Summer afternoons · Story
Summer afternoons in Matthews: a visit described
The ordinary version of a visit, without the marketing gloss.
The afternoon heat is exactly when children have the most energy and the least chance of being allowed to spend it outside.
Parents from Matthews tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
Walking in
By the middle of a southern summer, indoors stops being second best and becomes the plan.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
The middle of the visit
School holidays make weekday mornings quieter than weekends - the same visit, half the noise.
An hour on the ice is the most literal way to cool a child down that exists indoors.
The last ten minutes
The afternoon heat is exactly when children have the most energy and the least chance of being allowed to spend it outside.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
What sticks
By the middle of a southern summer, indoors stops being second best and becomes the plan.
School holidays make weekday mornings quieter than weekends - the same visit, half the noise.
Questions parents ask
Is it air conditioned?
Both venues are inside malls, and the ice park is a rink.
When is it quietest in the holidays?
Weekday mornings, generally.
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 Matthews
A Matthews school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Coming in from Matthews 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
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.