Centre ice · Seasonal
Centre ice in summer in Harrisburg
Same room, different month, different day out.
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.
A Harrisburg school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Why this time of year
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.
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 changes
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
What to wear
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.
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.
Planning around it
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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
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.
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 Harrisburg
Parents from Harrisburg 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.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
Families around Harrisburg 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.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.