The excavator yard · Seasonal
The excavator yard in Donelson: what the summer break is like
Written for this time of year specifically.
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Weekends bring more of Donelson out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
Why this time of year
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.
What changes
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
What to wear
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
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.
Planning around it
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 one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
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 Donelson
From Donelson the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
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.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.