Group visit · Story
Group visit in Davidson: a visit described
Not a review - a description. Here is roughly how an hour goes.
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
A Davidson school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Walking in
For a class group the appeal is that the activity explains itself. No briefing, no equipment to hand out, no rules that take ten minutes to teach.
Teachers get an activity where children take turns without being told to, because the machines and the cars enforce turns by existing in limited numbers.
The middle of the visit
It works as a reward trip, an end of term outing, or the indoor half of a day that has an outdoor half somewhere else.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
The last ten minutes
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
For a class group the appeal is that the activity explains itself. No briefing, no equipment to hand out, no rules that take ten minutes to teach.
What sticks
Teachers get an activity where children take turns without being told to, because the machines and the cars enforce turns by existing in limited numbers.
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
Can school groups visit?
Call ahead and arrange it: +1 (615) 968-4925 or info@newlife-entertainment.com.
Is it educational?
Working an arm on levers is hand eye coordination, cause and effect and patience, whatever you call it on the form.
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.
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 Davidson
Families searching from Davidson are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
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.
If you are coming from Davidson, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.