As the song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” The holiday season is supposed to be about spending quality time with the people we care about, but it also happens to be one of the most hectic and stressful times of the year for many people. 

Everyone loves a thoughtful gift, but don’t get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that you forget about what’s really important—shared experiences! Research even suggests that people who spend money on experiences instead of material objects are happier and feel more fulfilled. 

If you’re looking for ways to slow down and connect with your friends and family, check out these holiday activities coming up in and around Lanham. 

Family-Friendly Holiday Events Near Lanham

ZooLights at the National Zoo

Christmas lights + the National Zoo + kids = A whole lotta holiday fun! Head to the National Zoo for a free experience walking the grounds of the zoo amid over 500,000 energy efficient lights in colorful displays that are sure to dazzle (and also look great on your Instagram). In addition to the usual light displays you may have seen in previous years, this year’s event will feature glowing animal lanterns and an interactive art installation called “Entre Les Rangs.” There will be live music, yummy seasonal snacks, and holiday shopping opportunities. ZooLights is open from 5 pm to 9 pm through January 1st. (Except for December 24th, 25th, and 31st.) 

Public Roller Skating Sessions

You’re on a skating rink blog, after all! Roller skating is a great way to stave off cabin fever when the weather is nasty and your kids need to blow off some steam. Everyone will feel better after doing something active than they would if you stayed on the couch watching yet another Christmas movie you’ve already seen. Check out our schedule to see public skating session times, and remember to follow us on Facebook to hear about special events and deals! 

Enchant Christmas

Explore the world’s largest Christmas light maze at Nationals Park, featuring a 90,000 square foot light maze and a 100-foot lighted pine tree sculpture. There will also be ice skating, a holiday artisan and makers market, and showing of some of your favorite classic Christmas movie scenes from films like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. 

Breakfast with Santa

Brunch and holiday activities for the kiddos? What could be merrier? Breakfast with Santa at La Fontaine Bleue is coming up on December 8th from 9 am to 1 pm. Kids under 5 eat free, and there will be photo ops with Santa, crafts, games, and face painting. (Reservations are required.) 

Whatever you get up to with your family this holiday season, we hope you make some fun memories!

We’ve shared when to buy or replace your roller skates, and why roller skates are a fantastic gift idea, but do you know what to do once you have your nice new skates in hand? Roller skate maintenance is super important if you’re going to get the maximum enjoyment and longevity from your skates, so check out our tips to learn how. These are the skate maintenance tasks you should do on a weekly basis. 

Weekly Roller Skate Maintenance

When you rent skates from us at Lanham Skate, you’re getting the convenience of a rental and all that entails—we take good care of our rental skates by cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining them on a regular basis. However, when you own your own roller skates, you’ll have to take care of their upkeep on your own. There are certain tasks you should do once in a while or as-needed, but these are the ones you should be taking care of on a regular basis. 

Tighten Toe Stops

Roller skating is a dynamic activity, and over time the vibrations from skating can cause certain parts of your skates to loosen up. Toe stops are a common culprit for this, so make sure that you tighten your toe stops each week. There are a couple of types of toe stops: 

• Adjustable toe stops
  • Hex lock nuts + tension washers – This type of stopper is common in mid- to high-range skates. You can tighten your hex lock stoppers by tightening the nut on the base of the toe stop with a crescent wrench. Don’t forget to squeeze the tension washers up against your plates; if you don’t, they might fall off while you’re skating. 
  • Allen key lock nuts – If you sprung for high-end skates, you’re probably dealing with allen key lock nuts. You can tighten these back up using an allen wrench or hex key. If you don’t, your toe stops might fall off while you’re skating. 
  • These types of toe stops are nice because they allow you to adjust the stoppers to your desired height; however, it’s important to make sure that the threaded stems of your toe stops are always screwed into your plate by at least half an inch. Failure to keep them at least half an inch into the plates can damage the plates and void your warrantly. 
• Non-adjustable toe stops
  • Common on kids skates and basic skate models, the non-adjustable bell toe stops can be tightened using a screwdriver (take a look to see if you need a flat head screwdriver or a Phillips head screwdriver). The toe stop bolt found in the middle of the stopper should also be tightened, but you can tighten it by hand. 

