Photos and video · Story
Photos and video in Kannapolis: a visit described
The ordinary version of a visit, without the marketing gloss.
Video works better than stills here. The interesting part is always the movement - the swing of a cable, the spin of a car.
A Kannapolis school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Walking in
The site keeps a gallery of clips from both rooms - a bucket coming up full, a car spinning on the ice, first laps that end in a laugh.
For a parent with a phone, the useful thing to know is where to stand: at the rail level with the crate, or at the boards where the cars come back round.
The middle of the visit
The clips on the site were filmed in the rooms as they are. What is on the screen is what is in the room.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
The last ten minutes
Video works better than stills here. The interesting part is always the movement - the swing of a cable, the spin of a car.
The site keeps a gallery of clips from both rooms - a bucket coming up full, a car spinning on the ice, first laps that end in a laugh.
What sticks
For a parent with a phone, the useful thing to know is where to stand: at the rail level with the crate, or at the boards where the cars come back round.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
Questions parents ask
Can I film my child?
Parents film constantly. Be considerate of other families in the frame.
Where can I see what it looks like?
The video gallery on the site shows both rooms.
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 Kannapolis
The nearest of the two centres to Kannapolis is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Kannapolis. 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
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.