The excavator yard · Seasonal
The excavator yard in Bellevue: the school holidays plans
The season changes what a visit feels like more than you would expect.
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.
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.
Why this time of year
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.
What changes
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
What to wear
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.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Planning around it
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
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.
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 Bellevue
A Bellevue school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
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.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Bellevue. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.