Ice bumper cars · Local
Ice bumper cars around Kannapolis: worth the drive?
Written for families in and around Kannapolis, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
The rink underneath is real ice, which is why the cars behave the way they do. On any other surface it is a different, duller ride.
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 cars turn on the spot, so the game is less about racing and more about aim - and about the spin you leave behind when you connect.
No skating is involved. Children who would not step onto the ice on blades will sit in a car and go straight out onto the same surface without thinking about it.
What you will find
Bumper cars on ice do something bumper cars on a floor cannot: they keep spinning. A nudge that would stop dead on rubber sends the whole car turning, and everybody in it laughs.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
How long to allow
It suits families with mixed confidence. One child can be a natural on skates and the other can be nervous, and the cars put them on the same footing.
The rink underneath is real ice, which is why the cars behave the way they do. On any other surface it is a different, duller ride.
Worth the trip?
The cars turn on the spot, so the game is less about racing and more about aim - and about the spin you leave behind when you connect.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Questions parents ask
Do you need to skate to ride?
No. The cars sit on the ice and the rider stays in the seat.
Is it rough?
It is a bump and a spin rather than a crash. The speed is low and the ice does most of the work.
What should a child wear?
Something warm. A rink is cold even when the ride is not.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Kannapolis
A Kannapolis school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
If Kannapolis 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 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.