The excavator yard · Story
The excavator yard in Hermitage: a visit described
Not a review - a description. Here is roughly how an hour goes.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Weekends bring more of Hermitage out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
Walking in
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.
The middle of the visit
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
The last 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 sticks
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
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.
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 Hermitage
A Hermitage school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
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.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
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.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.