Claw excavator · Tips
Claw excavator in Brentwood: things worth doing differently
None of this is complicated. All of it is the difference between a good hour and a difficult one.
Because it grabs rather than scoops, it works just as well when the crate has been dug over and the surface is uneven.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Brentwood. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
Before you leave the house
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
When you arrive
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.
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.
While you are there
Because it grabs rather than scoops, it works just as well when the crate has been dug over and the surface is uneven.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
On the way home
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.
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.
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 Brentwood
From Brentwood the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
The nearest of the two centres to Brentwood is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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.