First visit · Local
First visit for families in Bellevue
Written for families in and around Bellevue, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
Parents from Bellevue tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
Getting there
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
What you will find
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
How long to allow
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
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.
Worth the trip?
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Bellevue
Families around Bellevue 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.
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.
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.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville and impossible to miss once you are there.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.