The view from the rail · Local
The view from the rail for families in Concord Mills
The local version of the question: how far, how long, and is it worth it.
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
If Concord Mills is home, this is the sort of place you end up returning to rather than ticking off. That changes what a first visit is worth planning around.
Getting there
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.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
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.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
How long to allow
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
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.
Worth the trip?
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
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.
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 Concord Mills
For a Concord Mills 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.
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.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Parents from Concord Mills 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.
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.