Rainy afternoons · Story
Rainy afternoons in Green Hills: a visit described
The ordinary version of a visit, without the marketing gloss.
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.
From Green Hills the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Walking in
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.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
The middle of the visit
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.
Both venues sit inside shopping centres, so the walk from the parking to the attraction is under cover.
The last ten minutes
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.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
What sticks
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Green Hills
A Green Hills school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
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.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
For a Green Hills 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.
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.