Visiting as a group · Occasion
Visiting as a group in Lebanon: planning a summer holiday around it
Same attraction, different day, different set of things to sort out beforehand.
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
The nearest of the two centres to Lebanon is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Why it fits the occasion
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
How the day runs
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
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.
What to arrange first
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
Small things that help
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
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.
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.
Planning your visit in Lebanon
From Lebanon the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
Tell a nervous child what is going to happen in the order it will happen. Surprise is the thing they mind, not the activity.
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.
Weekends bring more of Lebanon 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
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.