The U.S. National Whitewater Center plans to turn its upper pond into an outdoor skating rink when Winter at Whitewater returns in mid-November. The season will also bring a lighted trail, a holiday market and other activities to the Catawba River property in west Charlotte.
The center’s website lists Winter at Whitewater as running from mid-November 2026 through mid-February 2027, as Fort Mill Sun also reported. The schedule includes skating, a lighted trail, nighttime activities, a Christmas tree lot and a winter market. The center also lists additional programming at Wildwoods and Whitewater Farms, according to whitewater.org.
A Rink Billed as the Region's Biggest
The center says it will convert more than 24,000 square feet of its upper pond into an outdoor rink, which it describes as the Southeast’s largest. The ice is arranged in four areas: two skating trails and two zones for open skating. Skaters need an Activity Pass.
Skating is scheduled from mid-November 2026 through mid-February 2027. The center says people of any age can take part if they are able to walk. Rental skates will be sharpened during the season, and an Airstream trailer on the ice will sell hot and cold drinks.
Holiday Hours and Rink-Side Dining
The rink is scheduled to operate from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cask Curling will return on select days and is included with an Ice Skating Single Activity, Day or Annual Pass. Reservations for a lane are required and can be made ahead or on site.
Visitors looking for a dinner-and-skating option can book Skate and Date or Craft and Curl, which pair ice time with a three-course meal at River's Edge, the center’s full-service restaurant. The wooded trail, which features suspension bridges and activities for different ages, is open without an Activity Pass.
Trees, Market Goods and a Return Visit From the Ponies
The Winter Market is due to open with the season in mid-November. It will offer winter gear, holiday drinks and gifts, and visitors can browse without an Activity Pass. The tree lot is expected to open closer to Thanksgiving with freshly cut Fraser firs from the Grayson Highlands region near Whitetop, Virginia, along with wreaths.
Two Grayson Highland ponies are scheduled to stay at the Charlotte property this winter before moving to their permanent home at Windfall, the center’s property in Lansing, North Carolina. The ponies came from the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association’s annual fall auction in southwest Virginia, which the center says helps manage the wild herd’s population. The association oversees herds on Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and volunteers round up ponies for veterinary inspection and sale, according to the Bristol Herald Courier. The center also plans to host its newest Highland calves for the season before they join the herd at Windfall.
Night Passes, Run Club and the Winter Calendar
An All Access Night Pass is scheduled to return in November. It covers evening access to Wildwoods, the rink, the North and South Rim zip lines and the Ridge Traverse; reservations for those activities can be made on site on the day of a visit. Wildwoods is adding a second phase to its play area, with activities intended for the whole family, while the center lists Whitewater Farms animal programming as coming soon.
Winter Run Club meets Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. outside the Overlook Barn from November 11 through March 10, skipping November 25, December 23 and December 30. Runners can choose a 1.5-mile winter trail route or a 3-mile route on a section of the South Main Trail using a headlamp, with On, Hoka and Run For Your Life scheduled to appear during the season. Attending six sessions earns a free 5K or 10K race registration, and 12 sessions earns a Winter Run Club long-sleeve shirt. The broader winter calendar also includes a Shot in the Dark night trail race, a 3-on-3 pond hockey league, Channel the Holidays, the Rocky Road Race, the Frigid Trail Race and Plunge, the Ride and Seek mountain bike adventure race, and the Dog Days of Winter festival.
Getting There and What It Costs
Visitors can enter the property without paying an admission fee. The address is 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway in Charlotte, near Tega Cay, Fort Mill and Rock Hill along the Catawba River upstream from Lake Wylie. Parking costs $13 per vehicle or $25 for oversized vehicles; an annual parking pass is $47 and is valid from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. The center says some winter activities are available at no cost beyond parking. Leashed pets are welcome outside the designated off-leash area. Daily activity schedules and event dates are posted at whitewater.org/calendar.
How the season fits into the regional winter lineup
The Whitewater Center’s season is listed for mid-November through mid-February, with separate activity passes and parking charges. For comparison, Carowinds says most rides, live shows, light displays and select activities at WinterFest are included with park admission, while food, drinks, merchandise and some holiday experiences cost extra. WinterFest runs on select dates from November 27 through January 3, 2027. Carowinds The winter program has also changed over time: in its coverage of the center’s 2022 season, WSOC-TV reported plans for a “Lights” exhibition with more than 50 illuminated installations along a half-mile walking trail. That was an addition for the 2022 season, not a detail about the current schedule.
