Visiting as a group · Compare
Visiting as a group in Salisbury, or something else?
An honest look at where it fits.
Tell the centre the numbers in advance and the day runs better for everyone, staff included.
If you are coming from Salisbury, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
What it does differently
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.
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
Where other options win
Any adult who has taken six children anywhere knows the failure mode: five occupied, one bored, and the bored one setting the tone.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
How to decide
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.
The short version
Split a group by what they want rather than by age. The child who wants to watch is having a good time too.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
Questions parents ask
How many children can come at once?
Call ahead with your numbers and arrange it: +1 (615) 968-4925.
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.
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 Salisbury
For a Salisbury 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.
If two children are visiting together, plan for them to split up. Doing different things in the same room is the point of a room with different things in it.
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.
Families searching from Salisbury are usually weighing one thing: whether it is worth the trip for an hour of something the children have not done before. The honest answer is that it depends on the child, and the rest of this page is about telling which.
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.