Ice bumper cars · Ages
Ice bumper cars in China Grove: is it right for a 5 year old?
What works brilliantly at one age is a shrug at another. Here is how it lands at this one.
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.
If China Grove 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.
How it lands at this age
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.
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 to plan for
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.
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.
What parents notice
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.
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.
Worth knowing
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.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
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.
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.
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 China Grove
The nearest of the two centres to China Grove is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like China Grove. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.