Open session · Story
Open session in Mint Hill: an hour, start to finish
Not a review - a description. Here is roughly how an hour goes.
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 Mint Hill is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
Walking in
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.
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.
The middle of the visit
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
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 last ten minutes
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
What sticks
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.
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Mint Hill
Families around Mint Hill 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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
If Mint Hill 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.
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.