Visiting with a toddler · Tips
Visiting with a toddler in Brentwood: things worth doing differently
Small changes that make a visit go better, learned the ordinary way.
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
The nearest of the two centres to Brentwood is the one to aim at - Opry Mills in Nashville - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
Before you leave the house
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
When you arrive
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
While you are there
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
On the way home
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Weekday afternoons in term time are the quietest slot in the week. Weekend middays are the busiest.
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.
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 Brentwood
Nothing about the visit assumes you know the area. The centre is inside Opry Mills, which is signposted from everywhere in Nashville and impossible to miss once you are there.
The quietest hour of the week is the first one on a weekday morning in term time. The busiest is Saturday around midday.
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.
If Brentwood 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
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.