The view from the rail · Compare
The view from the rail in Harrisburg: where it fits among family activities
There is no shortage of indoor options. The useful question is which one suits your particular child.
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.
Plenty of the families in the room on a weekday morning have come from somewhere like Harrisburg. Nobody is local to a mall attraction; everybody has driven.
What it does differently
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Where other options win
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
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.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
The short version
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
Planning your visit in Harrisburg
From Harrisburg the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
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.
Coming in from Harrisburg 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.
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.