Visiting with a toddler · Local
Visiting with a toddler near Huntersville
Written for families in and around Huntersville, who mostly want to know whether it is worth the drive.
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
If you are coming from Huntersville, 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.
Take the photographs early. The best ones happen in the first fifteen minutes, before anybody is tired.
What you will find
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 the things that end visits early if they are missing: a drink, a snack for afterwards and a spare layer.
How long to allow
With a toddler the plan is short and simple. One thing, done properly, beats three things rushed.
Photograph the machine as well as the child. In two years you will have forgotten what the room looked like.
Worth the trip?
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.
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 Huntersville
Parents from Huntersville 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.
Feed them first. Every attraction in the world is improved by not being hungry in it.
Bring a snack for afterwards rather than during. Hungry children leave early and full children want to stay.
The nearest of the two centres to Huntersville is the one to aim at - Concord Mills in Concord - and the drive is the ordinary sort rather than an expedition.
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
If a visit needs planning around a date, a group or a long drive, the centre is easiest to reach by phone: +1 (424) 387-6232 or +1 (615) 968-4925.