The view from the rail · Guide
The view from the rail in Murfreesboro: a parent guide
Everything below is the sort of thing you would want to know before the drive rather than after it.
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
From Murfreesboro 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
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
Do not schedule anything immediately afterwards. An hour of concentrated play is tiring in a way that shows up in the car park, not in the room.
Who it suits
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.
What to expect
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Before you go
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.
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 Murfreesboro
The nearest of the two centres to Murfreesboro is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
A Murfreesboro school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
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.