The excitement of nightlife isn’t reserved for those 21 years of age or older; it just takes some thinking outside of the box to rediscover old family-fun activities that everyone can attend.
And even if you are of legal drinking age, every once in a while it’s still a great idea to switch it up and do something different with your nights. Whether you like to keep it “cool” or rock out old-school style, ice-skating or roller-skating can be an entertaining way to start off your evening.
If you’re looking for a different take on an activity you surely used to love, make your way to a roller-skating rink where you can show off all those nifty tricks you learned back in junior high.
Springfield’s Skate World, located at 3188 Gateway Loop near Gateway Mall, is the perfect place to get your roller-skating groove on during its themed nights that take place every day but Thursday.
The price of admission ranges from $2 on Tuesday’s “Christian Music Night” to $5.75 on Friday’s “Family Fun Night” and Saturday’s “Public Skating” night. This includes a standard quad-skate rental, but if you’re so inclined you can upgrade to inline skates for $3 extra.
The other themed nights include Monday’s “Music Request Night” for $3.75, Wednesday’s “Cheap Skate Night” for $3 and Sunday’s “80’s Music Night” for $3.75.

Monday through Wednesday, the public skate times begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday’s begin at 7 p.m. and end at 10 p.m.; and Sunday’s night skate begins at 7 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.
Who says that winter activity fun has to end spring term?
Take a break from tanning in your backyard or throwing around a Frisbee in the street and head on down to Eugene’s Lane County Ice Center, located at 796 W. 13 Avenue in the Lane County Events Center, to cool off and perfect your ice-skating skills.
The most economical nights to impress your friends with death-defying spins are the Friday and Saturday night “Cheap Skates” that take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. These sessions have the skate rental included with the $4 student admission price tag.
The only other night available for public skating is Tuesday’s “Family Skate” night where you pay the full price of student admission, which is $4, with an additional $3 for the ice-skate rental.
Since the skate times are relatively early compared with when you’d normally hit the bar or head to a party, it’s the perfect zany activity to start out your night. Think of the stories you’ll be able to tell from all the bumps and bruises you’ll get from falling on your butt and the ridiculous tunes that will surely be playing on the rink’s loudspeakers.
Skating may be a throwback, but it’s a great way to entertain many people who need to find a goofy and amusing way to break up their monotonous lives.