Tighten Wheel Nuts

The vibrations of skating can also work your wheel nuts loose, and you don’t want to skate on wheels that are not fully secured! If you find that you need to change your skate wheels pretty frequently, you may have worn out your wheel nuts. Another way to tell if your wheel nuts are loose is to shake your skate from side to side. If you hear clunking sounds, that means your wheels are moving back and forth on the axle of the skate and you need to tighten them.

To fix this, use a skate tool or half inch socket wrench to gently tighten the loose nut bit by bit. Your wheel should be able to spin freely but not move from side to side on the axle. Be careful not to damage the bearing on your wheel with your skate tool as you do this. 

Whether you need help choosing the right skates to buy or finding that one accessory to make your skates perfect for you, we’re happy to help! Just visit our Lanham, MD skating pro shop.

Look, we all know that it’s important to stay active for physical and mental health, but life is busy. From taking care of business at the office to playing chauffeur for your kids’ packed school and sports schedules, it’s easy to shift your own health and wellbeing to the back burner in favor of checking off your ever-expanding to-do list. That’s a recipe for boring gym workouts and maybe even choosing to just stay on the couch. 

Fortunately, you can get a full body workout without feeling like you’re being punished for something. Roller skating to the rescue! 

Roller Skating is a Full Body Workout

Here at Lanham Skate Center, we love sharing the joy of roller skating with people of all ages and abilities. Whether you have fond memories of skating as a child and would like to return to the rink, have never even put on a pair of roller skates, or have been tearing up the rink your whole life, you’re welcome to join us at any of our public skating sessions. 

Skating is good for your heart. 

Aerobic exercise (exercise that you can sustain for 10 minutes or more—think jogging, not sprinting) is incredibly important for your health, as it strengthens your heart and lungs. The American Heart Association even recognizes roller skating as an effective aerobic exercise, and researchers have found that roller skating can raise your heart rate from 140 to 160 beats per minute. Intense skating, like playing roller derby or speed skating, can even raise your heart rate to around 180 beats per minute!  

Skating builds strength. 

While it’s pretty obvious that roller skating can build up your leg muscles, it’s actually a better full body workout than you might think! In addition to strengthening and toning your quads, glutes, hamstrings, shins, calfs, and hips, skating also engages your core muscles. These super important muscles are located in your torso and are extremely important for posture, preventing back pain and injuries. The core muscles include your abs, pelvic floor, and the muscles that run along your spine. 

Roller skating engages your core muscles, as well as your arms, because you are constantly having to shift your body weight to maintain balance as you roll. While these movements are less noticeable than the actions of your legs, the small balancing movements can be a surprisingly good workout for your core and upper body!

Skating is low-impact. 

Some exercises are high-impact, meaning they put a lot of pressure on your joints. (Running, CrossFit, and sports like basketball, tennis, and soccer are all examples of high-impact exercise.) Low-impact exercise is more gentle on your joints, which is important for preventing injury and joint pain, especially in older or overweight people. Low-impact exercises include swimming, water aerobics, weight training, and—you guessed it—roller skating! 
It’s never too late to learn to skate, so check out our Lanham skating lessons and get ready to roll your way to fun and fitness!

October is known for all kinds of autumnal fun, from corn mazes and hayrides to trick-or-treating and carving jack-o-lanterns. But there’s something else special about October—it’s also National Roller Skating Month!  At Lanham Skate Center, we love sharing the joy of roller skating with families in and around Lanham, especially during the official appreciation month. Read on to learn 5 fun ways to celebrate National Roller Skating Month. 

Take a lesson.

