Millennium Skate World

Three wonderful words: Adult Skate Night. You’re thinking: surely, this place has alcohol for such an event. Falsehood. No drinks needed. It’s not like bowling where you would only get better with shots. Here at Skate World what you need is a sense of adventure, a healthy dose of courage, and lots of good friends to enjoy it with. My friends and I stumbled upon this place when it opened at 9pm. It wasn’t super packed so we got our mismatched mens-​sizes-​only skates and attempted to skate in the romantic lighting with only the laser lights guiding us. It had been YEARS since we put on roller skates. The soul music was cranked up to near deafness level. There were people there with their own skates dancing in the middle. Magical. Then an hour later the lights turned on, 50 more people showed up and the place really got fun. It’s awesome to watch people practicing their routines, enjoying themselves and being active. Honestly, how people were up on a Weds roller skating till 1am baffles me. And tickles me.
Sure it’s in Camden and the doors to this place seem sketch, but the parking lot is well lit, the people who run the place are ridiculously friendly, and there are (very nice) security guards there to make sure that mischief is managed. The food is cheap, you have to pee in your skates, and the air hockey table works. What more can I say to convince you?!

We had my son’s birthday party here. We scheduled a private party on a Sunday. The staff was so helpful and the space was great. It was a fun day for all, though I think the parents had more fun that the kids!

I went for Halloween very early in the day. A little kiddie party was there in full effect.
Price was reasonable. The smell, mismatched skates, and dirtiness of this place was not.
My cousins and sister told me that they had been here a couple of years ago and it was bangin. This skating rink is right in the middle of a highway, the hood, pretty nice artwork, and unkempt grounds. So the outside look was unpleasing. If the sun had been out it might have looked better I presume.
So yeah, we paid, went through, and smelled feet. A put off. We were like the second group of people to come in. I was really glad I had two pairs of socks on. Why did I have two pair of socks on? Well, cause my Converse’s are a little big for my feet, that’s why. The skates were nasty looking and feeling, the second sock was a lifesaver.
The music was good. The floor was nice and shiny with a few ridges awaiting the new skaters, and there were games for non-​skaters or tired skaters to partake.
On the way out, it’s basically out. If you want to come back in, it seems like you have to repay. The door takes you out to an exit that was never an entrance. I think it means «hope you enjoyed skating, now get the hell out.»
By the way, they do offer $ 5 skating lessons.

Day 1 of derby training: Can I Skate?
Do you know how much I’ve missed roller skating? Like the deserts miss the rain. Holy Solomon. Putting on those wheels for the first time in 20 or so years felt awkward, unnatural, and euphoric.
I attempted the backwards-​skate roller disco move… didn’t fall.
Courage meter = 5
I went as fast as possible around the inside track, placing one skate in front of the other, ducking and leaning into the turn… didn’t fall.
Courage meter = 7
I mixed up my routine with forward and backward skating, interchanging them to the beat of Lil Wayne’s «Ms Officer»…didn’t fall
Courage meter = 9
I’m doing the «cool» bounce to the music, bobbing my head, as I signal to my friend, «watch this.» I gain speed. Jump. Knees hit my chest. Both skates hit the floor. So does my butt. And so does my courage.
Courage meter’s back at zero, but it’s all good, I’m just ecstatic the roller skating rinks of my youth are still out there. And for $ 8, you can’t match this kind of fun.