The excavator yard · Ages
The excavator yard with a preschooler in Green Hills
Same room, completely different visit depending on how old the child is.
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Green Hills. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
How it lands at this age
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.
What to plan for
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
What parents notice
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.
Worth knowing
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
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.
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.
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 Green Hills
Coming in from Green Hills 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.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
Families around Green Hills 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.
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.