Mall visits · Occasion
Mall visits for a school trip in Old Hickory
The occasion changes the planning more than the activity does, so this is mostly about the planning.
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
The nearest of the two centres to Old Hickory is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Why it fits the occasion
Both centres sit inside big shopping malls, which changes the shape of the day: park once, stay dry, and the rest of the errands are already there.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
How the day runs
Opry Mills in Nashville and Concord Mills in Concord are destinations in their own right, so an hour at the attraction fits into a day that was happening anyway.
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
What to arrange first
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Small things that help
Both centres sit inside big shopping malls, which changes the shape of the day: park once, stay dry, and the rest of the errands are already there.
Opry Mills in Nashville and Concord Mills in Concord are destinations in their own right, so an hour at the attraction fits into a day that was happening anyway.
Questions parents ask
Which mall is it in?
Opry Mills in Nashville and Concord Mills in Concord.
Is there parking?
Both are mall locations with mall parking.
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.
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 Old Hickory
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Old Hickory. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Weekends bring more of Old Hickory 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 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.