The excavator yard · Ages
The excavator yard with a 7 year old in Franklin
Same room, completely different visit depending on how old the child is.
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 Franklin 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.
How it lands at this age
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
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 to plan for
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
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.
What parents notice
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.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Worth knowing
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
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 Franklin
If Franklin is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
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.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
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
The two centres are at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM most days and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.