Centre ice · Ages
Centre ice in Concord: is it right for a 10 year old?
Same room, completely different visit depending on how old the child is.
It is also the best place to watch from the rail: the whole rink is between you and them, and every lap comes back past you.
Families around Concord who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
How it lands at this age
Space in the centre is what lets a child try a turn. Near the boards there is always somebody to avoid; in the middle there is only the turn.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
What to plan for
The middle of the rink is where the wall stops helping. Getting there is the milestone every new skater sets for themselves without being asked.
It is also the best place to watch from the rail: the whole rink is between you and them, and every lap comes back past you.
What parents notice
Space in the centre is what lets a child try a turn. Near the boards there is always somebody to avoid; in the middle there is only the turn.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
Worth knowing
The middle of the rink is where the wall stops helping. Getting there is the milestone every new skater sets for themselves without being asked.
It is also the best place to watch from the rail: the whole rink is between you and them, and every lap comes back past you.
Questions parents ask
How long before a child leaves the rail?
Some in the first session, some in the fifth. Neither is unusual.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
What are the opening hours?
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
Planning your visit in Concord
Parents from Concord tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Concord. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
The practical details
- XCAV ZONE — 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214: four child-operated machines over a ball pit.
- ICE PARK — 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027: a real rink with bumper cars on the ice.
- Opening hours — 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.
- Phone — +1 (424) 387-6232 · +1 (615) 968-4925
- E-mail — info@newlife-entertainment.com
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.