Photos and video · Guide
Photos and video in Smyrna: everything worth knowing
Everything below is the sort of thing you would want to know before the drive rather than after it.
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.
If you are coming from Smyrna, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
What it actually is
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.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
Who it suits
Video works better than stills here. The interesting part is always the movement - the swing of a cable, the spin of a car.
The clips on the site were filmed in the rooms as they are. What is on the screen is what is in the room.
What to expect
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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Before you go
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.
Video works better than stills here. The interesting part is always the movement - the swing of a cable, the spin of a car.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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.
Planning your visit in Smyrna
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville and impossible to miss once you are there.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
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 Smyrna 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
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.