First laps on the ice · Faq
First laps on the ice in Davidson: common questions answered
No sales copy - just the answers.
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.
If Davidson is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
The short answers
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
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.
The longer answers
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.
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.
Still worth asking on the day
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
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.
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 Davidson
A Davidson school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
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.