Rink Spotlight: Sugar Sand Park
Our spotlight series goes outdoors this week — and lands somewhere close to home.
Tucked inside 132 acres of pine flatwoods, playgrounds, and ballfields in central Boca Raton sits one of the best public roller hockey rinks in South Florida. It’s free, it’s lit at night, it just got a brand-new playing surface — and big changes are coming that are about to make it even better.
It’s also where SoFlo Hockey is launching our new adult roller league this fall. So yeah, we’re a little biased. Here’s what to know about the rink at Sugar Sand Park.
The Basics
- Where: 300 S Military Trail, Boca Raton, FL 33486 (enter just south of Palmetto Park Rd)
- Phone: (561) 347-3900
- Web: sugarsandpark.org/hockey-rink
- Surface: Sport-coated asphalt, full dasher boards, outdoor
- Cost: Free, first-come first-served when not reserved
- Lights: On after sunset, Monday–Saturday
1. A Real Rink, Not a Slab
Plenty of “roller hockey rinks” at public parks are just painted basketball courts with a sad pair of nets. Not this one. Sugar Sand’s rink is a proper boarded rink — full dashers all the way around — with a smooth sport-coated surface that got a full upgrade in 2024. Pucks stay in play, passes bank off the boards like they should, and the game feels like actual hockey.
2. A Roof Is Coming
This is the big one. After years of planning and delays, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District has approved a $4.3 million cover for the rink. The design extends 12 feet beyond the playing surface — enough to shield the rink from wind-driven rain and shade the bleachers so fans can watch in comfort — with large fans underneath to keep air moving on summer days. New dasher boards are planned once the roof goes up.
Anyone who’s had a game washed out by a 4 p.m. thunderstorm in July knows exactly how big a deal this is. A covered, lit, boarded outdoor rink in the middle of Boca? That’s a destination.
3. It’s a Multi-Sport Rink — Plan Accordingly
The 2024 resurfacing added futsal capability, and the rink also carries painted lines for four pickleball courts plus regular open skating and basketball nearby. Translation: hockey shares the space. Courts and the rink are available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis when not reserved for permitted activities, so check the schedule (or just call the front desk) before you rally the group chat for a Sunday run.
4. Our New League Plays Here
This fall, SoFlo Hockey is launching an adult roller hockey league at Sugar Sand — open to players 18+, with divisions split by skill level depending on interest. Whether you’re a former travel player or you just bought your first pair of inlines, there’s a spot for you.
Sign up here — it takes less than a minute, and registering early helps us shape the divisions.
5. Bring the Family
This might be the most family-friendly rink trip in South Florida. While you skate, the rest of the crew has a free Children’s Science Explorium, a restored carousel, a massive multi-level playground, a science-themed splash pad, the Willow Theatre, and shaded picnic pavilions — all inside the same park. Parking is free. Drop into a pickup game while the kids burn off energy fifty yards away, and everyone goes home happy.
6. Who Plays Here
Boca and Delray roller players treat this as home ice — pickup regulars, families with kids learning to skate, futsal crews, and the occasional ice player keeping their hands sharp in the offseason. Evenings under the lights are when it comes alive, especially once the summer heat breaks after sunset.
7. The Bottom Line
Free, boarded, lit at night, freshly resurfaced, and about to be covered — Sugar Sand is the best public roller hockey setup in the Boca area, full stop. If you’re anywhere between Deerfield and Delray and you play roller, this should be your rink.
And if you want more than pickup games, come play in our league this fall. We’ll see you on the sport court.
Got a rink we should spotlight next? Drop us a note on the contact page.