Open session · Compare
Open session in Midland, or something else?
Comparing like for like: what this gives you that the alternatives do not, and where the alternatives win.
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.
Parents from Midland 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.
What it does differently
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 photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
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.
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
How to decide
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.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
The short version
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.
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.
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 Midland
A Midland school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
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.