Mall visits · Ages
Mall visits in Harrisburg: is it right for a 10 year old?
Same room, completely different visit depending on how old the child is.
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
Parents from Harrisburg tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
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.
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.
What to plan for
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
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.
What parents notice
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
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.
Worth knowing
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Harrisburg
Coming in from Harrisburg 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.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Harrisburg. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.