Group visit · Compare
Group visit in Kannapolis, or something else?
There is no shortage of indoor options. The useful question is which one suits your particular child.
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
The nearest of the two centres to Kannapolis is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
What it does differently
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.
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.
Where other options win
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.
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.
How to decide
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
The short version
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.
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.
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.
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 Kannapolis
Weekends bring more of Kannapolis out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
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.
For a Kannapolis 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
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.