First visit · Local
First visit around Midland: worth the drive?
If you are searching from Midland, this is the practical answer.
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Coming in from Midland 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.
Getting there
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
What you will find
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
How long to allow
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Worth the trip?
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Questions parents ask
What should we bring?
Warm layers for the rink, and the usual drink and snack for afterwards.
How long should we allow?
An hour is a comfortable first visit for most families.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Midland
If Midland 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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
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.
If you are coming from Midland, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
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.