Centennial Sportsplex Ice Arenas

What to expect at Centennial Sportsplex Ice Arenas

Centennial Sportsplex is an indoor, year-round facility with two full-size sheets of ice (200 ft x 85 ft). Since May 1, 2026, the Nashville Predators have managed the ice operations and moved public-skate schedules, registration, and waivers into DASH by DaySmart Recreation. Public skate is typically on Rink A, while Nashville Skating Academy programs use both sheets.

You will find the full spread here: public sessions, a learn-to-skate academy, figure skating training, adult open hockey, and stick and puck. The former on-site pro shop and sharpening service closed during the management transition, even though older Metro pages may still list it. Plan blade maintenance through a current Ford Ice pro shop, Rainbo Sports and Skating, or another verified option.

If you are new to Nashville ice, Centennial remains a central place to start. The important habit has changed: use Predators DaySmart for the public-skate schedule and registration, then check the Skate Status note for known changes before driving over.

Public skating at Centennial Sportsplex Ice Arenas: cost, sessions, and what to know

Public skating now runs through Predators DaySmart, and times can change around camps, hockey, figure skating, and holidays. Public skate is typically on Rink A. Open the current Centennial session in DaySmart, complete the registration and waiver steps, and do not assume last month's weekend slot still exists.

The rink's published rates list adults (ages 13 and up) at $12 and ages 5 to 12 at $10. Ages 4 and under and spectators are free, while seniors, disabled guests, military members, and students are listed at $10. Skate rental is included with paid admission, so the listed price is close to the real price.

Public skate posts monthly rather than on a fixed weekly timetable. Weekend afternoons and some weekday midday windows are common, but hockey, lessons, and events can move those windows. Use the live calendar below and open the specific event before you leave.

Plan to arrive a little before the session starts. That buffer gives you time to get fitted at the rental counter, swap a pair that pinches, and lace up without rushing onto crowded ice. Weekend sessions at a two-sheet public facility in a city this size will draw a crowd, so if you want quieter ice, look for the less obvious slots on the calendar and treat the busy ones as the social option rather than the practice option.

Freestyle and figure skating ice

Here is the candid picture for figure skaters: the Sportsplex's official ice skating pages describe public skating, lessons, and hockey clearly, but they do not explicitly confirm dedicated freestyle sessions. That does not mean the ice is not there. It means you have to go find it.

Use Nashville Skating Academy's Centennial Finnly portal for freestyle ice, class schedules, eligibility, and registration. Academy sessions can use both Rink A and Rink B, so confirm the sheet and session level when you register. Public skate and freestyle are different lanes: public skate suits casual skating and beginner practice, while freestyle is structured ice for figure skaters working on elements.

If a freestyle-style session does appear, treat it like freestyle ice anywhere: right of way matters, the skater running a program to music gets the lane, and the middle of the rink is not a place to camp. Stay alert near the jump corners. If you are new to this kind of session, ask a coach or staff member what the expectations are before you step on. Skaters who learn the room before they learn the ice always have an easier first month.

Learn to skate programs

Lessons at the Sportsplex run through Nashville Skating Academy, and the rink's official Learn To Ice Skate page describes both learn-to-skate classes and figure skating training, with recurring class days and times listed and a link to the academy for current registration. That structure is the standard progression: group classes to get steady on blades, then a path into figure skating development for the kids (and adults) who catch the bug.

The practical advantage of learning here is the pairing of cheap public ice with a structured academy. A skater in weekly lessons needs practice time between classes to actually improve, and at the Sportsplex that practice time costs a family very little, with rentals included. Check the lessons page for the current session dates, register through the academy, and then build the habit of one or two public sessions a week between classes. That rhythm, more than any single lesson, is what turns a wobbly first session into real skating.

Hockey, stick and puck, and open ice

Hockey players are well served here. The Sportsplex runs hockey programming alongside public and figure-skating ice, with current rink schedules moving into the Predators DaySmart system. Open the current listing and read its equipment, eligibility, and registration rules before your first skate.

Stick and puck is the underrated offering for skating families: a low-pressure window where a kid can work on puck handling and shooting without the structure of a practice or the pace of open hockey. Because both sheets are full-size (200 ft x 85 ft), you are getting real ice, not a cramped studio sheet. Confirm the current session in DaySmart and bring the equipment required by the listing.

Getting there: parking, location, and amenities

The Sportsplex sits at 222 25th Avenue North in Nashville, in the Centennial Park area west of downtown, with the rink reachable at 615-862-8480. The address puts you in a busy part of the city, so give yourself a margin on weekends and event days rather than expecting to roll in five minutes before a session.

Inside, the building has historically offered lockers, spectator seating, and concessions, though programming and building details are changing under the new operator. The former on-site pro shop and skate-sharpening service are closed. Call ahead if a specific amenity would change your visit.

A note for skating parents

You are going to spend real hours in this building, so plan for the version of it you will actually live in: the lobby and the bleachers, not the ice. Rinks are cold in a way that sneaks up on you over an hour, a damp cold that settles into your feet first. Dress in layers you would wear to a late-October football game, and bring something warm for the bench even in July, because year-round indoor ice does not care what season it is outside.

The good news here is that the Sportsplex is built for waiting. Spectator entry is free, there is real seating, and concessions mean you are not rationing a granola bar through a 90-minute lesson block. Claim a spot with a sightline to your kid's sheet, because with two sheets running, classes and sessions split across the building.

And give yourself permission to just watch. There is a particular kind of patience in watching a kid fall, get up, and fall again until one day the getting up disappears and they are simply skating. The free spectator policy means you can be there for all of it without doing math. Bring the layers, bring the coffee money, and settle in.