Rainy afternoons · Tips
Rainy afternoons in Brentwood: what experienced parents do
None of this is complicated. All of it is the difference between a good hour and a difficult one.
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 drive back to Brentwood is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
Before you leave the house
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.
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.
When you arrive
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.
Both venues sit inside shopping centres, so the walk from the parking to the attraction is under cover.
While you are there
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.
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.
On the way home
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.
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.
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.
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 Brentwood
If Brentwood is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
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.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
Coming in from Brentwood 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
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.