First visit · Local
First visit for families in Nashville
Written for families in and around Nashville, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
If you are coming from Nashville, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Getting there
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
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
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
How long to allow
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.
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.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
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 Nashville
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.
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
The nearest of the two centres to Nashville 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
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.