WINTER VACATION ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES: ICE SKATING RINKS IN NEW YORK CITY

 It's that time of year again: Time to lace up your ice skates and hit the ice. Here's the scoop on the rinks around the Big Apple.

• Marking its inaugural year, Battery Park City on Ice offers public skating, lessons, ice hockey, and parties on its NHL-size rink. Monday-Friday 1-10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 11am-9pm. $10; $3 skate rental.$90 for 10 admissions and rentals. Through mid-February. North End Avenue between Murray and Warren Streets. 888-727-5423; www.batteryparkcityice.com.

• New Yorkers know they can find holiday cheer at Bryant Park, no matter how gloomy the economy is. The Pond at Bryant Park is NYC's only FREE admission skating rink.It is a temporary rink, up until January 24. You'll find it in the middle of the park, among festive holiday market stalls, right behind the library, between 40th and 42nd Streets. Open daily: Sunday-Thursday 8am-10pm; Friday and Saturday 8am-midnight. 866-221-5157; www.thepondatbryantpark.com.

• The Rink at Rockefeller Center is one of the most famous ice skating rinks in the world. It's small but oh-so-atmospheric. Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets.Open daily 8:30am-midnight, with occasional half-hour cleaning sessions throughout the day. $19; $12:50 under age 11, until January 9. Visit the website for updated price and schedule. 212-332-7654; www.therinkatrockcenter.com.
  

• Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers is a great indoor alternative. Sky Rink is located within the massive sports complex, Chelsea Piers. Open Monday, Friday 1:30-5:20pm; Tuesday, Thursday 3-5:20pm; Wednesday 1:30-3:50pm; Saturday-Sunday 1-3:50pm. $13; $10.50 kids. $7.50 skate rental, $4 helmet rental. 212-336- 6100; www.chelseapiers.com.
  

• Wollman Rink is an outdoor skating right in Central Park. The best way to access Wollman is to enter from Central Park South (59th Street) and Sixth Avenue, and then it's just a two-minute walk. The rink opens daily at 10am, closes at the following times: Monday-Tuesday 2:30pm; Wednesday-Thursday 10pm; Friday-Saturday 11pm; Sunday 9pm. Monday-Thursday $10.25, $5.50 children; Friday-Sunday $14.75, $5.75 children. Skate rentals $6.25. No credit cards. 212-439-6900; www.wollmanskatingrink.com.
  

• Lasker Skating Rink is a smaller rink at the north end of Central Park, near 110th Street and Lenox Avenue. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am-3:45pm; Tuesday 10am-3:30pm and 8-10pm; Friday 10am-5:15pm and 7-11pm; Saturday 1-11pm; Sunday 12:30-4:30pm. $6.25; $3.50 kids. Skate rental $5.50. 917-492-3857; www.wollmanskatingrink.com/main_lasker.htm.

• Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive. Open until March (weather permitting). Monday, Thursday 11:30am-2pm; Friday 6-9pm; Saturday-Sunday 1-4pm, 5-8pm; holidays 11am-2pm, 3-6pm. $5; $3 children 12 and under. $6 skate rental. 212-694-3642; nysparks.state.ny.us/parks.

Also see our Round Up of Rinks in:

Brooklyn; Queens; Westchester County; Rockland County; Fairfield County, CT; Nassau County, Long Island; Suffolk County, Long Island