Open session · Ages
Open session in Landis: is it right for a 6 year old?
What works brilliantly at one age is a shrug at another. Here is how it lands at this one.
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.
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.
How it lands at this age
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
What to plan for
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course 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.
What parents notice
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 quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
Worth knowing
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
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 Landis
For a Landis family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Parents from Landis tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.