The two centres · Compare
The two centres in Huntersville: how it compares to other indoor days out
There is no shortage of indoor options. The useful question is which one suits your particular child.
Families who know both tend to have a favourite per child rather than per family, which is a good sign for a pair of venues.
Families around Huntersville 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 does differently
New Life Entertainment runs two rooms that share nothing except the way they are run. One digs, one skates.
The ice park is at 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, North Carolina - a real rink with bumper cars that spin on it.
Where other options win
The XCAV zone is at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. Four machines, one crate of plastic balls, and children at the controls.
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.
How to decide
Families who know both tend to have a favourite per child rather than per family, which is a good sign for a pair of venues.
New Life Entertainment runs two rooms that share nothing except the way they are run. One digs, one skates.
The short version
The ice park is at 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, North Carolina - a real rink with bumper cars that spin on it.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
Questions parents ask
Where are the two centres?
433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Are they the same inside?
No. One is a construction yard over a ball pit, the other is an ice rink with bumper cars.
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 Huntersville
From Huntersville the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Huntersville. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.