Summer afternoons · Guide
Summer afternoons in Opry Mills: a parent guide
This is the practical version - what it is, who it suits, what to bring, and what usually happens in the first ten minutes.
The afternoon heat is exactly when children have the most energy and the least chance of being allowed to spend it outside.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville and impossible to miss once you are there.
What it actually is
School holidays make weekday mornings quieter than weekends - the same visit, half the noise.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
Who it suits
By the middle of a southern summer, indoors stops being second best and becomes the plan.
An hour on the ice is the most literal way to cool a child down that exists indoors.
What to expect
The afternoon heat is exactly when children have the most energy and the least chance of being allowed to spend it outside.
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.
Before you go
School holidays make weekday mornings quieter than weekends - the same visit, half the noise.
By the middle of a southern summer, indoors stops being second best and becomes the plan.
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.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Opry Mills
Families around Opry Mills who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
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.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Parents from Opry Mills 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.
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.