Safety · First time
Safety for the first time in University City
A first visit has a shape to it, and knowing the shape takes most of the guesswork out.
On the ice, the rules that matter are the ordinary ones: stay off the ice with the cars, keep away from other skaters, and warm hands make better decisions than cold ones.
Coming in from University City 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 first ten minutes
Safety at a children attraction is mostly about the boring things being right: slow machines, a supervised room and staff who say something before a child does anything unsafe.
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
What children do first
The centre states that the safety of its young guests is its first priority and that the environment is controlled and supervised. Follow whatever the staff ask on the day - they can see the room.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
What usually goes wrong
On the ice, the rules that matter are the ordinary ones: stay off the ice with the cars, keep away from other skaters, and warm hands make better decisions than cold ones.
Safety at a children attraction is mostly about the boring things being right: slow machines, a supervised room and staff who say something before a child does anything unsafe.
Making the second visit better
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Questions parents ask
Is it supervised?
The centre describes a safe, controlled and supervised environment. Staff instructions on the day come first.
Are the machines fast?
They move slowly and only when a child moves the control.
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 University City
If University City 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.
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 University City 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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.