The excavator yard · First time
The excavator yard for the first time in Hermitage
Nobody arrives knowing how it works. That is fine - here is how the first half hour tends to go.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
If Hermitage 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.
The first ten minutes
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
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.
What children do first
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
What usually goes wrong
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Making the second visit better
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.
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.
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.
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 Hermitage
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Hermitage. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
The nearest of the two centres to Hermitage is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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.