Visiting as a group · Seasonal
Visiting as a group in Monroe: the holiday season plans
Written for this time of year specifically.
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Concord Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Concord and impossible to miss once you are there.
Why this time of year
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
If two adults are coming, split up rather than shadowing the same child. One at the rail, one free, and everybody has a better hour.
What changes
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.
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
What to wear
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
Bring less than you think. Coats and bags are the part of the visit nobody enjoys managing.
Planning around it
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
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.
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 Monroe
The drive back to Monroe is where you find out what they actually thought. Children review an outing about twenty minutes after leaving it, never during.
Agree the leaving time before you walk in, out loud, to the child. Announcing it later sounds like a punishment; agreeing it first sounds like a plan.
A birthday group runs better with a rough plan of who goes where first, even if you abandon it in the first five minutes.
From Monroe the practical question is timing rather than distance. Arriving in the first hour after opening is worth more than shaving minutes off the drive.
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.