Visiting with a toddler · Seasonal
Visiting with a toddler in Concord Mills: spring plans
Written for this time of year specifically.
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
For a Concord Mills 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.
Why this time of year
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
What changes
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
What to wear
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Planning around 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 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.
Where is New Life Entertainment?
Two centres: 433 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville TN 37214, and 8111 Concord Mills Blvd, Concord NC 28027.
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 Concord Mills
A Concord Mills school holiday runs out of ideas by about day three. This is a day-three answer rather than a day-one one.
Warn a nervous child about the noise before you walk in. Knowing what to expect is most of the difference between anxious and curious.
Let the child choose what to do first even when it is the thing you would have chosen last. The order matters less than the choosing.
Coming in from Concord Mills 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
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.