Mall visits · Tips
Mall visits in Madison: what experienced parents do
None of this is complicated. All of it is the difference between a good hour and a difficult one.
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
Parents from Madison 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.
Before you leave the house
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
When you arrive
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.
While you are there
Mall parking means the walk from the car is short and covered, which matters more with small children than any other single detail.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
On the way home
It also means the surroundings are familiar. Children who find new places difficult arrive somewhere they have been before.
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.
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.
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.
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 Madison
Coming in from Madison 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.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
The drive back to Madison is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
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.