TOLEDO, Ohio — Ice skating is set to return to The Ribbon at Glass City Metropark by Nov. 21, with a winter calendar that also includes a Hiker Fest, a heated patio, a Holiday Market and theme nights, WTVG 13abc reported.
The Ribbon, supported by the Hylant Family Foundation, is not a conventional rink. It is a 1,000-foot refrigerated loop trail with rolling hills and soft curves, connected to a 5,000-square-foot skating pond that gives beginners a traditional rink surface, according to Metroparks Toledo. The refrigerated ice means skating does not depend on a deep freeze — the season runs from mid-November through early March.
Glass City Metropark sits at 1505 Front St. on the east bank of the Maumee River, across from downtown Toledo, and admissions and skate rentals are handled at Market Hall, next to the skating trail, according to Metroparks Toledo. The park is the centerpiece of the Glass City Riverwalk, the riverfront project reshaping both banks of the Maumee.
The winter programming WTVG described goes beyond open skating: a Hiker Fest for cold-weather trail users, a heated patio for spectators, a Holiday Market and themed skating nights are all planned as the park leans into its second full winter season as Toledo’s riverfront gathering place.
Metroparks Toledo also offers skating on natural ponds and lakes at several other metroparks when conditions allow, though the district notes that skating on natural ice is at visitors’ own risk. The Ribbon’s refrigerated surface is the reliable option — it holds ice through the freeze-and-thaw swings that often cut Ohio’s outdoor skating season short.
What happens next: skating at The Ribbon is planned to be under way by Saturday, Nov. 21, and Metroparks Toledo posts session times, admission and rental details on its ice skating page as the season opens.
Photo: Lance Woodworth, CC BY