Overview
Yerba Buena Ice Skating & Bowling sits on the rooftop of Moscone Convention Center — the only year-round public ice rink in San Francisco, with an NHL-sized sheet surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass walls that flood the rink with natural light. For families, the combination of the rink, bowling lanes downstairs, and the Yerba Buena Gardens directly below makes this an easy half-day anchor in SOMA, especially on the gray rainy days that dominate winter and early spring.
How to Do It
Transit is the right call here. The Yerba Buena/Moscone Muni Metro station (T and K/J lines) puts you at the door in under a minute. BART riders exit at Powell St. Station and walk south about 10 minutes down 4th Street to Howard, then cut through the gardens. If you drive, there is no street parking on Folsom Street due to ongoing construction near the 3rd–4th Street intersection. Museum Parc Garage at 350 3rd St is the closest, a five-minute walk; Fifth & Mission Garage two blocks away is larger and often easier to navigate with a stroller but budget $30–$45 depending on the time of day and how long you stay. Ride-share drop-off on Folsom works cleanly.
To reach the rink from the gardens level, walk through Yerba Buena Gardens past the carousel toward the middle of the block. The walkway opens into the children's garden area; the Ice Center is in the building with the multi-story glass wall, entrance on the right side of that building. First-timers frequently miss it because the street-level signage is minimal — look for the glass facade, not a traditional rink entrance.
Skates on, get one session on the ice and use the second half of your visit for bowling downstairs if the ice gets crowded. The bowling lanes are a legitimate fallback, not a consolation prize, and the two-zone structure makes this work well with kids who have different energy levels.
Tips & Tricks
Wednesday evening is the best-value session for families. The 7:30–9pm slot runs a "Cheap Skate" promotion where skate rental is free, so you pay only admission. This is typically the least crowded adult-heavy session, which is worth knowing if your kids are still building confidence.
Penguin skating aids are available to rent at the rink and are worth grabbing for ages 3–5 who haven't been on ice before. The penguin (a plastic push-bar shaped like a penguin) gives kids something to grip and lean into while they find their footing, and it significantly cuts down on the frustration cycle of fall-get-up-fall that derails younger skaters. Ask for one at the skate rental counter when you pick up your skates.
Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions run 1–2:30pm and 4–5:30pm and are the most crowded, particularly during school breaks. Weekend mornings the rink is often reserved for lessons and freestyle sessions — check the schedule at skatebowl.com before you go, because the public skate calendar shifts seasonally and gets pre-empted by private events.
Wear long pants and a light jacket or hoodie. The rink itself is cold (it's ice), but the glass walls trap enough ambient light that it's not frigid — you don't need full ski gear. Thick socks matter more than extra layers; thin socks in rental skates leads to blisters quickly. Gloves are smart for kids who will be falling and pushing themselves up off the ice.
The bowling lanes do fill up on rainy weekends. If bowling is your primary backup plan, call ahead (415-820-3532) or check the website — lanes can be booked solid on holiday weekends and school-break periods. Walk-in bowling is usually fine on weekday afternoons.
Planning
Admission runs $12–$13 for adults, $10 for children ages 6–12, and $7–$8 for toddlers age 5 and under. Skate rental is $4–$6 on top of admission (free on Wednesday evening Cheap Skate sessions). Bowling runs $34–$40 per lane per hour. Budget roughly $50–$65 for two adults and two kids skating with rentals, plus a lane of bowling.
Public skate hours shift seasonally — always confirm at skatebowl.com. General patterns: weekday afternoon sessions run roughly 12:30–3:15pm on most days, with evening sessions added Tuesday through Saturday. Weekend public skate typically runs two afternoon sessions (1–2:30pm and 4–5:30pm). The rink is open year-round, which makes it genuinely useful during the summer fog stretch when outdoor options are less appealing.
No reservations required for public skate. Bring thick socks (or buy them there for a few dollars), a light layer, and gloves for any child still learning. Snacks and drinks are available at the rink but limited — if you have picky eaters, grab something beforehand from the surrounding SOMA neighborhood. Strollers park near the entrance; the rink is ADA accessible. The Metreon mall directly adjacent has food options if you want a proper meal around the session.
Best ages are 4–8 for skating, with 3-year-olds manageable if they're physically confident and you get a penguin aid. Under 3 on the ice is tough even with skate aids. Bowling works well for ages 3 and up with bumper lanes.