Centre ice · Guide
Centre ice in Landis: a parent guide
Everything below is the sort of thing you would want to know before the drive rather than after it.
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.
From Landis the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
What it actually 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.
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.
Who it suits
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.
Go early if the choice is available. The first hour after opening is quieter than any hour that follows it, and quieter is easier for everybody.
What to expect
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.
Before you go
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.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
Questions parents ask
How long before a child leaves the rail?
Some in the first session, some in the fifth. Neither is unusual.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Landis
A Landis school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
Parents from Landis 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.
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.