Open session · Seasonal
Open session in Salisbury: spring plans
Written for this time of year specifically.
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.
If you are coming from Salisbury, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Why this time of year
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.
What changes
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.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
What to wear
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.
Planning around it
It is the easiest way to find out whether a child likes skating enough for lessons, without committing to a course first.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Salisbury
From Salisbury the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.