First visit · Story
First visit in Bellevue: an hour, start to finish
Not a review - a description. Here is roughly how an hour goes.
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Families searching from Bellevue are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
Walking in
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
The middle of the visit
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.
The last ten minutes
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
What sticks
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Bellevue
If you are coming from Bellevue, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Weekends bring more of Bellevue out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
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.