Tennessee State Museum
1000 Rosa L Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
Monday: Closed, Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m
$
museums, indoor-activities
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The Tennessee State Museum is a fun spot to explore with children of all ages - for FREE!
The Tennessee State Museum is a great spot to visit if you want a fun and easy indoor activity to do with your kids. We have visited on the weekend and on several weekdays and it is never crowded. On several occasions, we rarely have seen anyone at all! The museum itself is beautifully designed and has many great interactive features and Tennessee artifacts. Even for toddlers, the exhibits are eye-catching enough to enjoy a stroll through each room. Ideally, this would be a great spot to take kids 8 and up. On the second level, there is also a huge line of rocking chairs that overlook the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. It is a great spot to stop to take a quick break or enjoy a snack.
On the first level of the museum, there is a children's room. The room has vivid murals and highlights a map of Tennessee on the floor. The sign states the room is for children ages 3-8, but we have been going since my oldest was around 18 months with no issues. There are several stations where children can engage in play. When we visited there were Magna Tiles, books, blocks, a train table and a coloring station. On Saturdays, you can also enjoy story time at the museum. Story time is on the lawn from 10-11 AM. You can visit their website to see what book they will be reading each week.
The children's room hours are different from the museum. On Tuesday-Saturday, you can visit from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Gallery closes from 1:00-2:00 p.m. for daily cleaning and maintenance. On Sundays, you can enjoy the Children's Gallery from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. I will add that the facility is always VERY clean and extremely well taken care of.
Nearby Activities include the Nashville Farmers Market and the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The Nashville Farmers is open daily from 8 A.M. until 6 P.M. It is a great spot to enjoy breakfast or lunch during your visit. We really enjoy taking a picture each time by the fun "I heart Nash" sign. The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is also a great place to walk around, see the bells, train watch by the bridge or go visit the fountains. You can make this a short one-hour trip or an all-morning adventure!