Tennessee with Kids

1. Ijams Nature Center

Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville is loaded with action packed activities for the whole family. A 35-mile loop of hiking trails connects Ijam with five other scenic state parks. There are also 9 miles of rugged, beginner-intermediate level mountain bike trails. The park also boasts Ijam’s Crag; Knoxville’s only rock climbing location. Visitors to the park can cool down on Mead’s Quarry Lake.

Kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards may be rented on-site. The most thrilling attraction is the Navitat obstacle course, which is suspended mid-air among the trees. Tight ropes, balance bridges, ziplines, rope ladders, and low crawl tunnels test courage at every turn.

A visitor’s center and gift shop are on-site. Ijams hosts field trips, homeschool programs, pre-school programs, and day camps.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Avenue, Knoxville, TN, Phone: 865-577-4717, Map

2. Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum

Owner Rusty Robinson has been collecting cars for over twenty years. His collection of over 35 vehicles includes race cars, vintage cars, and even a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12. The collection’s cars span decades of feature roles in productions as old as Dukes of Hazard and as recent as Fast & Furious. Over twenty of the cars have been used in television shows. Each “mint condition” vehicle has been restored by Rusty’s own hands. Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum is located in Jackson, and happily hosts personalized field trips for school groups and various clubs.

Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum, 323 Hollywood Drive, Jackson, TN, Phone: 731-267-5881, Facebook

3. Adventure Science Center

Exhibits at the Adventure Science Center are designed to be hands-on and interactive. Permanent attractions include Anatomy of an Earthquake, Beekeeping, Physics of light, Soundbox, and many, many more. Kids even get to step inside a jet aircraft simulator, which features 360 degree movements and high speeds. There are several programs offered daily, including early explorers, where toddlers get to enjoy an age-appropriate science-based films at the full-dome planetarium, followed by story time.

In the Innovation Incubator program, kids participate in STEM based projects that encourage imagination and creation. Kid’s camps, field trips, homeschool support, and special events are hosted year round.

Adventure Science Center, 800 Fort Negley Boulevard, Nashville, TN, Phone: 615-862-5160, Facebook

4. Incline Railway Lookout Mountain

The Incline is a one-mile single track system that climbs vertically through breathtaking, panoramic views of Lookout Mountain and its valleys. Historically, the mountain served as a battleground during the Civil War. Post-war tours of the site and surrounding nature used to be conducted by a 4-hour buggy ride. In the late 1800s, the Incline No. 1 and No. 2 cars were built.

Visitors may choose to hop off and visit Rock City and Ruby Falls. Rock City rests 1,700 feet above sea level and boasts a cascading 100-foot waterfall.

Adjacent to the waterfall is the famous 200-foot Swing-A-Long Bridge, suspended in thin air. Ruby Falls is an underground cave waterfall of equal magnificence.

3917 Street, Elmo Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, Phone: 423-821-4224, Map

5. Cumberland Caverns

Cumberland Caverns offers walking tours through its amazing crystalline formations, underground waterfalls, and the iconic Volcano Room.

The trek is moderate in difficulty and 1.5 hours in duration. The “Rocky Topper” tour is the least challenging of the adventure tours, suitable for ages 6+. Families try beginner spelunking; twisting, turning, and climbing through passages that run deep into the cavern.

The Legacy Tour is the most extreme of the tours, appropriate for kids ages 16+. Spelunking during this tour involves high climbs, ropes, ladders, and traversing handlines. Secret passages, immense cathedrals, Devils’ Quarry, The Monument Pillar, Blue Mud Mountain, Rock of Ages, and 20,000 year old Lynx bones are just a few of the breathtaking rewards of the journey.

Cumberland Caverns, 1437 Cumberland Caverns Road, McMinnville, Tennessee, Phone: 931-668-4396, Facebook