Star City Skate & Play
- Josie
- Feb 21
- 5 min read
Location: 1131 N Wesleyan Blvd, Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Price: $10 - $30 (listed as $10 but the hidden gotchas can get it up to $30)
Ages: 2-10
Recommend: YES!
Must-knows: bring quarter for locker, can bring toddler scooter/own skates for rink and own water bottles, cash for arcade games. No outside food.
Only a 30 minute drive from Wilson, Star City Skate & Play was a wonderful way to spend a rainy Saturday morning. I took my 2 kids, aged 2 & 3 to the Tiny-Tots Skate. Its held every Saturday morning from 11 AM - 1 PM, and is $10 admission for the kid which includes skate rental, playhouse, and admission for 2 parents. Its geared towards ages 10 and under. For this mama on a budget, I couldn't argue with those prices. The gotcha is that the "skate buddy" PVC wheeled push assistant costs $5 to use, and parents need to pay for their own skate rental. Also, outside food and beverage is not permitted so be prepared to spend a few dollars on concessions or pack a lunch for the car ride home. Luckily they didn't have a problem with bringing your own water bottles.
The skating rink is located across the street from the Rocky Mount mall, in the part of town that is surrounded by all the outlet shops and restaurants. A traffic light leads to an easy side road to pull into the venue. (I'm a sucker for easy to navigate places; you won't find me doing crazy U-turns and merges!) The parking lot was huge and even had a covered walkway to pull-up and drop off kids right at the front of the door.
In terms of the venue, it felt like a blast from the past! More specifically the early 2000s. Which funnily enough is one of the last times I went to a roller skating rink. The star and cosmos theme was strong here. Black carpet with neon pink, blue, and yellow stars and polka dots added to the nostalgia and charm. Not to mention the blue and yellow walls, and a neon pink indoor play ground. A disco ball in the middle of the rink was the chef's kiss.
We walked in and purchased our tickets at a barred counter at the end of a narrow hallway. The attendant buzzed the door to allow us access into the rink. To the left was the skate counter, which is also connected to the arcade prize counter. We gave our tickets to the attendant who held onto our shoes while we borrowed skates. The venue has small quarter lockers you can store valuables in while you skate.
The rink was huge! And well maintained. I felt like I was 13 years old again, gliding across the rink. Except this time I had my own two munchkins with me. They were only with me for a lap before giving up, but still. The attendants played Disney music for the kids, and it was a perfect volume. Not to loud, not to quiet. (I packed my kids noise cancelling headphones just in case, but didn't have to use them. Yay!). I would say maybe 20 people, including parents, total for the whole toddler skate time. Birthday parties don't start until 1, so it picked up on attendance closer to leaving. Otherwise, not too crowded but not dead inside either. And the kids in attendance were actually toddler age! So no getting run over by big kids for a little kid event. What is cool, is one little girl brought her toddler scooter for the rink, which was allowed! I'm going to do that next time, because my kids could not figure out the skates for the life of them.
The best part of this was the playground. It was nearly the full width of the skate rink, and had booths set up where you could sit and watch your kids play. And its located at the end of the rink, next to the prize counter when you come in, so you could skate and still keep an eye on your kids. I was able to skate for an hour by myself while my kids played in the play place! The actual play place itself is definitely a little worn. Their is an attached jump cushion that was blocked off, out of order. And a couple sections of the netting on the play place was half-heartedly blocked off with caution tape because of holes that a kid could fall through to the level below. (wow, this really does not sell it! lol). But its all netted so injury really isn't likely, and the kids all navigated safely. The slide is super fast! I saw so many kids shoot off of it (onto a soft padded landing). They were all hooting and hollering having the time of their lives!
Another bonus is the big arcade! You have classic arcade games like skee-ball, air hockey, racing cars; as well as a few modern games like frog hopper and racing car games. And it uses real tokens! And real tickets! None of that credit card modern fun pass shenanigans. The concession stand is nestled between the arcade and offered good prices for meals. Its your basic pizza, hot dog, chips, popcorn, soda, but what kid eats anything apart from that? Lots of booth seating was available. As well as benches that lined the back wall of the rink. No standing awkwardly for hours watching your kid here! You can get comfy and set up for the day.
In terms of the facilities, the bathrooms were located at the far side of the rink, and were painted neon pink for girls and neon blue for boys. The stall and toilets were smaller, more geared towards kids obviously. No changing tables so if you bring baby be prepared to change him on a bench. The whole place, while well loved and worn, was really clean and well lighted. Did not get the "ick" feeling like you do at some kid places. Staff were friendly, although sparse. But I guess that's everywhere now, and they did have a now hiring sign on the door when you walked in. Parking lot was clean too. I felt safe, especially as a mom by myself with kids.
Now for the big question. Would I go again? Yes! Would I recommend it to friends? Yes! This was so fun, and I can't wait to go back!
