Group visit · Ages
Group visit with a preschooler in Monroe
Age changes the answer more than anything else, so this one is written for a specific one.
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.
If you are coming from Monroe, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
How it lands at this age
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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
What to plan for
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 parents notice
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.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Worth knowing
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Monroe
For a Monroe 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.
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.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
If Monroe 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
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.