Mall visits · Ages
Mall visits in Davidson: is it right for a 9 year old?
What works brilliantly at one age is a shrug at another. Here is how it lands at this one.
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.
A Davidson school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
How it lands at this age
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 plan for
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
What parents notice
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.
Worth knowing
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
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 Davidson
From Davidson the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
Go early if the choice is available. The first hour after opening is quieter than any hour that follows it, and quieter is easier for everybody.
Coming in from Davidson with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.