Open session · Faq
Open session in Mint Hill: asked and answered
Short answers to the things worth knowing in advance.
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
If you are coming from Mint Hill, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
The short answers
An open session is the unstructured version: no lesson, no lane, just the rink and whoever is on it.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
The longer answers
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 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.
Still worth asking on the day
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
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 Mint Hill
The nearest of the two centres to Mint Hill is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
A Mint Hill school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
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
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.