Ice bumper cars · Story
Ice bumper cars in Pineville: an hour, start to finish
What it actually looks like when a family walks in.
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 nearest of the two centres to Pineville is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Walking in
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.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
The middle of the visit
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.
The last ten minutes
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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
What sticks
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.
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.
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 Pineville
The drive back to Pineville is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
Families searching from Pineville are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
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
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.