Group visit · Compare
Group visit in University City, or something else?
Comparing like for like: what this gives you that the alternatives do not, and where the alternatives 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.
If you are coming from University City, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
What it does differently
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.
Where other options win
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
How to decide
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.
Group visits are worth arranging in advance so the centre knows how many are coming and when - a call does it.
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.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in University City
From University City the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
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.
For a University City 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
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.