The excavator yard · Tips
The excavator yard in Old Hickory: what experienced parents do
Small changes that make a visit go better, learned the ordinary way.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
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.
Before you leave the house
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
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.
When you arrive
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.
While you are there
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
On the way home
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
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 Old Hickory
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Old Hickory. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
From Old Hickory the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.