Things to Do With Kids in Nashville
Nashville is a great city for families! This guide pulls together the best activities for families across Davidson County and the eight counties around it: not just the zoo and the science center, but also the free nature center walks, the park festivals, and the trampoline parks and play cafes you fall back on when it rains.
Open now covers what you can walk into today. Coming up are the calendar events worth planning around. Every listing names its town and its county, says whether it's indoor or outdoor, and links to the venue's own page for hours and current pricing. We go through the calendar regularly, so what you see here is fresh and new.
Planning around a season? Our pumpkin patches near Nashville and Nashville Halloween events pages cover the fall in more detail.
Places to go any day
Open year round rather than on a date, so they're there whatever week you're reading this.
Go kartsGo kart tracks around Nashville and Middle Tennessee: indoor and outdoor karting, the height rules that decide who drives, and what to know before you go.
Ziplines & adventure parksZiplines, ropes courses and treetop adventure parks around Nashville: what each one is like, which suits younger children, and what to know before you book.
Trampoline parksTrampoline parks around Nashville and Middle Tennessee: where they are, what activities they include, and links to online booking and waivers.
Indoor playgroundsIndoor playgrounds and play places around Nashville: soft play, toddler areas, quieter sessions, and what to know before you go.33 places to go
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do with kids in Nashville?
For a first visit, the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Adventure Science Center and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens are each worth a half-day. If you live here, the free programs at the Metro Parks nature centers and the public libraries are the ones families come back to week after week.
What is there to do with kids in Nashville when it rains?
Libraries, museums, children's theater, and year-round play places like trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds. Every event on this site is marked indoor or outdoor, so you can filter the calendar to indoor only and see what's on today.
What is there to do with toddlers in Nashville?
Storytimes and nature center sessions are built for under-fives and most are free. The zoo, Cheekwood's children's garden and the science center's younger galleries all work well with a toddler in tow, and several indoor playgrounds have areas set aside for the very youngest.
Are there free things to do with kids in Nashville?
Plenty, and some of them are the best days out in the region. Nature center walks, library storytimes, park festivals and seasonal city events are all free. Filter the events page by cost to see only those.
Does this cover Middle Tennessee outside Nashville?
Yes. We cover nine counties: Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Robertson, Maury, Cheatham and Dickson. Every listing names its town and county so you can find what's a reasonable drive.
How often is this list updated?
Daily. Listings are synced from venues and publishers across the region every day and reviewed by a person before they appear, so what you see here is what's actually on.