Rainy afternoons · Occasion
Rainy afternoons for a school trip in Charlotte
The occasion changes the planning more than the activity does, so this is mostly about the planning.
Rain turns a normal afternoon into a problem to solve. An indoor attraction inside a mall solves it without anybody getting wet between the car and the door.
For a Charlotte family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
Why it fits the occasion
Both venues sit inside shopping centres, so the walk from the parking to the attraction is under cover.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
How the day runs
On a wet Saturday, going early beats going late. The same hour feels completely different before and after the rest of the city has the same idea.
The trick with a rainy day is picking something that burns energy rather than something that keeps children still. Sitting through a film leaves the energy in the tank.
What to arrange first
Rain turns a normal afternoon into a problem to solve. An indoor attraction inside a mall solves it without anybody getting wet between the car and the door.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
Small things that help
Both venues sit inside shopping centres, so the walk from the parking to the attraction is under cover.
On a wet Saturday, going early beats going late. The same hour feels completely different before and after the rest of the city has the same idea.
Questions parents ask
Is it fully indoors?
Both venues are inside malls - Opry Mills in Nashville and Concord Mills in Concord.
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Saturday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
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 Charlotte
The nearest of the two centres to Charlotte is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.