First visit · First time
First visit in Concord Mills: what happens the first time
Nobody arrives knowing how it works. That is fine - here is how the first half hour tends to go.
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
The first ten minutes
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
What children do first
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.
What usually goes wrong
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
Making the second visit better
A first visit works best with no schedule attached to it. Come, see what the child gravitates to, and let that decide the hour.
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
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 Concord Mills
A Concord Mills school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
From Concord Mills the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.