The view from the rail · Compare
The view from the rail in Gastonia: how it compares to other indoor days out
An honest look at where it fits.
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.
What it does differently
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Where other options win
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
How to decide
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.
The short version
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
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.
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
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Gastonia. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
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.
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.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.