Outside skating is coming to Babe's at Harbor Point in Utica! They now have their very own outdoor rink out behind the restaurant. Skaters of all ages are welcome and the best part, it's free.

Starting Monday at 11 am, the rink is available for open skate. As long as you bring your own skates, you can come whenever you want 7 days a week. Not only is it FREE for everyone, but kids 12 and under get free hot chocolate all day as well.

Babe's isn't the only place to skate outdoors in the region. There are multiple rinks to visit in New York State. All you have to do is take a trip up north to Lake Placid or east to Clinton Square in Syracuse.

Olympic Speed Skating Oval, Lake Placid

Photo Credit - Lake Placid Olympic Sites

Skate like an Olympian in the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid. The Oval has been reconstructed to improve access the all other Olympic Center facilities and meet international competition standards. They have also added new LED lighting, an Adirondack-style Oval Building for first aid, and upgraded refrigeration.

Clinton Square Ice Rink, Syracuse

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The ice rink at Clinton Square in Syracuse also makes a return for the season. The rink was opened back in 2001. It continues to be a top spot to visit in the region, with over 20,000 visitors each year. Anyone 12 and under must be joined by a parent or guardian.

10 Upstate Ice Skating Rinks to Take Your Family To

Winter in Upstate New York means winter sports. Ice skating has been around for as long as Upstate has been around. Today we find rinks at resorts, in civic centers, in city parks and in open fields. Here is a list of 10 great places to take your families to this winter for a bit of fun on the ice! And as a bonus some of these rinks are in the most beautiful of places, like at the top of the mountain behind Mohonk Mountain House resort in New Paltz, or spread out along the frozen canals near downtown Buffalo. All are great. Have fun!

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New York Ice Castles

Lake George, New York!

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13 Upstate Food Favorites You Can't Buy Outside of New York State

Upstate New York is the home to many fantastic food favorites. Mention sponge candy to somebody 100 miles outside Buffalo and you are probably going to get a blank stare. Mention a Michigan hot dog to anybody not from around Plattsburgh. Same stare. So here is a list of 13 regional food icons that you cannot buy outside of the empire State.

I will add this asterisk. You certainly can buy some of these items online, like the Saratoga Peppermint Pigs. Perhaps the Stix and Sauce item is known by another name somewhere in the country. Salt potatoes may have gravitated elsewhere but if so nobody knows where they started. And Grandma Brown. Well, you can buy that sweet lady's baked beans on eBay. But for the most part you would have to walk into a store or restaurant in Upstate New York to enjoy these "regional" fan favorite foods.