The view from the rail · Local
The view from the rail around Gastonia: worth the drive?
Written for families in and around Gastonia, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
The measure of a family attraction is not what the children do, it is what the adults do while they do it. Standing where you can see and hear them counts for a lot.
Coming in from Gastonia 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.
Getting there
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Bring a spare layer even in summer. Malls are air conditioned, rinks are colder than that, and a cold child is a child who wants to go home.
What you will find
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
How long to allow
The measure of a family attraction is not what the children do, it is what the adults do while they do it. Standing where you can see and hear them counts for a lot.
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.
Worth the trip?
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
Questions parents ask
Can I watch the whole time?
The activity is in one room and the viewing is from the rail or the boards.
Is it loud?
It is a children attraction rather than an arcade. The machines are slow and the noise is mostly the children.
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.
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 Gastonia
For a Gastonia 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.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
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 Gastonia 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
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.