AVON, Ind. — Last year, Avon welcomed the first “ice rink” to Hendricks County with the introduction of the Avon Ice Rink at Washington Township Park. It was an instant hit with both kids and adults, so organizers knew they wanted to bring it back again this season.

This time around, Washington Township Parks and Recreation and Premiere Entertainment teamed up once more to make the Avon Ice Rink bigger and better.

“We started out last year at 1800 square feet with a white picket fence around it,” explained Director of Marketing, Cassi Still. “This year we expanded to just under 2500 square feet.”

Square footage isn’t the only thing the rink added for this season. This winter, in addition to ice skating, there’s a new unique experience that you can only find here.

“We’re actually the first synthetic ice rink in the nation to own the bumper cars,” said Still.

That’s right. In addition to their already popular ice skating sessions, the Avon Ice Rink is introducing ice bumper cars.

For just 5 dollars per person, you can bump, spin, and enjoy a little friendly competition this holiday season.

“You ride for 5 minutes and then you cycle through with other guests during that hour,” Still said. “So you are guaranteed to ride 3 to 4 times during that time slot.”

Four Things You Need to Know About the Avon Ice Rink:

• The Avon Ice Rink is located inside Washington Township Park, right over where the basketball courts are located in the summer. It’s a synthetic ice rink, so you can enjoy it no matter the temperature outside.
• Activities at Avon Ice Rink are so affordable! Ice skating is just $5 per person/per hour and that price includes skate rental. Bumper cars are also $5 dollars per hour, but participants alternate so it’s not a continual hour in the bumper cards. But over the course of the hour, you’re guaranteed 3-4 rounds in the ice bumper cars (with nice breaks in between).
• Kids need to be at least 36-inches tall and 5-years-old to ride the bumper cars by themselves. Otherwise, they can ride with an older sibling or adult.
• They also have special events for kids and adults. Kids events feature fun characters like PAW Patrol and the 21+ nights feature food trucks and beer trucks on site. All of these events were sell-outs so far this season, so with the their extended season [through February], Still says she will be planning even more special events. So stay tuned for details since tickets will surely sell fast!

While you wait, Still revealed it’s always quite a show to watch other folks battle it out in the bumper cars, especially when it’s grownups in the driver’s seat.

“The adults are way more competitive” laughed Still. “The kids are out there spinning and having fun but you get a group of adults out there and it becomes who can hit the hardest and ‘Who can we go after and tag-team?’

One of the biggest bonuses of it synthetic ice rink, you don’t have to worry about Mother Nature cooperating.

“The nice thing is it doesn’t matter the temperature. It could be 100 degrees or 20 below zero. You can still skate and still enjoy the bumper cars,” she said.

For those who have never experienced skating on synthetic ice, we had to ask how it works and -–more importantly—how it compares to real ice.

“We make the surface slick with [a substance that is] almost the consistency of liquid hand soap and a layer of water that makes it slick and then you can ice skate and/or do bumper cars on it,” Still explained. “And it actually seems to work even better for the bumper cars than it would on real ice.”

The original plan was to wrap up the season in early January, but due to the popularity of their special events (like their sold-out Friday night 21+ nights), they decided to extend the season through late February.

“So we’ll be open weekends, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for kids and families and Friday nights we actually gear to adults so it’s all of our 21-plus events with our food trucks and our beer trucks out here,” she said.

But if you missed out on experiencing some of this month’s special events, don’t worry.

“I’m also working on additional special events in the months of January and February. Some are kid -related so we have character appearances and then more adult events as well,” Still added.

For more information on the Avon Ice Rink, check out their website by clicking here. To see more photos and reviews by local Yelpers, check out their Yelp profile. You can also connect with them via Facebook.

 If you’re looking for more festive fun in Hendricks County, check out these other popular holiday attractions:

• Beasley’s Christmas at the Orchard
• Winterland at Ellis Park
• Evans Whispering Pines