under skate for $8 and everyone else pays $15 for regular admission.

Skate rentals included with admission is a plus.

After the ice rink I was peckish and with $10 left in my budget, I walked across the street to Starbucks and ordered a medium honey citrus mint hot tea and an everything bagel for $7.50.

The rink is a family-friendly activity and ideal for small children. If you’re looking to get your sweat on, this is not the place for you. Expect slower laps, and depending on the day, a crowded rink.

One thing that was hard to miss was the smiles on everyone’s faces at the rink.

If you were given $25 where would you go? Drop your suggestions in the form below and I’ll put it on my list of affordable Sacramento activities to try. You can also email me, Brianna, at btaylor@sacbee.com

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.