Rainy afternoons · Ages
Rainy afternoons in Matthews for 5 year olds
What works brilliantly at one age is a shrug at another. Here is how it lands at this one.
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.
The drive back to Matthews is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
How it lands at this age
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
What to plan for
Both venues sit inside shopping centres, so the walk from the parking to the attraction is under cover.
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 parents notice
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.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
Worth knowing
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.
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.
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 Matthews
If you are coming from Matthews, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
For a Matthews 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
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.