Safety · First time
Safety in Opry Mills: what happens the first time
The first time is the one that decides whether there is a second time, so it is worth getting right.
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.
If you are coming from Opry Mills, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
The first ten minutes
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
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.
What children do first
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.
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.
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.
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
Making the second visit better
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.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
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 Opry Mills
From Opry Mills the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
Coming in from Opry Mills 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.