First visit · Guide
First visit in Hermitage: the practical guide
This is the practical version - what it is, who it suits, what to bring, and what usually happens in the first ten minutes.
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
The nearest of the two centres to Hermitage is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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.
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Who it suits
Arrive with time in hand. The first ten minutes are always coats, looking around and deciding, and rushing them costs more than they take.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
What to expect
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.
Before you go
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
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 Hermitage
If Hermitage 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.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
For a Hermitage family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
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.