Visiting with a toddler · Seasonal
Visiting with a toddler in East Nashville: what the school holidays is like
The season changes what a visit feels like more than you would expect.
Bring the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
If you are coming from East Nashville, treat it as a cross-town outing rather than a day trip. Go with a return time in mind and the day stays easy.
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.
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.
What changes
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.
What to wear
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.
Planning around it
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.
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 East Nashville
Families around East Nashville 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.
If it is the first time, do not also make it a birthday. Learning a place and celebrating in it are two different visits.
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.
Parents from East Nashville tend to ask the same first question: how long will this hold their attention. Long enough to be worth the drive, and short enough to leave while they still want more.
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.