KENNER, La. — When you think of South Louisiana, the last thing that comes to mind is winter sports.
However, the Esplanade Mall has just opened its doors to a new ice skating rink.
It’s called “Penguin Ice Skating,” and it’s located on the second floor of this shopping center.
“We know that shopping malls and retail have been struggling in this age of online shopping. So, this is kind of a fun and new way to think about shopping malls and what they could be,” says skating director, Sarah Zanolli.
The idea for the rink came from Zanolli and her business partner who is a former hockey player.
“I started skating when I was 7 years old. I grew up in New York, and that was my activity. It was my career for many years. Then, I fell in love with New Orleans and realized that there is little to no opportunity for skating here,” says Zanolli.
The two owners created the space to be fully equipped for birthday parties or group events, but it is no ordinary rink.
It’s made of a synthetic ice surface.
“It’s made of plastic, like a plastic cutting board. It’s sprayed down with a solution to make it glidable, so you can wear real ice skates on it and everything you can do with real ice you can do on the plastic,” says Zanolli.
If you don’t know how to skate, no worries.
This new skating rink is offering group lessons as well as private lessons.