Skylite Roller Skating Center

Skylite is a legendary venue in Worcester. It has been around for as long as I can remember, and after going here for a private party recently, I realized it hasn’t changed a bit– and I mean that in a good way!
The staff was super accommodating and friendly, and made sure that the birthday girl (the not-​a-​kid-​anymore birthday girl) had a great time. They played whatever songs we wanted, and even had some other songs on hand that fit perfectly with our less-​than-​perfect skating. Going here recently was one of the most fun things I have done in Worcester in a long time. I’m watching some videos my friends took from the party now and I’m laughing so hard I am crying.
Some things to note (in terms of private parties): you cannot bring outside food in, but they have some typical birthday-​party type foods (like pizza, soda, and cake) that can be ordered, and they are cash-​only (which is totally fine, but good to know before going). Also, private rentals are really fairly priced!
I have already considered babysitting friends kids just to have an excuse to go back. Aside from the risk of broken bones, there is nothing that isn’t fun about this place!

I’ve only experienced 1 other rink as a parent so take this with a grain of salt. I roller skated a lot as a kid growing up, but I’ve been to a total of 3 rinks in my life. We were there with a birthday party. We didn’t want our host to pay for our son because he wasn’t invited (my daughter was). So I went over to the snack bar to pay. I realized I didn’t have cash on me tho. They do not accept debit cards or credit cards at all. I got cash and paid. I went over to get skates and the man at the window asked for a ticket. I didn’t have one. He walked over with me to the snackbar. The lady said she stamped my sons’ hands. She thought I was paying for 2 kids. I was paying for my son & myself. So she stamped my son’s hand twice. She I guess did not realize I had only one child with me? So when I went back to the window with my ticket for skates a huge line had formed and I now had to wait! They did refund $ 2 tho because parents only have to pay $ 5 for skates.
Skatemates are $ 2 per half hour. I am not sure if this is standard practice among rinks, but seems like a flat fee or FREE would be better. I suppose the charge by the ½ is in case your child decides they don’t need it after a bit.
The rink is small. There aren’t many places for younger kids to hold on when getting on the rink. This is pretty important for inexperienced skaters. There is also no practice areas for younger/​inexperienced skaters. There is a wall along one side of the rink and there is a rail along the back of the rink. 2 sides are open with nothing to grab on to.
It was busy on a Saturday afternoon. Lots of birthday parties. My 5 year old had a blast! My 9 year old was a bit overwhelmed and a very inexperienced skater. She didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked. When I asked if they could tighten her wheels up a bit they said no. Only skates in sizes under 10 could have wheels“locked”. I’ve been to other rinks where the wheels could be tightened a bit not locked for inexperienced skaters. They don’t do this at Skylite.