Open session · Story
Open session in University City: what an afternoon looks like
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.
From University City the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.
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.
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.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
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.
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 University City
Families searching from University City are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
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.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Parents from University City 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
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.