Safety · Ages
Safety with a 8 year old in Charlotte
Same room, completely different visit depending on how old the child is.
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.
The nearest of the two centres to Charlotte is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
How it lands at this age
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
What to plan for
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.
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 parents notice
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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Worth knowing
Parents keep the last word. Nobody knows what a particular child will try next better than the adult standing next to them.
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.
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.
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 Charlotte
Weekends bring more of Charlotte out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
If you are coming from Charlotte, 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 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.