The temperatures are dropping and you’re already peering outside your window, looking for the first signs of spring.  

Not so fast.

True, winter means snow storms, bone-chilling winds, shoveling, icy roads, hazardous driving and a lot of other things we’d all rather forget. But winter also brings opportunities for a wide array of great outdoor activities, including a traditional favorite — ice skating.

As soon as the temperature drops a bit more, Atwater and Lake Bluff Elementary will pull out the water hoses and create patches of ice on their playgrounds. Contact the main office at either school for more details.

Just across the village's borders, Lake Park offers up public skating at 2975 N. Lake Park Rd. on weekdays 3 to 8 p.m. and weekends 12:30 to 8 p.m, though the rink has not opened yet. Ice hockey is also available weekdays 8 to 10 p.m. and weekends 8 to 10 p.m. For more information, call the Lake Park Friends Office at (414) 962-1680.

In the meantime, there are other nearby options already open for the season. 

Red Arrow Park's Slice of Ice skating rink in downtown Milwaukee opened Thursday.

Ice skates may be rented for $7 for people ages 17 and under and $8 for adults. Anyone who owns skates can use the rink for free. The rink's hours frequently change throughout the season, so check their website for updated hours. 

Additionally, the Petit National Ice Center is a quick hop, skip and jump from Shorewood at 500 S. 84th Street. The official U.S. Olympic trial and training facility with a 400-meter speed-skating oval and to full-size hockey rinks offers public skating seven days a week. Visit the center's website for open skate hours.