The two centres · Seasonal
The two centres in Matthews: what the winter break is like
Same room, different month, different day out.
The XCAV zone is at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. Four machines, one crate of plastic balls, and children at the controls.
For a Matthews 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.
Why this time of year
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.
What changes
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.
What to wear
The XCAV zone is at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. Four machines, one crate of plastic balls, and children at the controls.
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.
Planning around it
The ice park is at 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, North Carolina - a real rink with bumper cars that spin on it.
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.
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.
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.
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 Matthews
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Matthews. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
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.
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 nearest of the two centres to Matthews is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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
Anything time critical is worth a phone call first: hours are 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday and 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday.