Claw excavator · Guide
Claw excavator in Madison: the practical guide
Written for the parent doing the planning rather than the child doing the asking.
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.
Families around Madison who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
What it actually is
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.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
Who it suits
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.
Because it grabs rather than scoops, it works just as well when the crate has been dug over and the surface is uneven.
What to expect
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.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
Before you go
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.
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.
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 Madison
If Madison is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Madison. 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
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.