First visit · Seasonal
First visit in Gastonia: what spring is like
Written for this time of year specifically.
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Weekends bring more of Gastonia out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
Why this time of year
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
What changes
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.
What to wear
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
Planning around it
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 Gastonia
A Gastonia 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.
Bring a spare layer even in summer. Malls are air conditioned, rinks are colder than that, and a cold child is a child who wants to go home.
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 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.