Holidays at Rosa Parks Circle

By Ashley Robinette

staff writer

As the holiday break comes nearer, many families are left asking the question, “what are we going to do?” All the extra time on our hands leads to restlessness and boredom, but when you live in Grand Rapids, the possibilities are endless as to how one can pass the time.

“Experience GR” is the slogan of the city, and hundreds of people love to come around during the holiday season to do exactly that. A local favorite is ice skating at Rosa Parks Circle, right in the heart of Grand Rapids. As one of the most popular attractions during the winter, it easily becomes a favorite holiday tradition for many people. “We started going when I was ten,” said Northview junior Kaitlyn Batchelor. Her family heads down to the park every Christmas to spend time together, and it is one of their most cherished traditions, “I really love the way they decorate every year and how festive it feels,” Batchelor said.

The skating rink opens as soon as the weather allows it in the winter season, and the ice is packed every night until it closes in the spring. While families are waiting for their turn on the rink, they can spend time in all the little shops and restaurants near Rosa Parks too. Every tree along Monroe Center is lit up with beautiful lights, and the stores along the way have numerous holiday-themed window displays. Citizens of Grand Rapids enjoy the way the area is decorated and that is one of the reasons why people come back every year.

Along with the bright trees and buildings surrounding the park are the fiber optic lights underneath the ice, which depict the night sky above Grand Rapids on January 1, 2000 (Jim Harger, MLive). This makes the atmosphere while skating even more special, knowing the park was created with the holidays and the city in mind. 

The holidays are a time for being with family and celebrating life together, and traditions and memories are some of the most important things people can have together. So instead of sitting around this winter inside and doing nothing, for only 2$ you can check out Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids and do something new with your family.

Pictures courtesy of  Suchitra Van and Jennifer Rees

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