The excavator yard · Compare
The excavator yard in Bellevue: how it compares to other indoor days out
There is no shortage of indoor options. The useful question is which one suits your particular child.
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.
Weekends bring more of Bellevue out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
What it does differently
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Where other options win
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.
How to decide
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.
The short version
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
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.
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 Bellevue
For a Bellevue family the trip works best folded into something else - the shopping that was happening anyway, a birthday that needed a venue, a Saturday that needed a plan.
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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Parents from Bellevue 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
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.