Ford Ice Center Antioch

What to expect at Ford Ice Center Antioch

Ford Ice Center Antioch is a two-sheet ice facility in Antioch, Tennessee, operated by the Nashville Predators, with both sheets built to NHL dimensions. That ownership tells you most of what you need to know about the personality of the place: this is a development-minded building where public skating, Learn to Skate, figure skating freestyle programs, hockey leagues, open hockey, and stick and puck all share the calendar. Two NHL-size sheets means real ice for every discipline, not a compromise sheet for one of them.

The operational culture is modern and a little particular, and it pays to know that before your first visit. The facility is cashless. Public skate sessions are online registration only, handled through DaySmart, and you check in at the front desk before you skate. None of that is a barrier once you have an account; it just means the spontaneous "let's go skate right now" trip needs five minutes of phone work first.

For the committed skating household, the draws are the program depth and the infrastructure around it: a Perani's Hockey World pro shop on site with skate sharpening, rental skates included with public skate admission, and a freestyle program for figure skaters with a posted structure and price. If your family is past the once-a-year-skate phase and into the lessons-and-practice phase, Antioch is built for exactly that.

Public skating at Ford Ice Center Antioch: cost, sessions, and what to know

Register before you go. That is the single most important thing to know about public skating here: the operator limits public skate sessions to online registration only through DaySmart, so create your account, book your spots, and plan to check in at the front desk when you arrive. Cancellations need at least 24 hours notice to get a refund, so hold the plan loosely until you are sure.

The operator lists two public-skate price tiers rather than the usual adult and youth split: matinee public skates at $10.98 plus tax and evening public skates at $13.73 plus tax. Both prices include rental skates if you need them, which keeps the all-in cost predictable for a family. The facility is cashless, so leave the bills at home and bring a card.

For session times, the DaySmart schedule is the source of truth. Select the Antioch location, find the Public Skate listings, and open the details to confirm the start time before you commit. Arrive early enough to get fitted and laced without rushing; the rental counter line moves, but it moves slower right at session start. If rental skates feel loose at the heel, re-lace and snug the ankle before you step on, and wear tall socks so the boot does not rub.

Freestyle and figure skating ice

Antioch takes figure skating seriously, and the freestyle offering reflects it. The operator runs a 60-minute freestyle program format that includes instruction and supervised practice, with posted pricing of $175 for a 7-week session at one class per week across all locations, and an accelerated Antioch option listed at $340 for 7 weeks at three classes per week. That accelerated track is the tell: this location expects skaters who are progressing through Learn to Skate levels and are ready for structured, frequent practice.

Finding the ice takes a little calendar literacy. Start on the Ford Ice Center DaySmart schedule, select Antioch, and scan for session names containing labels like "Freestyle," "Figure Freestyle," "Freestyle Ice," or "Figure Session." Open the session details to confirm eligibility and any registration requirement. If no clear freestyle label appears, check the Ford Ice Center freestyle sessions page for registration details and look for figure-skating program listings inside DaySmart, because specific dates and times live there and they change.

On the ice, the etiquette is standard freestyle culture: skate with awareness, give right of way to skaters running programs or in lessons, and keep a safe buffer around a coach who is teaching so jumps and spins have room. Do not set up games or shoot pucks during figure-focused sessions. The skaters who thrive on freestyle ice are the ones who treat it like a shared workspace.

Learn to skate programs

Learn to Skate at Ford Ice Center is the front door to everything else in the building, and the operator maintains a dedicated Learn to Skate page with current registration details. The progression logic is the same one the Predators apply across their facilities: group classes build fundamentals, and from there skaters branch toward figure skating (with the freestyle program waiting at Antioch) or toward hockey development.

Two practical notes for families starting out. First, the online-registration culture applies to programs as well, so expect to manage sign-ups through the official pages rather than at a walk-up counter. Second, the public skate sessions, with rentals included in the price, are your practice ice between lessons. A skater who takes one class a week and never touches the ice in between progresses slowly; a skater who adds even one public session a week compounds. Book the class through the Learn to Skate page, then make the DaySmart calendar a weekly habit.

Hockey, stick and puck, and open ice

Hockey is core to this building's identity, as you would expect from a Predators-operated facility. Open hockey and stick and puck sessions both run here, alongside league play, and the DaySmart schedule for the Antioch location is where you will find current times and registration.

One thing to plan around: the operator notes that equipment rentals are not currently provided for stick time and open hockey sessions, and that includes skates. Bring your own full setup. That policy effectively means these sessions serve players who already own gear, while newer skaters should start with public sessions and Learn to Skate until the equipment investment makes sense.

The on-site Perani's Hockey World pro shop closes the loop for hockey households: skate sharpening is listed at $12, and the shop can handle the small gear needs that always seem to surface the night before a session. Availability and pricing can change, so confirm at the counter before you commit. Between NHL-size ice, scheduled stick and puck, and a real pro shop under one roof, a hockey family can run most of its weekly routine out of this one address.

Getting there: parking, location, and amenities

Ford Ice Center Antioch sits at 5264 Hickory Hollow Parkway in Antioch, on Nashville's southeast side, reachable at (615) 742-4399. The parkway setting is suburban, which generally makes the arrival easier than a downtown rink, but give yourself the standard buffer on tournament weekends when the building fills.

Inside, the verified amenities are solid: spectator seating, concessions, and the Perani's pro shop. Locker availability and beginner skate aids are not clearly published, so call ahead if your plans depend on either, particularly if you are bringing a first-time skater who would lean on a skating aid. Remember the house rules that shape every visit: cashless payments only, online registration for public skates, and front-desk check-in before you reach the ice.

A note for skating parents

The hours you spend here will mostly be lobby hours, so set yourself up for them. Ice buildings hold a steady chill that works through a light jacket in about twenty minutes, especially when you are sitting still in the spectator seating. Layers are not optional. Bring the coat you think is too much, plus something warm to sit on if you run cold.

The waiting experience at Antioch is better than most: real spectator seating, concessions for coffee and snacks, and a pro shop to wander when the Zamboni break stretches long. With two sheets running, confirm which rink your skater is on before you settle in, because the right seat in front of the wrong sheet is a classic rink-parent mistake.

There is also an administrative role you will grow into here. You are the keeper of the DaySmart account, the one who booked the session, watched the 24-hour cancellation window, and remembered the card because cash will not work. It is unglamorous and it matters. Then the skates hit the ice, your kid finds an edge that was not there last month, and the logistics fade into the background where they belong. Take the seat, keep the coffee warm, and watch it happen.