Brookpark Skateland

This place is an absolute joke! My kids can’t even go here on the weekends and skate because there’s a 19 year old punk that’s there every weekend pushing all the kids down on the skating rink. When the staff try to kick him out he refuses to leave. So what do they have security there for? My daughter came home injured, because she kept getting knocked down by this jerk!

The skating ushers are very rude! Yelled at my niece & embarrassed her for something stupid. They should be a little more friendly instead of walking around like they have a stick up their a$$. We could’ve easily spent the $ 100 + dollars somewhere else.

Brookpark Skateland is fun for all ages and all walks of life. It’s like your foreign grandmothers assorted candy dish, there is a variety of flavor for anyone who sticks their hand in it. When you first enter the establishment, you are initially enticed by the retro décor, such as the dual disco-​balls, the 1970’s wood paneling and wood floor. The price is affordable if you get there at a reasonable start time — don’t show up late! You will not get a discount. I recommend renting their retro inline skates, they fit really well and they go up past the ankle.
If you enter the gift shop, you can choose from a variety of flashing light pacifiers, glow in the dark necklaces, and you can also buy a Brookpark Skateland Patch to affix to your Members Only jacket.
Although everything else is top notch, Brookpark Skateland is definitely not a place to get a Friday night dinner — as they only have basic concession stand foods — unless you want to fill up on a few feet of candy rope semi-​sweet licorice. Be advised you might need to go to an orthodontist afterwards. If the candy rope isn’t damaging enough, you can always settle for the «perfect treat» for the rink — the 1″ diameter jawbreaker.
When it comes to finally entering the skating rink, the gentlemen are not lacking. You’ll be greeted by regulars who want to help you perfect your flea hopping and backwards skate. My sister was politely asked by gentlemen, on multiple occasions, if she would accept their hand at couple’s skate — usually when the song happens to be «Purple Rain» by Prince during a Retro Night. That being said, retro night is the best night to go, since that’s when you’ll be sucked into a 1970’s vortex of classic roller skating fun. On rink retro night events include (on average), 3 opportunites to couple skate, 1 backwards skate, 1 topsy turvy trios, 1 flea hopping/​advanced skate, and 1 reverse direction skate. The night usually closes with a grand finale by playing the song «You Dropped a Bomb On Me» by The Gap Band as people make a train formation and go «WEEEEOOOOOOOOO».
If retro night isn’t your flavor, perhaps one of the LIVE organ nights is. This event usually includes free coffee and is for the more «classic» and «elegant» skaters. It’s definitely much more toned down compared to retro night, and it’s also less of a free skate. It’s an ideal time to bring an older individual who is just learning how to skate, because the disco lights are usually not on– instead the fluorescent lights are– and there are far fewer people on the floor. Conversely, this would not be a time to bring your 6-​year old with the grinding plastic Fischer Price skates. If you are planning to go to organ night, be sure to get there in time to experience a rendition of Lady Gaga’s «Poker Face» on the organ. You will then get to see a procession of glittery senior citizens in a train formation doing a sort of a «Rockette’s» style leg kicking.
Conclusively, ALL OF THIS MAKES BROOKPARK SKATELAND DESERVE FIVE STARS.

Gotta get in better shape for dirtbike and mountain bike season…
80 night! Always have my inline skates with me!!!
But it’s so sad to see the old man disco dudes grooving to disco, then gettting shot down from the old disco queens…
I pretty much keep to myself…

I haven’t roller skated for 25 years. Yes, I’m old. You’ll wish you were as mighty-​mighty as me when you get to be my age, emo kid. In any case, my 6 year old was introduced to rollerskating by her groovy retro camp counsellor. So Herself asked me to take her to a rink. We hit the place on a weekday afternoon. The owner cut us a deal, admission and skates for $ 10– about $ 7 below the posted rate.
What a riot! The place is a throwback to the 1950’s. There is absolutely no air conditioning and it is filled with a bunch of grandmams with serious stems. Amazing, these 60 – 70 something hot grandmamas had gams that would put most 20 year olds to shame. The geezers were looking just as slim and dandy in their tops (which matched their partners’ skirts) and dancy pants. And get this– they rink plays organ music! The old folks were really nice– even giving Herself a few pointers.
As some of the other reviewers have mentioned, they have a DJ retro night and ‘90s night, which I guess, given that it is 2009 would classify as sort of retro, although not AS retro as ‘70s and ‘80s night. The owner said that there were a lot more «young people» then.
Roller skating is just as much fun as it was in the 1970s and 1980s (again, can the comments young’un) One funny thing happened. I was able to skate backwards for the first time ever. It was a message from the skating gods Y, M, C and A. Skate here!

Skateland on Thursday nights is the place to be if you are wearing white hot pants. It was Retro night at the skating rink, but I do not believe that was the reason for the hot pants. The middle-​aged owner of the hot pants had the smooth legs that can only be built by 3 – 4 times a week skating sessions. She had earned the right to wear white hot pants in the middle of a January deep freeze. She was definitely the diva of the floor and had her pick of backwards skating, bellbottomed men to choose from on couples skate. The disco lights were strobing and the retro 1970’s and 80’s music was hopping. We arrived only an hour or so before the last song of the night so the man behind the skate rental counter struck a deal: only 4.00 each for admittance and skate rental. $ 4.00 seemed like a steal; the people watching alone was worth that. With the heavy 1970’s feel to the black light and décor, I desperately wanted to dance to the excellent selection of dance and rock songs the dj selected. However, every time I started to boogie, the shift in my weight nearly sent me to the floor. I was happily surprised that I did not fall. I am glad; I have a lot farther to fall than the last time I was in roller skates. Unfortunately, I am not one of the advanced «flea hoppers» and I was forced to sit down while advanced skaters had a few songs to themselves. I went home and googled «flea hopping.» It seems to be a local term and one not very well known. I assume it means people who are fancy skaters. Either way, I knew I had never been a described as a «flea hopper» before and sat down. I was shocked to see that not just throwbacks to the 1970s were advanced skaters; there was a decent amount of teens and preteens that could get their skate on.
A word of warning: wear good socks. Both my gentleman caller and I remembered the burning sensation (in our feet) that roller skating brings. We both have two large blisters today to show from it.

so last year i Unilocaled the places we ended up for my birthday scavenger hunt, and this year…
we went roller skating.
but not just any ol’ roller skating– 70s/​80s night at the brook park skateland.
heck yes.
first off, cost. this is a fun evening out for cheap. $ 6 to get in, $ 2.50 for rental. food? like $ 3.50 for cheeseburgers, fries, hot dogs, and all that great americana happiness in your mouth.
there’s a crap load of other good things about this idea for taking your friends out. we went for my birthday, so it was all nostalgia for those of us trying to grasp onto memories of being 10 and roller skating around to the thompson twins or michael jackson. it’s good for a laugh when you realize none of you have attempted this adventure for twenty years, so you’re gonna look hilarious and laughable, as well as your friends falling on their butts, too.
they have different open skates. for reference, thursday nights are 70s/​80s nights. every other monday is 90s night. and all other nights? well, i guess you can skate like it’s 2009 if you want to, but why would you want to?
great time. cheap. hilarious. and awkward.
and i’m not just talkin’ about your sister.