'Try something new.' Pop-up roller skating rink opens at Pelham House Resort in Dennis

The Pelham House Resort has put its holiday celebration on wheels this year by installing a roller rink that will remain open until at least March.

“There’s no roller skating on Cape Cod that I'm aware of so this just gave us the opportunity to try something new,” said John McCarthy, Pelham’s managing partner. “A lot of adults have skated before and once they put the skates on again, it’s so fun to watch it all come back to them.”

According to historical accounts, roller skating has been around since 1760 in England and last enjoyed widespread popularity in the United States in the 1980s. (The National Museum of Roller Skating in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a nonprofit that operates archives and a blog of developments in the skating world.) A Google search turned up 18 indoor roller rinks in Massachusetts, with none listed on Cape.

Pelham resort officials purchased a wood floor specially designed for skating and installed the pop-up rink in what is normally the Sea-Level Ballroom/Restaurant. There is a dessert and drinks bar at either end of the rink so spectators can watch their kids or friends going by.

“Some people can skate backwards,” McCarthy said, “and we have even had six or eight people in a conga line.”

Here is what you need to know to roller skate at Pelham resort, nestled in next to Nantucket Sound at 14 Sea St. in Dennis Port:

Prices, ages, hours

Skating is open to children and adults, at $25 per 45-minute session including skate rentals for those six and older. Reservations are taken for up to 20 skaters per hour.

Hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; noon until 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The rink at Pelham House Resort will also have additional hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 26 and Dec. 27, in addition  to the Thursday through Sunday schedule.

“The D-Y girls hockey team took a whole time slot,“ McCarthy said. “Earlier time slots on Saturdays tend to be booked by families with children.”

Food and drink at the rink

Through the New Year, the rink will feature holiday decor, music and menu items from The Rooftop Restaurant upstairs, a glass-enclosed eatery overlooking Nantucket Sound.

Specialty cocktails include “Blades of Glory” and the “Rudolph Rickey.” Food items include Maple Brook Farms burrata salad, fried green beans or a jumbo lump crab cake sandwich.

How long will the Pelham House Rink remain open?

The plan is to keep the roller skating rink open through March 30, with the holiday decor giving way to themed weekends including the ‘80s and Barbie.

Pelham House Resort, open year round, is also offering a “Skate the Cape '' hotel package for people who want to make a weekend of the experience.

McCarthy said resort officials started working on the roller skating rink two years ago, buying flooring from an athletic company specializing in skating and basketball floors.

“We plan to continue being open year round and we want people to see Pelham House as a place that offers exciting and fun things to do,” McCarthy said.

For more information and reservations, visit pelhamhouseresort.com.

Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@capecodonline.com. Follow her or X, formerly Twitter: @dailyrecipeCCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Retro roller skating: Head back to the 80s with a spin in Dennis Port