Visiting with a toddler · Occasion
Visiting with a toddler in Concord: planning a rainy weekend around it
The occasion changes the planning more than the activity does, so this is mostly about the planning.
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
Families around Concord who have done it once tend to plan the second visit differently: shorter, earlier in the day, and with the machine the child liked in mind.
Why it fits the occasion
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
Take the phone out of your pocket before they start rather than after. The moment worth filming is usually the first one.
How the day runs
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
What to arrange first
Go at the quietest hour you can manage. A toddler reads a busy room as a loud room and gets tired twice as fast.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
Small things that help
Toddlers rarely want the machine. They want the balls, the colours and the noise, and that is a complete visit at that age.
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
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 Concord
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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
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.
Weekends bring more of Concord out at once. If the schedule allows a weekday, take it; the same visit is quieter and the machines wait for nobody in particular.
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.