Bank of America Winter Village At Bryant Park

Great event, shops and location....so much fun on a beautiful winter night in NYC!

We had a great time exploring the shops, bars, sights, sounds, etc. Service at the bar was fantastic. Worth a visit if you’re in town!

Bryant park winter village is my favorite spot for Christmas time! Ice Skating, hot chocolate with marshmallows, lots of options of handmade gifts for your your family or friends! Delicious food and people with Christmas spirit. What else do we need for Christmas?!

A fun event with a large variety of food vendors and shops. It gets pretty crowded so I recommend going at the beginning of the season at opening hours. Come with an appetite!

Starting in October and wrapping up on the first week of March, the ice skating at Bryant Park is a seasonal must.

Unlike Rockefeller Center, where the skating can go as high as $32 during peak dates and $12 skate rentals, admission to Bryant Park's skate is F.R.E.E. Though the skate rental is higher ($20). I can't for the life of me find any information on lockers at Rockefeller Center, but there are small lockers for your shoes and maybe a small bag, and a bag check for larger items at Bryant Park. The Bag Check runs $12-15 while the lockers are free... but you do have to pay $10 for a lock if you can't bring your own.
With my own skates (thanks eBay!) and lock, I was able to skate completely free!

All services have to be paid outside prior to entering. That includes skate sharpening and skate aids for the kiddies. Sharpening is a reasonable $20 and the aids are a whopping $22/hour. They did a great job with my used eBay skates. Well worth the price.

The Overlook, the free indoor observation area, is inside so you have to get a wristband before you can enter. Just tell them that you have your own skates and they'll give you one no questions asked.
There's also a small, expensive cafe. They were out of hot chocolate the day I went (really???) and since I'd already put on my skates, going to the Starbucks on the corner was out. You're better off going to Starbucks anyway when they charge $3 for a friggin' bottle of water.

Overall I think Bryant Park is a much better deal for tourist, though less iconic than Rockefeller Center. And it's a fantastic deal for residents with their own skates.