Claw excavator · First time
Claw excavator for the first time in Green Hills
A first visit has a shape to it, and knowing the shape takes most of the guesswork out.
The grab is the machine for the child who likes precision. Picking one ball out of a hundred is a different game from moving a bucketful.
Coming in from Green Hills with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
The first ten minutes
Children who have played claw machines at an arcade expect this one to cheat. It does not - the grab closes when they close it and holds what it holds.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
What children do first
The claw excavator swaps the bucket for a five finger grab. Instead of scooping, it closes around a handful of balls, which changes the whole feel of the machine.
Because it grabs rather than scoops, it works just as well when the crate has been dug over and the surface is uneven.
What usually goes wrong
The grab is the machine for the child who likes precision. Picking one ball out of a hundred is a different game from moving a bucketful.
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.
Making the second visit better
Children who have played claw machines at an arcade expect this one to cheat. It does not - the grab closes when they close it and holds what it holds.
The claw excavator swaps the bucket for a five finger grab. Instead of scooping, it closes around a handful of balls, which changes the whole feel of the machine.
Questions parents ask
Is this like an arcade claw machine?
It looks similar and behaves completely differently. Nothing releases the grab except the child holding the control.
Which machine should a first timer start with?
Most start on a bucket machine and move to the grab once they have the feel of the arm.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Green Hills
A Green Hills school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Green Hills. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.