Open session · Compare
Open session in Concord: how it compares to other indoor days out
Comparing like for like: what this gives you that the alternatives do not, and where the alternatives win.
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.
Weekends bring more of Concord out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
What it does differently
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.
Where other options win
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
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.
How to decide
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.
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.
The short version
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
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
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.
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 Concord
If Concord 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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
From Concord the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.