Rockin’ Nashville with the Kids

On a previous visit to Nashville, my husband and I checked out many of what I call “adult-friendly” attractions: the Country Music Hall of Fame, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, and Belle Meade Plantation. Although I know kids are welcome at these sites, my kids are 4 and 8, so I think they would be more bored than interested. So for our next visit to Music City, we did some preplanning research to find some great places and activities for kids. We turned up several great spots that turned out to be great for the entire family.

First up, we jumped on the Music City Trolley Hop, a hop on-hop off guided trolley tour through downtown Nashville. I love taking these types of tours to familiarize myself with a new destination, plus my son is an avid trolley fan. The trolley makes 10 stops along the route at such attractions as the Ryman Auditorium, The Parthenon and the Frist Center for Visual Arts. Without hopping off to visit an attraction, the full tour takes about one hour. And the best part? Your ticket is good for 24 hours. If you have to jump off to feed the kids or break for naptime, you can continue your tour later!

Our next stop was the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. Divided into three “loops” – Jungle, Savannah and Zoo Central, the zoo features a number of animals including giraffes, elephants, tigers, alligators, meerkats and others. Because the zoo is smaller than many metropolitan zoos, the animal habitats are more intimate, which allows visitors to get a little closer to the animals. The only drawback is there is some distance between the “loops” and certain animal habitats, so there is a break in the action. I’m sure this is so the zoo has room to grow, but for little ones it can seem like quite a walk from one animal to another.

Also at the zoo, we visited Grassmere Historic Farm, where the kids could see and learn more about a working farm from the 1800s. Tours of the home usually are offered on the weekends, but check the website for a current schedule. Visitors also can walk the adjacent gardens, the livestock barn and machine shed, as well as see the animals in the pasture and chicken coop.

We found a great place for the kids to run and play at Adventure Science Center. This attraction features five interactive, permanent exhibits plus a planetarium and a full schedule of events. For instance, my kids had fun playing doctor at BodyQuest, which takes kids through a day in the life of their bodies. And in Space Chase, they got to see what their heat signature looked like on the infrared wall.

But their favorite was the Adventure Tower. This seven-level playground embodies interactive science activities based on earth science, creativity and innovation, sound and light, air and space, and health and energy. However, the kids have so much fun exploring the entire tower that they don’t even realize they are learning and applying science concepts. My kids were exhausted when we left the Adventure Science Center, but it was happy exhaustion.

During our visit to Nashville, we wanted to sample the local cuisine, and, in researching restaurants that would appeal to my kids, I came across the perfect breakfast place: The Pfunky Griddle. At this restaurant, every table features a griddle right in the center of the table so guests can cook up their own pancakes. You receive all-you-can-eat pancake batter, and choose your own toppings from the a la carte toppings menu.

My kids couldn’t wait to cook their own pancakes. Yes, I was concerned about them getting burned, but it turned out that was not a problem. The griddle actually sets slightly lower than the table, so they don’t accidentally touch the hot surface. Also, we continually cautioned them to be careful when pouring the batter and adding their toppings. We did draw the line at my 4-year-old son flipping his own pancakes, but we did let our 8-year-old try it. She did a great job, and they both had so much fun. They always ask when we’re going back again. (Until we do, they ask for “Pfunky Griddle Night” at home, but it’s not the same for me since I have to do all the prep, cooking and cleanup.)

I can’t write a story about Nashville without including my own personal breakfast spot: The Loveless Café. What started as a resting spot along U.S. Highway 100 has since evolved into one of the most popular dining spots around Nashville. What draws me in every time I’m nearby is the country breakfast. For me, that means an order of biscuits and sausage gravy with a side of country ham. And, if I have an extra biscuit leftover, I pair it with the restaurant’s blackberry preserves for “dessert.” It may not be good for my diet, but it sure is good for me.

This list of Nashville attractions barely scratches the surface of what the city has to offer, but that’s OK. My kids can’t wait to return to see all of these and more, so we’ll definitely be going back to Nashville. And as the kids get older, we’ll introduce them to those more “adult-friendly” attractions mentioned earlier. In fact, I don’t think we’ll ever have a problem finding fun stuff to do around Nashville.

Have you ever visited Nashville with your kids? If so, what was your favorite place to go and favorite thing to do?

Disclosure: Karon and her family received an attractions pass from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation for some, but not all, tickets to the aforementioned attractions. However, her family paid for all extra tickets as well as their own meals at the restaurants. All opinions are her own.