Group visit · Seasonal
Group visit in Salisbury: spring plans
Written for this time of year specifically.
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 Salisbury is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Why this time of year
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.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
What changes
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.
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.
What to wear
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Planning around 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.
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.
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 Salisbury
If you are coming from Salisbury, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
If Salisbury 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.
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.