The skating rink opened its doors in 1978 and closed its doors in 2025.
LILBURN, Ga. — On Sunday, people said goodbye to a beloved Gwinnett County skating rink. Skate Along USA on Beaver Ruin Road in Lilburn closed after 47 years in business.
For some skaters, like floor guard Kennie McPherson, they said goodbye to a part of their daily life.
“I love skating, and I love being on the floor, but I also love how the kids come out and have fun and enjoy themselves,” said McPherson.
Others, like Melisa Raney, who worked at the rink more than two decades ago, said goodbye to a part of their past. She returned to the rink for the first time in about a decade.
“I brought my kids here,” said Raney. “We drove up from Peachtree City, where I live now, and I just wanted them to see where I used to work for all that time because it’s something I still talk about.”
While many things in life have changed since Skate Along USA first opened, many customers said the rink itself looks mostly the same. Few would know better than Anne Hinkel.
“I was here on the first day, said Hinkel, “and I wanted to be here on the last day.”
Hinkel spent her birthday at the grand opening of Skate Along USA. It’s been a while since she’s laced up those same, although refurbished, skates, but she just had to get back to the rink.
“I think nostalgia, the memories, a lot of my formative years, like high school and stuff,” said Hinkel, were spent here with all of my friends, and I don’t know, I just wanted to be within the walls one more time.”
And if those walls could talk, the stories would be endless. From birthday parties to high school dates, some, like Neil Patton, even met their spouse there.
Now he’s not only back with his wife, but their two children. He can’t believe it’s his last time skating at a place that meant so much to him and many others.
“Shock, actually,” said Patton. “I thought it’d be open forever, pretty much.”
Property records show a new owner purchased the building in March 2025 for $4.7 million. A manager at Skate Along USA said the new owner does not plan to keep it as a rink and believes it may become an event center.
