First visit · Tips
First visit in Madison: things worth doing differently
The things nobody tells you until you have done it twice.
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Families around Madison who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
Before you leave the house
Leave a little early. A visit that ends while it is still fun is the one they ask to repeat.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
When you arrive
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.
While you are there
Watch what they choose before suggesting anything. Children pick the machine that matches their temperament with no help at all.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
On the way home
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Madison
Weekends bring more of Madison out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
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.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville 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.