Cost to skate at the Frog Pond

Submitted by Ilikereddit15 t3_zz6nqn in boston

I understand everything is expensive, and especially at a winter tourist attraction. But the price to skate at the frog pond is absurd.

For a small child to use the dolphin for 1 hour max (the little seat that you can push them on) + the required skate rental, it’s $28. For folks with multiple young kids that makes for an expensive hour (2 adults — admission: $8; rental: $15 + 2 small children’s rentals = $102).

This doesn’t seem like something that’s accessible to many families.

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ik1nky t1_j29wx1t wrote

I recommend skating in Kendall where it is much more reasonably priced. $6 admission for adults and $1 for kids. Rentals are a little pricy for adults but cheaper for kids. I picked up some free skates on the side of the road for myself or you could Craigslist some pretty easily.

https://www.skatekendall.com/admissionandrates

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TheAVnerd t1_j2a7h3k wrote

To put it into some context, Rockefeller center is $192 for 2 adults 2 kids with skate rental.

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PapalStates t1_j29w7np wrote

Breaking News: Kids Are Expensive. More at 11.

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Clamgravy t1_j2a3fzn wrote

Honestly... the place is a zoo . You'd think if it was an outrageous price that less people would skate there. Nothing about it seems like an enjoyable experience.

If you are looking for an affordable skate, there are plenty of other places to go in the Boston area.

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Yak_Rodeo t1_j2an2tr wrote

its really just the last half decade that it got crazy

we used to go in the early 2010s and it was maybe a 10 min line

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brufleth t1_j2bk576 wrote

Usually isn't too busy weekday evenings.

Will they stop you from skating in the public garden? I've definitely seen people skating there.

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felineprincess93 t1_j29z44m wrote

It's in the name - tourist attraction. Normally, it is understood that things that are tourist traps are overpriced and not intended to be accessible.

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mpjjpm t1_j2a2aq2 wrote

If it’s something you want to do on a regular basis, buy skates. And teach your kids to skate so you don’t need the skating chair/aide. Or wait until the kids are older and can skate on their own. If it’s something you want to do once just to say you did it, that’s the price you pay.

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Acceptable_Tourist_4 t1_j2a1sm1 wrote

I agree the price tag isn’t worth what you’d get out of it. I doubt the kids would remember it past bedtime tonight. If it were cheaper, sure you could justify a disposable hour. But it sounds like it isn’t worth it for especially young kids (by design? Possibly) anyway. Maybe pick something more geared towards their age, and put this one in your back pocket for a few years from now, when they don’t require the dolphin.

Also, as someone mentioned cheap skates: for Frog pond prices, you could literally afford skates for all, some helmets and elbow/knee pads for the kids, a thermos full of soup and one full of coffee, and a tank of gas to a cute pond in a suburb where you could teach the kids to skate without pressure. Now that would be a memory.

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Eagle_Chick t1_j2cg80o wrote

Safety first. Please don't go out on unknown ice in the suburbs. Frozen water doesn't equal skating ice. It New England, it happens in the spring when the ice is thick, a light rain falls, and freezes over night.

Most frozen natural ice is bumpy, and can be thin where the current runs under it. Ice rinks have a Zamboni every hour or so because it is necessary.

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Newlife1025 t1_j2atqcw wrote

Here are a few options. I paid $3 total when I went to kellys. This was for 1 adult with rentals.

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FoodGuy44 t1_j29qhnb wrote

Don’t forget the copayment when you have to go to the ER.

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fuzzy_viscount t1_j2diydr wrote

Larz Anderson Rink is really cool. Under $40 for a family of four and two rentals. Little spot outside the boards for kids to push things around. Had a blast.

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Yak_Rodeo t1_j2anaa7 wrote

place isnt great anyways, all the high school hockey players have to prove they know how to skate and buzz by smaller children for no reason

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ZippityZooZaZingZo t1_j29z5mz wrote

Everything is expensive. You get what you pay for. You want a fun, lively afternoon skating at a pond in the picturesque middle of the city, then pay up. If it were cheap then everyone from all over the damn place would flock there and well…that would present a problem. Why do people think they should get nice things for little cost? That isn’t how life works folks. Things, especially nice and fun things, especially in this city are not cheap. Anyway, carry on.

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ik1nky t1_j2abs0z wrote

Lots of cities do offer free/cheap skating in their parks, so it’s really not unheard of. Millennium park skating in Chicago has no admission fee and it’s far more popular than frog pond.

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mpjjpm t1_j2aepy3 wrote

Frog pond doesn’t charge admission for kids, but they do charge for skate and equipment rental. Millennium park charges comparable rates for their rentals (more for skates, less from the seating aides).

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Ilikereddit15 OP t1_j2a0v3a wrote

Almost $30 a kid on city property for 1 hr is exorbitant, no? I get your points, though, and realize I can choose to go elsewhere

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__plankton__ t1_j2a8a69 wrote

The rate is high because people are willing to pay it. I’m not sure the skate rentals are handled by the city. Could be a private company.

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neu_jose t1_j2avi1h wrote

i think asking whether boston parks are accessible to bostonians is very reasonable. a compromise could be to have discounts for bostonians the way other cities do. many cities even have free admissions for city residents.

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blue_orchard t1_j2b75ty wrote

The Frog Pond is managed by the Skating Club of Boston, which may be the ones also setting the prices. Anyone wanting to use it on a regular basis is better off buying a cheap pair of skates.

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DBLJ33 t1_j2bm9wd wrote

Go find the run down rink and skate if you are concerned about cost. You’re at a tourist attraction.

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gullahgullahdnalsi t1_j29ulh9 wrote

Your crotch goblins aren’t special sorry

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jahgoff t1_j29vwj8 wrote

I don’t think she was asking for special considerations for her children… You’re just being a dick for no reason.

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gullahgullahdnalsi t1_j2a95gy wrote

Literally an optional activity that cost money that they do not feel comfortable spending. Why do we care?

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jahgoff t1_j2a9rws wrote

They are making a comment about how everything is expensive, not saying they should be treated as special. Should the kids just sit at home and do nothing?

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Ilikereddit15 OP t1_j2a03pa wrote

Bad take

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gullahgullahdnalsi t1_j2a9cba wrote

Whole post is a bad take. Stop complaining about your choices

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Ilikereddit15 OP t1_j2ay4sj wrote

In fact I was asking how it’s accessible for others that don’t have the same means…you’re either trolling or can’t comprehend but in both cases…bad take

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