Open session · First time
Open session for the first time in Landis
Nobody arrives knowing how it works. That is fine - here is how the first half hour tends to go.
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
The drive back to Landis is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
The first ten minutes
Families spread out. One parent skates with the confident child, the other stays near the rail with the one who is still deciding, and both are on the same ice.
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
What children do first
The mix of ages on an open session is part of the appeal - and the reason to keep an eye out for smaller skaters when the rink is busy.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
What usually goes wrong
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
Families spread out. One parent skates with the confident child, the other stays near the rail with the one who is still deciding, and both are on the same ice.
Making the second visit better
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
Bring a spare layer even in summer. Malls are air conditioned, rinks are colder than that, and a cold child is a child who wants to go home.
Questions parents ask
Is a session structured?
An open session is free skating rather than a class.
Can parents go on the ice too?
Skating with a nervous child is usually the fastest way to get them moving.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Landis
If you are coming from Landis, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
Families around Landis who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
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.