Mall visits · Local
Mall visits for families in Harrisburg
Written for families in and around Harrisburg, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
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.
If you are coming from Harrisburg, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Getting there
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.
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
What you will find
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
How long to allow
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.
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.
Worth the trip?
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
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.
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 Harrisburg
From Harrisburg the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
Families around Harrisburg who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
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.