The excavator yard · Ages
The excavator yard with a preschooler in La Vergne
Age changes the answer more than anything else, so this one is written for a specific one.
Parents watch from the rail, close enough to talk and far enough not to be operating the machine themselves, which is the point.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like La Vergne. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
How it lands at this age
The whole XCAV area reads like a small construction yard: four machines around one crate, everything at child height, everything meant to be touched.
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 plan for
The yard is compact by design. Nobody loses a child in it, and that alone changes how relaxed an hour there feels.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
What parents notice
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.
Worth knowing
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.
Two shorter visits teach a child more than one long one. The second time they already know what they want to try, and that is when the good part starts.
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.
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 La Vergne
A La Vergne school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Go early if the choice is available. The first hour after opening is quieter than any hour that follows it, and quieter is easier for everybody.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
For a La Vergne 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.
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.