First laps on the ice · Faq
First laps on the ice in Indian Trail: common questions answered
Short answers to the things worth knowing in advance.
Warm layers matter more than anything else. A cold child asks to leave long before a tired one does.
Weekends bring more of Indian Trail out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
The short answers
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 advice that helps most is the least technical: bend the knees, look ahead rather than down, and take short steps instead of long glides.
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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Still worth asking on the day
Twenty minutes is a long first session. Confidence grows faster over three short visits than over one long one.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Indian Trail
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.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
Parents from Indian Trail 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
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.