Strawbery Banke’s Puddle Dock Pond, Opening Day, Tickets, and More in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

"It's the most wonderful time of the year", aka skating at the Puddle Dock Pond at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Every year, the Puddle Dock Pond brings families and friends together, as well as community members who normally would never know each other.

I have met many community members that I now call friends through the adult pond hockey pickup on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Our Seacoast community, is so incredibly lucky to have such well-organized public skates, learn to skates, adult hockey, and other events at Puddle Dock Pond in Strawbery Banke.

I mean, look at this beautiful pond and gorgeous city all lit up in the peak of winter.

Before the pond is at the stage of hosting events and skates, it usually takes a good deal of work in a short amount of time.

Just two weeks ago, the pond looked like this:

Now, however, the Puddle Dock Pond is officially open for the 2022-2023 season as of November 28, 2022.

Since the pond can fill up quickly, there is a ticket service for reserving a space in one of the skating options: public skate, learn to skate, kids and pucks, adult hockey, etc.

There are also free skates; however, you still need to tickets for those. Tickets can be reserved online or on site.

The tickets can be purchased here. Using that link, you can also see the weekly schedule. Schedules vary week to week based on events, holidays, etc.

"Ticket sales begin each week on Sundays at 5 PM when the weekly ice schedule is published," according to the website. "Tickets are available for purchase online or in person at the admissions desk in the Lawrence J. Yerdon Visitors Center, 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth on a first-come, first-served weekly basis."