The view from the rail · Guide
The view from the rail in Hendersonville: a parent guide
Written for the parent doing the planning rather than the child doing the asking.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
From Hendersonville the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
What it actually is
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
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.
Who it suits
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
What to expect
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.
Before you go
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 children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
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 Hendersonville
If Hendersonville 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.
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.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
For a Hendersonville 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
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.