Visiting with a toddler · Local
Visiting with a toddler around Midland: worth the drive?
The local version of the question: how far, how long, and is it worth it.
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
If you are coming from Midland, 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
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
What you will find
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
How long to allow
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Worth the trip?
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
Questions parents ask
Is there anything for very young children?
The ball pit holds their attention on its own, and on the ice side the cars need no skating.
How long will a toddler last?
Plan for less than you think and leave while they still want more.
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 Midland
Weekends bring more of Midland out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
A short visit that ends while they still want more beats a long one that ends in a meltdown, every time.
Count on the drive home being the conversation. Children tell you what they actually thought about twenty minutes after leaving.
Coming in from Midland with more than one child, the useful thing to know is that the room does not need to be rationed - there is more than one thing to do at the same time.
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
Questions about a specific day, a group or a party are best asked directly - info@newlife-entertainment.com, or either of the numbers on the contacts page.