Does anyone have Field trip Ideas for TN??

I’m in upper East TN an hour or so from the Smokies.  Wonderful place.  Lots to do in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  If  you go to the Aquarium in Gatlinburg, homeschoolers get a significant discount if you show them proof that you homeschool.  Knoxville has a nice zoo. 

We like the Gatlinburg Aquarium more than the Chattanooga one….but near Chattanooga there’s the Lookout Mountain…..haven’t been there though…….I think its a spot where you can view all the neighboring states from the top.  Nashville’s botanical garden “Cheekwood” has some free days each year (not sure which ones, but I’m sure you could research it online)……..the annual zoo membership for Nashville zoo is reciprocal for free admission to Memphis zoo (and maybe Knoxville zoo)… the annual  family membership to “Cheekwood” ($75) is reciprocal for the botannical garden in Knoxville and the art museum in Knoxville.  In Nashville there is a Nature Center at Edwin Warner Park that has free nature classes you can register for.  It also has lots of trails, creeks, and a small “pioneer village” type “dirt” park area complete with child size pioneer cabin and tepee.  Inside the Nature Center building there are some animal education activities.  Also just outside the Edwin Warner Park Nature Center there is a walk through vegetable garden, a library house with LOTS of nature books for kids and grown ups, and a pond where the kids can try to catch tadpoles.  I hear some weekdays the “Frist Center” in downtown Nashville has free admission with a canned good (I haven’t gone yet since my kids are still preschool aged, but plan to do this sometime when there is an exhibit I like). 

ebcsmom,

Please PM me if you’d ever be interested in a meet-up at a park or nature center or something. We are in TN as well. I have YET to meet in person another CMer in our area, though I’m sure they are here.

We have passes to the zoo in Nashville and the aquarium in Chattanooga. We have 5 children so the educator’s passes are a great deal for our family.

We have recently done several of the classes at Edwin Warner Nature Center and they have been great. They are FREE. They have a Model Aviation class next week, but I think it might be full. They have a nightime Spider hunt coming up next weekend and some other classes as well.

The park itself is WONDERFUL for nature walks!!! Nashville has 3 other nature centers as well all with free programming incl. Junior Naturalist programs: http://www.nashville.gov/parks/nature/index.asp

I would also highly recommend Radnor Lake State Natural Area for a day hike. It is wonderful no matter the time of year.

We camp a lot in the TN State Parks. Some of our favorites (though we have liked all we have visited) are Nathan Bedford Forrest, Rock Island, Fall Creek Falls (we spent a week there recently and never got bored!), Mousetail Landing, Harrison Bay, and David Crockett. We hope to visit all of them.

If you are interested in history at all, there are tons of places to visit: Civil War sites in and around Middle TN–Stones River National Battlefield Park in Murfreesboro, Carter House and Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Shiloh National Battlefield in Hardin County, Battle of Lookout Mtn. near Chattanooga; other sites–The Hermitage in Nashville (home of Pres. Andrew Jackson), Forts Negley and Donelson in Nashville, the Parthenon in Centennial Park in Nashville, TN State Museum in Nashville has an Egyptian exhibit through early September …

I have been planning some things for us to do for state history and other sites as mentioned above. These are just a few things we are planning to do, most of it is free. HTH