The view from the rail · Local
The view from the rail near China Grove
Written for families in and around China Grove, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
If you are coming from China Grove, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
Getting there
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.
What you will find
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.
How long to allow
Everything happens in one room. There is no wandering off to another floor and no moment of not knowing where they are.
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.
Worth the trip?
Phones come out, and for once the photographs are worth keeping: a full bucket, a spin, a first lap without the wall.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 China Grove
A China Grove school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
For a China Grove 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.