The view from the rail · Tips
The view from the rail in Donelson: things worth doing differently
None of this is complicated. All of it is the difference between a good hour and a difficult one.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
The drive back to Donelson is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
Before you leave the house
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.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
When you arrive
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
While you are there
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
Check the day of the week against the closing time before you leave. Sunday finishes earlier than the rest of the week and catches people out.
On the way home
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.
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.
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 Donelson
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville and impossible to miss once you are there.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
From Donelson 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
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.