If you’re not super confident on roller skates, that’s OK! Skating comes more naturally to some folks than it does to others, but taking a skating class is a great way to get caught up and find your skating stride. 

Our roller skating classes take place every Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and every Saturday from noon to 1 pm. We also have skate mates available for rental on Sundays from 1 to 7 pm, which can be helpful for little ones who are still finding their footing. 

Book a party. 

Nothing says party time like the roller skating rink! If you or a loved one has a birthday coming up soon, go ahead and make a reservation for your roller skating party. There’s no need to clean your house, fuss over food and drinks, and spend time decorating, all of which leave you feeling tired before the guests even arrive. (Not to mention the mess you get to clean up afterward.) Instead, leave the details to us and throw a party you’ll actually be able to enjoy!

Make a date. 

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it can be hard to make quality time with the one you love. Why not plan a fun, unique date night for your significant other? Roller skating is a great option for quirky dates because it’s got all the elements of a good date: Fun, ambiance, great music, and an excuse to hold hands. 

Plan an event. 

When it comes to school fundraisers and PTA events, we’ve got your back! Roller skating fundraisers are a great way to ensure turnout for your event and drive donations, whether for a school project, a field trip, or another great cause. Our Lanham skating rink can handle large crowds with ease, so you can relax and enjoy the event. Plus, people are more generous when they’re happy… And it’s basically impossible to be unhappy on roller skates! 

Get connected. 

There are so many more ways to celebrate National Roller Skating Month, but we’d be here all day! So we’ll just leave you with one last way—connect with us on social media. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, specials, and more. And it’s not a one-way street; we’d love for you to join the conversation and share your photos and videos with us on Facebook and Instagram! Just remember to mention or tag us in your posts to be sure we see them.  

Who doesn’t love Halloween? The holiday is a great excuse to let your inner kid go wild, from the candy to the costumes. If you’re looking for great Halloween costume ideas for 2019, you’re in the right place. Check out some of our favorite Halloween costumes that go great with roller skates, so you can be the talk of the skating rink or the block party! 

Halloween Costume Ideas for 2019

• Hawkins forever – Channel everyone’s favorite gang of lovable misfits with a Stranger Things group costume! You can’t go wrong with Eleven’s iconic pink-dress-plus-blonde-wig look, but the third season gave us plenty of other style inspiration, from Hopper’s floral shirt to Billy’s lifeguard look, and of course the unforgettable Scoops Ahoy sailor outfits rocked by Steve and Robin! 
• Reign supreme, disco queen – The number one costume choice for a roller skating Halloween party is obvious: Roller disco, baby! While roller skating has been enjoyed through many decades, nothing is as synonymous with roller skating as the sparkly, shiny, polyester-y looks of roller disco. And don’t forget to wear plenty of eye shadow for a historically accurate disco makeup look! 
• Make it magical, Sabrina-style – What could be more Halloween-appropriate than Sabrina and her frenemies, the Weird Sisters? Dark, long sleeved dresses with oversized lace collars make this a relatively easy group costume to pull off. Don’t forget the headbands and dark lipstick! If you have a larger group, include other characters like Hilda and Zelda, Ambrose, Father Blackwood, Harvey, Roz, Theo, and Dr. Cerberus.
• Cause some trouble as the Derry Girls – If you’ve watched Derry Girls on Netflix, you know this is the perfect costume for a friend group, especially if your squad finds its way into more than its fair share of trouble. All you’ll need is some Catholic school-esque attire; think plaid skirts, sweater vests, blazers, ties, and some delightfully bad 1990s hair styles. (A side pony and/or crunchy bangs will make the look.)  
• Play the game of thrones– Regardless of what you thought of the finale, the final episode of Game of Thrones marked the end of an era. The possibilities are vast, thanks to the huge list of characters in the show, but some of the most costume-worthy are Daenarys and her dragons, the Lannister siblings, Jon Snow, Sansa and Arya Stark, Lord Varys, Khal Drogo, Melisandre, and of course, the Night King. Just remember to keep robes, dresses, and capes short or pinned up so they don’t cause you or another skater to trip! 
• Embrace your inner kid – 2019 has been a good year for the inner kid in all of us, from Toy Story 4 to Detective Pikachu. It’s pretty easy to find costumes of Buzz, Woody, and Bo Peep at local Halloween stores or online. Or if you’re in more of a closet costuming mood, you can probably whip up a Pokemon trainer outfit from clothes you already own! For extra cool points, orchestrate a whole group of friends dressed as Pokemon trainers and various Pokemon. 

