Centre ice · Local
Centre ice near Kannapolis
If you are searching from Kannapolis, this is the practical answer.
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 you are coming from Kannapolis, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Getting there
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.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
What you will find
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.
How long to allow
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.
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.
Worth the trip?
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.
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 Kannapolis
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Kannapolis. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
For a Kannapolis family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
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.