2901 Trawick Rd, Raleigh, NC 27604
As far as we know, there’s only one lone roller skating rink remaining in Raleigh. United Skates of America will take you back to your middle school days at the roller skating rink. Lace up your skates, get dizzy from the disco ball, and hold hands with your crush as you take a few laps on the wooden skate floor. Your family will be rollin’ with excitement as they skate and play the day away!
Skating Rink
United Skates of America has over 10,000 square feet of smooth wooden floor, perfect for cruisin’ and groovin’ on wheels. You’ll be able to take as many laps as your heart desires, or should I say, as many as your legs can take! We always visit during the Kids Bop skate from 10am-12pm. The staff keeps the skate floor bumping with family-friendly tunes, and after a while the lights are turned down low with the color-changing strobe lights and disco ball you remember from your childhood!
I was disappointed to learn that United Skates can no longer allow kids to do the limbo on the skate floor. This is one of the top activities I remember doing at the skating rink, so I was disappointed when a staff member informed me they could no longer do it for legal reasons. Instead of the limbo, they now play a dice-rolling number game similar to Four Corners. All players are allowed to skate over to a number posted out on the skate floor. Staff rolls a dice and if it lands on your number you are out. If you can make it to the end without being eliminated you are declared the winner! Unfortunately, I didn’t see any prizes given for winning the game, except bragging rights!
Safety Measures
Safety at United Skates is a priority! Skate Mates are available for those who need a little more help, and wrist guards are included with your admission.
Wrist Guards
I most definitely took advantage of the wrist guards. This mama isn’t as young as she used to be and most importantly doesn’t need a visit to the emergency room! I tried to get my 8-year-old to wear them, but after a while I found them sitting on the table instead of on her wrists. Luckily, she had much better balance than me and didn’t fall at all!
Skate Mates
As for the skate mates, I recommend having your kids try skating without them first! The skate mate is basically just a walker on wheels, so it can easily roll away from you on the slippery skate floor. Kids tend to lean on them too much, they fall and everything goes tumbling! I saw so many kids wiping out with the skatemates that I think they make learning to skate even more difficult. I encouraged my kids to try skating without them and they were cruising by the end!
Safety Note
Since I have not visited the skating rink for any other time than Kids Bop morning skate, I cannot comment on the state of the skating rink after dark. It is located in an older part of Raleigh near Chuck E. Cheese on Capital Blvd. This part of town is known for having more crime after dark, so I would probably stick to visiting during the daylight hours.
Skate Rental
There are three types of skate rentals to choose from.
- Regular roller skates – the traditional 4 wheels we all know and love
- Roller Blades – more similar to ice skating with 4 wheels all in a line. There is an upcharge to get these types of skates.
- Adjustable Roller Skates – great for the little ones! You can snap these wheels right on your child’s tennis shoes, so make sure they are wearing the right kind of shoes! Stage 1 allows children to walk in the skates to get a feel for them. For Stage 2, the wheels only move forward. And finally, in Stage 3 you can freewheel backwards and forwards!
Adults are always welcome to walk with their children on the skate floor for free. Just make sure that you wear tennis shoes so you don’t damage the wood floor.
Get the most up-to-date pricing information on their website HERE.
Arcade and Prizes
The skating rink is the main attraction, but there’s also a small arcade where you can earn tickets to win prizes. We played a couple of games during our visit, but skating was the highlight for us. The arcade has got your main attractions like skeeball and the claw machine, and could be a nice break from skating when you get tired. Most games earn you tickets which can be redeemed at the prize counter. There are a lot of fun glow-in-the-dark items that can make skating under the blacklight even more exciting!
Concession Stand
When you start getting hungry, head on over to the concession stand! They have pizza, hotdogs, nachos, and snacks available for purchase, so you won’t have to leave to get a bite to eat. Because of the onsite cafe, no outside food or drink is permitted.
Birthday Parties
We hosted my daughter’s 9th birthday here and I was very pleased with everything that was included! At the time of our booking, they were offering a Barbie-themed party package that was just perfect for my pink-loving girl! Our perfectly pink party package included a reserved fully-decorated table with all plastic ware included, drink towers filled with unlimited sparkly pink drink, a mound of pink cotton candy for guests to share, pizza and arcade cards for each child, and pink party favors. I literally didn’t have to lift a finger!
During the party my birthday girl was able to spin the prize wheel, had dedicated time with her friends in the DJ booth, and received a birthday shoutout on the skate floor. She went home with a souvenir cup and felt like a million bucks by the end of the party! They really pulled out all the stops and she loved every minute of it!
I’ll admit it was one of the more expensive party packages that we have ever done, but I felt like we got our money’s worth. If you’re looking for more affordable birthday party locations, check out Rainbow Room, Young’s Gym, or Buffaloe Lanes North.
So what do you think? Will you be taking your kids to relive your middle school Friday nights at the roller skating rink?! Let us know in the comments!