Visiting as a group · Local
Visiting as a group around Indian Trail: worth the drive?
The local version of the question: how far, how long, and is it worth it.
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
For a Indian Trail 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.
Getting there
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
What you will find
Four machines and one big crate spread a group out. So does a rink - there is no single queue for the whole party to stand in.
Decide how long you are staying before you walk in. A visit with an end time attached to it finishes on a good note rather than a tired one.
How long to allow
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
Worth the trip?
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
Bring a spare layer even in summer. Malls are air conditioned, rinks are colder than that, and a cold child is a child who wants to go home.
Questions parents ask
How many children can come at once?
Call ahead with your numbers and arrange it: +1 (615) 968-4925.
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 Indian Trail
From Indian Trail 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.
Let the child lead the order of things. Adults optimise; children choose the thing that looks best, and they are right more often than they are wrong.
If Indian Trail 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.
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.