The excavator yard · Guide
The excavator yard in Opry Mills: the practical guide
This is the practical version - what it is, who it suits, what to bring, and what usually happens in the first ten minutes.
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Families around Opry Mills who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
What it actually is
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
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.
Who it suits
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 to expect
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
Before you go
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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.
Planning your visit in Opry Mills
Coming in from Opry Mills with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
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.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
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.