First visit · Guide
First visit in Franklin: everything worth knowing
This is the practical version - what it is, who it suits, what to bring, and what usually happens in the first ten minutes.
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Weekends bring more of Franklin out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
What it actually is
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.
Who it suits
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
What to expect
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.
Before you go
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.
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 Franklin
A Franklin school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
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 Franklin 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.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.