Last winter, Wheel Life Napa ran a roller rink in a borrowed exhibit hall. It now has a covered rink of its own behind the mini golf course at Napa Yard, 585 First St., along the Napa River in the Oxbow District. Napa Kids listed Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, as opening day, and the rink's online booking calendar shows November sessions.
Two things about the new rink stand out. On weekdays, the posted hours begin at 4 p.m., when school lets out, not at 10 a.m. for daytime visitors. And a 90-minute skate with rented skates still costs $20, exactly what the pop-up charged. Both choices fit what the pop-up showed about who was skating.
The Winter Test at Chardonnay Hall
The first version of Wheel Life Napa was a 5,000-square-foot rink inside Chardonnay Hall at the Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St. The Napa Valley Register reported that it was planned to run Dec. 19 to Jan. 11, five days a week for 18 days. Admission was $20 for a 90-minute session with skate rental included, food was sold on site, and party rooms could be reserved.
After the pop-up closed, founder Rick Gudgel told the Register that it averaged about 172 skaters a day, below the roughly 300 a day he had estimated he needed to break even. Jan. 10 was the busiest day, with 265 skaters. He still called the run a success. He also said he had collected about 1,000 signatures from people asking for more activities aimed at locals, and that he wanted to keep running pop-ups until a permanent site was ready.
The permanent site took shape with help from City Hall. A September post from the City of Napa says Gudgel first asked the Economic Development team for help finding a 40,000 to 60,000-square-foot building. When the cost and timeline of a space that size proved hard, the team helped him try a pop-up at the Expo instead. Wheel Life then secured a Use Permit for Napa Yard.
A Bigger Floor at the Same Price
The Napa Yard rink is larger than the one at the Expo and costs the same.
| Chardonnay Hall pop-up | Napa Yard rink | |
|---|---|---|
| Rink size | 5,000 sq. ft. | 6,400 sq. ft. |
| 90-minute skate with rental | $20 | $15 admission + $5 quad rental |
| Bring your own skates | Not listed | Inline and quad allowed |
| Groups of 10 or more | Not listed | $13.50 per skater, plus $5 rental if needed |
| Lessons | Not listed | Saturdays at 10 a.m. |
Because you can bring your own skates, a skater with their own pair pays $15 a session. That brings the price down to what a round of mini golf costs next door.
The Saturday lesson is the best value on the price list. According to Wheel Life Napa, it is a 60-minute small-group class followed by a free 90-minute general admission session. The booking page prices it at $30, with a $5 rental add-on.
The Register's report on the permit describes the setting. The rink sits on a 60-by-120-foot concrete pad with a Lexan railing around it, under a 7,200-square-foot metal cover about 19.5 feet tall, with a dark green roof, brown trim and open sides. It has a roof but no walls.
Hours That Start When School Ends
The Planning Commission approved hours as early as 10 a.m. every day, the same as Napa Yard's permit. The rink's posted schedule is shorter on weekdays and longer at night:
| Day | Public skating | Special session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. | |
| Tuesday | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. | Adult Skate Night, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., ages 18+ |
| Wednesday | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. | |
| Thursday | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. | |
| Friday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | |
| Saturday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | Lessons at 10 a.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
These hours match what Gudgel told the Planning Commission when he made his case. The Register quoted him describing "a space where families can spend time together, where children can have somewhere safe to go after school or on weekends." A 4 p.m. weekday start fits that.
Other speakers at the July 16 meeting made a similar point. The Press Democrat quoted Terence Mulligan, CEO of the Napa Valley Community Foundation: "There's just not enough for those young people to do. There's not enough spaces for us to gather." Commissioner Lisa Massaro, who grew up in Napa, said it was nice to see activities like the roller rink and mini golf come back to the city.
Tuesday Adult Skate Night gives grown-ups their own three hours on the rink each week. Holiday hours and prices may change, and the hours page asks skaters to check the booking calendar before coming. That matters more in the weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Planning an Evening Around the Rink
Napa Yard opened in 2022 as an entertainment venue and beer garden, according to the Press Democrat. Napa Yard describes itself as an outdoor restaurant and community gathering space, serving food from its garden along with beer, wine, and cocktails made by Concordia Spirits on site. The rink's hours line up closely with the restaurant's, which runs 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sundays the restaurant closes at 9 p.m. and the rink at 10.
Next to the rink is Oxbow Greens, an 18-hole mini golf course. A round costs $15 for adults and $12 for kids 12 and under, and usually takes about an hour. The course closes earlier than the rink, at 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sunday, so it makes sense to golf first and skate second.
A few ways to plan a visit with the current calendar:
- A school-night outing for kids: Arrive around 4 p.m. for a 90-minute skate and eat at the restaurant before heading home.
- Monday night: Napa Yard's Monday Night Football Hub runs through Jan. 4, 2027, so one person can watch the game while the kids skate.
- Tuesday adults-only night: Have a drink at the bar first, then book Adult Skate Night, which runs from 7 p.m. until Napa Yard closes at 10 p.m.
- Weekend late night: Late-night happy hour runs Thursday through Sunday through March 28, 2027, and can bookend an evening skate session.
- Midweek extras: Napa Yard's calendar also lists Wednesday trivia, live music, a Thursday artisan market and country line dancing.
If you are driving in from First Street and Soscol, look for the illuminated "THE OXBOW" sign over First Street. It went up in summer 2026 after the Downtown Napa Property and Business Improvement District put $150,000 toward it.
Permitted Through December 2029
The rink is not permanent in the usual sense. Its permit is tied to Napa Yard's temporary use permit, which expires Dec. 21, 2029. The Register reports that once the permit ends, Wheel Life Napa must remove the rink, its railings and the shade cover and return the site to its earlier condition. The Press Democrat adds that the temporary permits could be extended.
The land belongs to Oxbow Holdings LLC. Its long-term plan is a hotel and condo project with retail space and a riverfront trail, which the Press Democrat described in July as still in early review and likely years away. For now, the rink, the mini golf course and the beer garden share this stretch of First Street, and the rink's posted schedule has it open until 10 p.m. every night of the week.
If evenings in the Oxbow are part of how you picture life in Napa, Heather can tell you what the district is like after 4 p.m. as well as on weekend afternoons. Heather Dene is glad to share what she knows about this part of town, from the new Oxbow sign to the newest spots on First Street. Schedule a Private Consultation, and bring your skates.
