Entry No. 33 — the Memphis file — filed under: roller-skating
East End Skating Center
East End sits on Mt Moriah under new ownership, with a newly resurfaced floor and more upgrades promised. The house style is the Southern Roll, a Memphis-specific way of moving that local skaters will happily tell you belongs to this city, and sessions run to R&B and hip-hop rather than rink-organ nostalgia. Adult skate is the actual draw: Friday 9pm to midnight for 18+, Sunday 8 to 11pm for 21+. Admission is $11 for most sessions ($8 for the Friday 1–8:30pm block), rentals are $4, Skate Mates and inlines $5, and the arcade runs a dime a credit. Regulars are blunt that adult nights fill with advanced skaters — which makes the rail a perfectly respectable place to spend the evening watching.
→ Three at a time, never the same twice — explore weird Memphis
The story
East End sits on Mt Moriah about twenty minutes east of downtown, in a city that has lost most of its rinks — the Crystal Palace on Third survives mainly as something Memphians post about, and Skate Odyssey now operates across the state line in Horn Lake. East End is under new ownership, has laid a newly resurfaced floor, and says more upgrades are coming. The soundtrack is R&B and hip-hop rather than rink organ, and the house style has a name.
The Southern Roll is a real term with a credited author. Lukki, named as the style's creator, defines it as "A southern skate family, with its own southern flavor, its own southern style like no other area, city, or state. We roll a southern way" — a slow groove and bop cut to whatever is playing. Memphis skaters point at East End as the place to watch it done properly, and they are blunt that adult sessions fill with advanced skaters, which is a polite way of saying you will be lapped.
The economics are refreshingly plain: $11 to skate most sessions, $8 for the Friday afternoon block, $4 for rentals, $5 for Skate Mates or inlines, and a dime a credit in the arcade. Three adult sessions run each week — Wednesday and Friday nights at 18 and up, Sunday at 21 and up — and the 21+ label is about who is on the floor, not what is in your hand: drugs, alcohol and weapons are all banned on the property, and breaking that rule gets you trespassed and permanently banned. There is a clear-bag policy, parents watching their kids skate pay nothing, and the counter sells Riedell skates to anyone who decides the rentals were the problem.
What it's like
It's a stretch of Mt Moriah with its own lot, twenty minutes east of downtown off I-240, and buying online ahead of time can knock the price down. Rental boots are unkind, so wear tall socks; men's come in whole sizes only and women should size up about one and a half. Arrive at the top of a session, while the floor is still thin enough to be publicly bad at this — an hour in, the Southern Roll regulars own both the middle and the outside lane and nobody is slowing down for you. The rail is a legitimate place to spend an evening and standing there is not a defeat. There is no bar, so the drinking happens somewhere else, before or after.
The move: Sunday, 8pm, the 21+ session: $11 in, $4 for rentals. Show up right at eight while the floor is still thin enough to be publicly bad at this, give it twenty minutes on the rail, then retreat to the edge with a couple dollars of arcade credits and watch the Southern Roll do its thing until eleven.
📍 Before you go Posted schedule: Mon/Tue/Thu 1–8pm and Sat 12–9pm all ages ($11); Fri 1–8:30pm all ages ($8) then 9pm–12am 18+ ($11); Sun 2–7pm all ages then 8–11pm 21+ ($11). Rentals $4, Skate Mates $5, inlines $5, arcade $0.10 per credit. The site advertises a Wednesday adult night but Wednesday shows no hours on the pricing page — call (901) 363-7785 before you drive out. Unaccompanied minors are charged an extra $8 unless a parent pre-registers them. It's about 20 minutes east of downtown off I-240 at Mt Moriah, with its own lot; buying online can knock the price down. Bring tall socks — rental boots are unkind.
- 📍 Memphis
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 5718 Mt Moriah Rd, Memphis, TN 38115
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Gibson's Donuts — Under three miles up the same road, and the counter takes orders until midnight — precisely when the Friday 18+ session lets out.
- Crystal Shrine Grotto — A couple of miles north on Poplar: a free man-made quartz cave inside a working cemetery is the quietest possible way to spend the afternoon before a loud night.
- Comics & Collectibles — Also East Memphis, and the same species of room — longboxes and vintage-toy bins where being obsessive about a niche is simply the local standard.
More weird in Memphis
Good to know
When are the adult nights?
Wednesday 8 to 11 p.m. and Friday 9 p.m. to midnight are 18 and up; Sunday 8 to 11 p.m. is 21 and up. All three are $11 plus $4 for rentals. The schedule has shifted before, so call (901) 363-7785 to confirm the night you want.
What does it cost?
$11 admission for most sessions, $8 for the Friday 1 to 8:30 p.m. all-ages block. Rentals are $4, Skate Mates and inline skates $5, arcade credits a dime each. Buying online can lower the price, and parents or guardians who only want to watch get in free.
Is there a bar?
No. Alcohol, drugs and weapons are prohibited on the property. The 21+ Sunday session is an age rule about the skating floor, not a licensing one.
What if we genuinely cannot skate?
The rink runs an Adult Jam skate class every Tuesday 6:30 to 8 p.m. with its instructors, and Saturday morning lessons 11 a.m. to noon with Coach Caroline, all ages, with an option to upgrade into the noon session afterward.
Anything else to know before driving out?
Clear bags only, unless it's a diaper or medical bag. Unaccompanied minors who haven't been registered in person by a parent or guardian pay an extra $8. Rip sticks, scooters, balance bikes and skateboards are not allowed on the floor.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · wearememphis.com
last checked: 2026-08-26