Centre ice · Story
Centre ice in Cornelius: what an afternoon looks like
What it actually looks like when a family walks in.
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.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Cornelius. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
Walking in
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.
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.
The middle of the visit
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
The last ten minutes
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.
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.
What sticks
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.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
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.
How do I get in touch?
By phone on +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925, or by e-mail at info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Planning your visit in Cornelius
From Cornelius the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
The nearest of the two centres to Cornelius is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.