The excavator yard · Local
The excavator yard around Hendersonville: worth the drive?
Written for families in and around Hendersonville, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Hendersonville. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
Getting there
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
What you will find
There is no queue system built into the layout - the machines stand apart, so a family with two children can usually get them both working at once.
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.
How long to allow
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Worth the trip?
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
Questions parents ask
How many machines are there?
Four: a tower crane, a mini excavator, a claw excavator and a grabber crane.
Can parents stay with their child?
The rail runs around the crate, so parents stay within arm reach the whole time.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Hendersonville
If Hendersonville 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.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Coming in from Hendersonville 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
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.