Madison
Things to Do With Kids in Nashville
A local family guide to Nashville attractions for kids, day trips and amusement parks across Tennessee, sorted by age, from the people who run an indoor dinosaur park in Madison, TN.
- Open daily 10AM – 7PM
- Ages 1–10, with a dedicated toddler area for ages 1–4
- Three levels, nine themed attractions
Start with the age and the weather
Most lists of things to do in Nashville are written for visitors without children. With a one-year-old, a six-year-old and a Saturday to fill, the honest filter is simpler: can they reach it, can they touch it, and can we leave early if it goes wrong?
We run a family play park in Madison, just north of Nashville, so we spend a lot of time helping parents plan a day out. This guide is our shortlist from that angle. It starts with Nashville attractions for kids, moves on to day trips and amusement parks across Tennessee, and ends with the questions parents ask us most. Wherever the weather is the deciding factor, it points to our separate guide to indoor activities in Nashville rather than repeating it here.
Nashville attractions for kids
The Nashville Zoo
A half day of animals on the south side of the city, best saved for a mild, dry day when little legs can manage the walking.
A hands-on science center
Exhibits built to be pushed, pulled and switched on, for curious kids who learn by doing. Good for a calmer half day.
Parks and greenways
Nashville's playgrounds and greenway trails are the easy option when the weather is on your side, and easy to leave when it isn't.
Children's theatre and story times
Lower-key outings for a calmer afternoon, and a good way to end a day that started with something active.
Pick by the situation you're in
If it's raining or scorching, go indoors and don't fight the forecast. Our indoor guide covers museums, libraries, rec centers and indoor play, and how to plan a rainy day so it doesn't fall apart by lunchtime.
If you have a toddler, the deciding question is space: under-fives need low, soft, contained areas, not queues and height charts. At Dinotopia the toddler play area is gated for ages 1 to 4, and the whole park is built for ages 1 to 10.
If you have a full day, pair an indoor morning with lunch and an outdoor park in the afternoon, so the energy gets burned before anyone has to sit still. If it's a birthday, a party venue with a host saves you the setup and the cleanup. And if it's a weekday, the weekday specials bring a 2-hour play pass down to $15 on Mondays and Wednesdays and $13 on Thursdays.
Day trips and amusement parks across Tennessee
Tennessee splits neatly into three for family trips. East Tennessee is mountains and theme parks around the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Middle Tennessee is Nashville and its ring of towns: music, museums, parks and, for little kids, indoor play. West Tennessee is Memphis, with its zoo, the river and its music history.
Almost every big ride park in the state sits in the eastern third, around Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Chattanooga. From Nashville that is a long drive east, so most families plan it as a weekend with a hotel rather than a day out. That geography matters most when children are small: a coaster park is a long way to travel for a child who is too short for half the rides.
Nashville has no large outdoor ride park of its own. For families with children under about ten, the everyday version is an indoor amusement park, and the one on the north side of town is Dinotopia in Madison, about 15 minutes north of downtown.
Tennessee's best-known parks, by region
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge
Tennessee's best-known theme park, in the Smoky Mountains, with coasters, shows and seasonal festivals.
Dollywood's Splash Country, Pigeon Forge
The water park next door to Dollywood.
Anakeesta, Gatlinburg
A mountaintop park reached by gondola, with a canopy walk, ziplines and a mountain coaster.
The Island, Pigeon Forge
An open-air complex of rides, shops and restaurants built around a big observation wheel.
Ober Mountain, Gatlinburg
Amusement rides and skiing on the same mountain, depending on the season.
Lake Winnepesaukah, near Chattanooga
A classic family amusement park, with a water park alongside it.
Choosing by the age you're actually travelling with
- 1
Ages 1 to 4
Height minimums rule out most rides at the big parks. A soft indoor park close to home beats a long drive, every time.
- 2
Ages 5 to 10
The East Tennessee parks start to pay off on a weekend trip, but an indoor park still wins the ordinary Saturday.
- 3
Ages 11 and up
This is coaster territory. Plan the Smokies; Dinotopia is built for ages 1 to 10.
Planning a Tennessee family trip
- 1
Pick one region
Driving across Tennessee end to end takes most of a day. Choose one region per trip instead of trying to see the whole state.
- 2
Check the ages before you build the day
Look up height minimums before planning a day around a single ride. With under-sevens, that check changes most plans.
- 3
Keep one indoor option on the list
Summer heat and winter cold both end outdoor days early. Have something inside lined up in case.
- 4
Leave a gap
One big thing a day is plenty with small children. The rest of the day can be a park, a meal and an early night.
Indoor and rainy days
When the weather decides for you, everything above turns into one question: where can they run? We keep that answer in one place, our guide to indoor activities for kids in Nashville. It covers indoor play by age, rainy-day and cold-weather plans, what an indoor dinosaur park is, and what a visit costs.
Around Nashville, by age
Guides for nearby towns
Birthday parties for ages 1 to 10
Two dinosaur party packages, each with 90 minutes of play and 30 minutes in a party room. Dino-Mite is $240 and the Brachiosaurus Bash is $359.95 on weekdays, plus tax and an 18% gratuity.
Coming back every week?
If Dinotopia becomes your regular rainy-day plan, a monthly membership can cost less than paying per visit.
Somewhere to go today
Open every day from 10AM to 7PM, about 15 minutes north of downtown Nashville.