The two centres · Compare
The two centres in Matthews: where it fits among family activities
Comparing like for like: what this gives you that the alternatives do not, and where the alternatives win.
New Life Entertainment runs two rooms that share nothing except the way they are run. One digs, one skates.
Parents from Matthews tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
What it does differently
The XCAV zone is at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. Four machines, one crate of plastic balls, and children at the controls.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Where other options win
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.
How to decide
New Life Entertainment runs two rooms that share nothing except the way they are run. One digs, one skates.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
The short version
The XCAV zone is at 433 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. Four machines, one crate of plastic balls, and children at the controls.
The ice park is at 8111 Concord Mills Blvd in Concord, North Carolina - a real rink with bumper cars that spin on it.
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.
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 Matthews
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.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
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.
From Matthews the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.