Last Roller Skating Rink In Ocean County Closing Down

JACKSON, NJ — Ocean County's last roller skating rink is closing its doors: the Jackson Skating Center will host its final skating session on Oct. 2.

The roller skating rink, which opened in 1978, has hosted thousands of birthday parties, first dates, and evenings out with friends in its 44-year existence.

It was one of the newest rinks in Ocean County when the Brick Roller Forum closed down in the late 1980s. The Roller Forum, later named America On Wheels, occupied the building that most recently was Tilton Fitness off Route 88 west.

The Jackson rink also outlasted the Skate Arena on Route 70 in Lakewood, which is now the Harley-Davidson dealership, and the Manahawkin Roller Rink, which was part of Frogger's Fun Factory in its final years in the 2000s.

Other roller rinks that existed in Ocean County, according to the website Forgotten Roller Rinks of the Past, include the Seven Star Roller Rink, which occupied a site on Route 9 in Lakewood that now is home to a gas station; there also was a roller rink at the short-lived recreation center on Chambers Bridge Road that now is home to the Warren H. Wolf Primary Learning Center.

"Thank you for being loyal customers to Jackson Skating Center," a notice posted on the rink's Facebook page said. It included a coupon for $5 off general admission for the remaining days of its operations.

In addition to leaving Ocean County with no roller skating rinks, the Jackson closure reduces the number of rinks in New Jersey to about a dozen, according to the New Jersey Family website. If you're looking for places to practice your shuffle (watch skaters at the Jackson Skating Center below), New Jersey Digest compiled a list of 10 retro rinks in New Jersey.