With Christmas vacation upon us, how do you keep the kids entertained and busy while school is out of session? One of my favorite pastimes as a kid was always to burn off some energy at my local roller rink. In fact, it’s still something I enjoy doing as an adult!

Whether you’re young or simply young at heart, roller-skating is a fun way to get your heart rate up without realizing you’re actually exercising. Research has shown that one hour of roller-skating can burn up to 600 calories, build strength, and can also increase muscle endurance. Plus, you can do all of this indoors and out of the harsh winter elements.

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However you choose to roll around, be it roller-skates or rollerblades, here are several West Michigan facilities where you and your family can burn off some steam this holiday break:

1. Rollerworld- Kalamazoo

Located off Stadium Drive, Rollerworld typically features open skate every Thursday through Sunday evening. Adults can even enjoy the 18+ retro skate every Friday night! During the holiday break, Rollerworld will host special vacation hours from 2:00-4:00 p.m. every Wednesday and Thursday in December. Rollerworld will close to celebrate Christmas December 24-26 but will remain open throughout the New Year weekend.

2. GR Skate & Event Center- Byron Center

Just in time for vacation GR Skate is offering a daily Holiday Break Skate from noon to 5:00 p.m. For only $8 per person, you can enjoy the entire open skate session and your admission even includes your skate rental. Don’t forget to stop by the concession stand! Holiday Break Skate runs December 20-31, closed only on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

3. RollXscape Skating Center- Holland

If you’re able to load up the kids and make the drive to this Holland skating rink, you won’t be disappointed as RollXscape features some of the most extensive holiday skating hours in West Michigan. Throughout the holiday break, RollXscape will host daily afternoon and evening open skate sessions with the only exceptions being Sundays, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. There are also weekly adults-only skate sessions featuring throwback tunes from the ‘80s and ‘90s so you can relive all your childhood memories.

10 Southwest Michigan Small Town Restaurants You NEED To Visit

The nice thing about all these locations is that they'll take no more than an hour to get to and it's also a good chance to explore Southwest Michigan and do something off the beaten path. Here are 10 small town restaurants near us that you seriously need to check out:

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