The view from the rail · Faq
The view from the rail in Smyrna: common questions answered
Short answers to the things worth knowing in advance.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
Families around Smyrna who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
The short answers
The pace is slow enough to talk over. Parents end up chatting at the rail rather than shouting over a soundtrack.
If one child is nervous, let them watch for the first ten minutes without being asked to join in. Almost all of them join in.
The longer answers
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.
Still worth asking on the day
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.
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.
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.
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 Smyrna
Parents from Smyrna tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
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.
Weekends bring more of Smyrna out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
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.