September is National Self-Improvement Month, a time to take stock of where you are in life, from personal relationships and professional development to fitness and social goals. What’s going well, and what do you wish were going better? There are a lot of ways to improve yourself, from small, practical lifehacks to major life changes, but what’s most important is for you to decide what you want to change and how you’re willing to make it happen. If you’re stuck for ideas, check out these 3 self-improvement ideas you can do right here at Lanham Skate Center! 

Make a difference. 

Life can get pretty busy, especially if you have kids, so it can be easy to let charitable activities fall by the wayside. If there’s a cause close to your heart, you can make a difference by raising money with a roller skating fundraiser! Contact us to learn about our private events and fundraiser parties for schools, sports teams, charities, scouting groups, and other worthy causes. 

Be more active. 

Speaking of being busy, how often do you make it to the gym? One important way to improve your life is by getting more exercise! Let’s face it, one of the biggest obstacles for most people is boredom; it’s hard to be motivated to get your workouts in when you’re bored. Fortunately you can jumpstart your physical activity by including some new and fun activities. Roller skating is an excellent choice, because it’s not only fun and social, but can also give you a great full-body workout. Skating strengthens your core and lower body, improves cardiovascular conditioning, and can even help you gain better balance and agility. Check out our schedule to see our open skating sessions. 

Strengthen your relationships. 

One of the most common regrets people express later in life is not spending enough time with loved ones. Whether it’s your spouse, your children, your siblings, your best friend, or even your parents, make it a point to spend some quality time together. Plan a date night with your spouse and enjoy skating to “your song” and holding hands like you did when you first met. Schedule a regular family fun night with your kids when everyone puts down their devices, unplugs, and just has fun hanging out. 
Whatever your self-improvement goals may be, we hope to see you soon at our Lanham skating rink!

If you are anything like us, those ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan playing in the background get you every time. These commercials on the television or the person you see on the street corner make you feel compelled to help in some way.

With all of the hurricane destruction in the forefronts of our minds and televisions, many people are wondering how they can help. Well, there are tons of organizations to donate money, supplies and even blood to. However, why not do something different? Lanham Skate is the perfect place to host the most fun fundraiser yet! Sure, you can throw a bake sale or clothing drive, but doesn’t a skate party sound more fun?

4 Reasons why a skate party makes the best fundraiser

1. Excuse to get the family all together for a night of fun.
2. Ability to meet and interact with new parents in a social setting.
3. Skate parties do not take a lot of money up front or time planning.
4. Local businesses love supporting local organizations.

Here are some ways to make a skating fundraiser even more fun:

• Have a competition between grades, schools in the district, or sports teams to see who has the most attendees and monetary donations.
• Create a theme for the fundraiser.
  • You could do a unified theme like favorite sports jerseys, decades, luau, etc.
  • You could do a divided theme, like color wars, if you plan on doing a competition.
• Suggest costumes with the themes and have a costume contest.

There are so many different ways to get people involved while still having a blast. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions about your next fundraiser or party with Lanham Skate.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, but it’s still hard to believe that the first day of school for students in Prince George’s County will be in less than a month, on Tuesday, September 3rd! While you’re checking off those school supply lists, shopping for clothes and backpacks, and stocking up on hand sanitizer, don’t forget to make a reservation for your back-to-school party at Lanham Skate Center! 

