Grabber crane · Story
Grabber crane in Bellevue: a visit described
The ordinary version of a visit, without the marketing gloss.
Set against the other three, it is the machine that most rewards a plan: pick the spot, get the claw there, then close.
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.
Walking in
Long reach means small movements at the controls turn into big movements at the claw. Children work that out fast and start moving in smaller and smaller nudges.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
The middle of the visit
The grabber crane has the longest boom of the four machines and a claw on the line, so it reaches the far side of the crate where the balls pile up.
It is the machine parents underestimate. The long boom looks unwieldy from outside the rail and turns out to be the one children queue for twice.
The last ten minutes
Set against the other three, it is the machine that most rewards a plan: pick the spot, get the claw there, then close.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
What sticks
Long reach means small movements at the controls turn into big movements at the claw. Children work that out fast and start moving in smaller and smaller nudges.
The grabber crane has the longest boom of the four machines and a claw on the line, so it reaches the far side of the crate where the balls pile up.
Questions parents ask
What makes the boom different?
It is longer than the others, so it covers the far side of the crate and reacts to smaller inputs.
Can two children use machines at the same time?
The machines stand around the same crate and reach different parts of it, so more than one can run at once.
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.
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 Bellevue
Families around Bellevue 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.
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.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
From Bellevue 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
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.