First laps on the ice · Guide
First laps on the ice in Concord Mills: the practical guide
Written for the parent doing the planning rather than the child doing the asking.
A first lap is mostly about the wall. Children hold it, let go of it, grab it again, and somewhere in the third lap they forget it is there.
A Concord Mills school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
What it actually is
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
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.
Who it suits
The advice that helps most is the least technical: bend the knees, look ahead rather than down, and take short steps instead of long glides.
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
What to expect
Falling is part of it and is less dramatic than parents fear. Ice is slippery at walking speed, which is the speed a beginner moves at.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Before you go
A first lap is mostly about the wall. Children hold it, let go of it, grab it again, and somewhere in the third lap they forget it is there.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
Questions parents ask
What age can a child start skating?
Children start at very different ages. What matters more is whether they are willing to hold a rail and shuffle.
How long should a first session be?
Short. Twenty minutes of trying beats an hour of being cold and frustrated.
What should they wear?
Layers, long sleeves, gloves. Gloves are the item most often forgotten and most missed.
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 Concord Mills
For a Concord Mills 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.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
Families around Concord Mills 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
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.