Why host a back-to-school party at all? 

There are many reasons to celebrate the start of a new school year with a roller skating party, but these are a few of our favorites: 

• Keep the summer fun going – Returning to a rigid schedule full of catching the bus, homework, and all of the other school year responsibilities can feel like a lot for kids, especially if they’ve spent all summer with a less-structured schedule. A roller skating party will help them remember that the fun doesn’t stop just because school is in session. 
• Break the ice – Even more importantly, a back-to-school skating party can help new classmates break the ice and get more comfortable with each other. And it’s not just the kids who will benefit; parents and teachers will also appreciate getting to know each other outside of the drop-off/pick-up line. 
• Get the kids moving – Summer is a sedentary season for many kids, which can contribute to childhood obesity. Kick off the year with some physical activity by throwing a skating party. Roller skating is a great workout that doesn’t feel like a workout, even though you’re strengthening muscles, improving balance, and burning calories. 

No matter what kind of event you’re planning, we can help you make it a winner! Check out our group event info page to learn more, and give us a call to make your school group reservation today. 

If you love to skate, it makes sense to buy your own pair of skates. Proper care and maintenance will help them last a long time, but eventually, you’ll need to replace your tried-and-true skates. Wondering how to tell when you need new skates? Check out these warning signs that you need to replace your skates and come see us at our pro shop in Lanham, Maryland to get rolling with a new set of wheels.

Nothing lasts forever.

No matter how much TLC you shower on your roller skates, they will eventually succumb to wear and tear. The hardware (trucks, wheels, bearings) can be replaced, but if the boot is cracked or warped, the ankles are shapeless and unsupportive, or the lace holes are torn, there’s not much you can do but retire them and start with a fresh pair. 

They just don’t fit!

OK, this one is more for kids than adults, but it’s really important to wear skates that fit! If your child is outgrowing their roller skates, they need to rent or buy a larger pair to avoid hurting their feet. Do your skates hurt when you wear them? You may have the wrong size skate boot as well. Visit our pro shop for help troubleshooting your skate situation. You may need a different size, or it may be something as easy as changing the way you lace them. 

It’s not you, it’s me.

Sometimes you need to replace your skates not because they are worn out, but because you’ve changed as a skater! If you’ve gone from a beginner or casual skater to participating in jam skating, roller derby, artistic skating, or speed skating, you’ll need to upgrade your skates to an appropriate model designed for that activity. 

Whether you bring your own or rent them from us, we hope to see you soon at one of our upcoming skating sessions!

Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or “just because,” it can be hard to choose the perfect gift for someone you care about. Ideally, you want to give them something they wouldn’t buy for themselves; something that they can enjoy for years to come; and of course something that will surprise and delight them! If that sounds like a tall order, don’t worry; your friends at Lanham Skate Center have you covered. The perfect gift is waiting for you at our pro shop!

That’s right, the memorable gift you’ve been wracking your brain to come up with was here all along: roller skates! Learn our top reasons why roller skates are one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give, and how to make your gift extra special for the recipient.

• Roller skates make you feel like a kid again. It’s pretty much impossible to feel stressed or anxious when you’re skating to your favorite tunes! Gifting someone you care about a pair of skates will save them the rental fee every time they go to the skating rink, so they can skate more often and save money.
• There’s a skate to fit every style. These days, roller skates come in pretty much every color and pattern you can think of, not to mention all of the different types – speed skating, roller derby, jam skating, and so much more.
• You’re not just gifting an object, you’re gifting an experience! According to scientists, experiences give people more happiness than possessions. So don’t just give someone the gift of roller skates – plan a trip to your local skating rink as well! As much as they’ll love the gift of their very own skates, they’ll treasure the memories of your skate date even more!

Want to celebrate a noteworthy event, connect with friends and family, or just capture the joy of gliding on wheels? Check out our schedule for hours, prices, and more.