Indoor Fun
Nashville and Middle Tennessee have some great places for indoor family fun, perfect to escape the rain, cold or heat. While we think Nashville is perfect, the weather doesn’t always cooperate to enjoy outside. Check out some of the area museums, indoor playgrounds, family fun centers and more! Have a favorite we haven’t been to? Be sure to Contact Us and let us know – we’d love to add it and share more places to explore in the area.
If you are looking for fun places to visit near you, you can see indoor fun locations divided out by county.
Indoor Playgrounds
There is a wide variety of indoor playgrounds and places to jump and run all over Middle Tennessee. Some are in malls, some in churches, some with a fee and some are free but they are all fun! Here’s a great list of playgrounds to start with and then below are full stories of places we have visited.
- Cornerstone Indoor Playground (Madison)
- Pump It Up (Mt Juliet & Brentwood)
- Chuck E. Cheese (4 locations)
- Hoppity Hop Inflatable Play Center (Hendersonville)
- Monkey’s Treehouse (Brentwood)
- Sky High Sports (Airport area)
- Bounce U (Nashville & Murfreesboro)
- LaserQuest (Downtown)
- Above All Extreme Air Sports (Franklin)
- Nashville Airsoft (Downtown)
Bowling and Family Fun Centers
Before you head out to bowl, make sure you register for the summer fun Kids Bowl Free program, then check out this list of every place we know of to go bowling in Middle Tennessee. Plus, you can get more details in the articles below about the bowling alleys we have visited.
- Hendersonville Circus World (Hendersonville)
- Holder Family Fun Center (Hendersonville & Gallatin)
- Dave and Busters (Opry Mills Mall)
- Donelson Bowl (Donelson)
- Hermitage Lanes (Hermitage)
- Lanes, Trains and Automobiles (Murfreesboro)
- Kings Bowl (Cool Springs)
Skating Rinks
Sign up for the year-round Kids Skate Free program for free skate times and then find a skating rink near you on this giant list of places to skate in Middle Tennessee. Then check out more details on the rinks we’ve visited below.
Roller Skating Rinks
- Rivergate Skate Center (Madison)
- Sumner Skate Zone (Gallatin)
- Brentwood Skate Center (Brentwood)
- Skate Center Smyrna (Smyrna)
- Hermitage Recreation Center (FREE skating at certain times) (Hermitage)
- Skate Center West (Murfreesboro)
Ice Skating Rinks
- Ford Ice Center (Antioch)
Arts and Crafts
- Fired Up! Paint Your Own Pottery Studio (Mt Juliet)
- Brushfire Pottery Studio (Nashville)
Experience Restaurants and Stores
- Pfunky Griddle (Berry Hill)
- Cock of the Walk (Opry Mills Mall area)
- Loveless Cafe (West Nashville)
- Chuck E. Cheese
- McNamara’s Irish Pub (Donelson)
- Dave & Busters (Opry Mills Mall)
- Aquarium Restaurant (Opry Mills Mall)
- The Lego Store (Opry Mills Mall)
- A Family Guide to Restaurants (Opry Mills Mall)
Museums and Historical Homes
- The Hermitage (Hermitage)
- Lane Motor Museum (Nashville)
- Gaylord Opryland Hotel (Nashville)
- The Frist Center (Downtown)
- Country Music Hall of Fame (Downtown)
- RCA Studio B Tour (leaves from the Country Music Hall of Fame)
- Tennessee State Military Museum (Downtown)
- Tennessee State Capitol (Downtown)
- The Parthenon (Nashville)
- Cooter’s Place (Music Valley/ Opry area)
- Willie Nelson and Friends (Music Valley/ Opry area)
- Grand Ole Opry Backstage Daytime Tour (Music Valley/Opry Mills Mall)
- Grand Ole Opry Backstage Evening Tour (Music Valley/Opry Mills Mall)
- Musicians Hall of Fame (Downtown)
- The Fontanel (Whites Creek)
- Belle Meade Plantation (Belle Meade)
- Oaklands Historic House Museum (Murfreesboro)
- Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum (Nashville)
- Carnton Plantation (Franklin)
- Rock Castle (Hendersonville)
- The Earth Experience – A Natural History Museum (Murfreesboro)
Science and Nature Centers
- Dyer Observatory (Nashville)
- Adventure Science Center (Nashville)
- Nashville Main Library (Nashville)
- Discovery Center & Murfree Spring Wetland (Murfreesboro)
- Shelby Bottoms Nature Center (East Nashville)
- Smyrna Outdoor Adventure Center (Smyrna)
Music and Theatre
- Larry Keeton Theatre (Donelson)
- McNamara’s Irish Pub (Donelson)
- Nashville Children’s Theatre (Downtown)
More Ideas for Indoor Fun…
- Fun at Opry Mills Mall – there is more to do than just shop (Donelson/Opry Mills)
- Find a Storytime near you. There are options at libraries, bookstores, and more!
- Free Kids’ Building Workshops where your kids can create something to take home.
- FREE and Cheap Kids’ Classes and Workshops to sign up for and learn something new.
- Let’s have a Tea Party – there are lots of places to have tea in Nashville
- Cooking Classes for kids – from main dishes to desserts
- Cheap and FREE places to see Movies – discounts at local theaters plus places you may not think of when you plan to see a movie.
- LEGO play times – Join in a weekly LEGO event and build something amazing!
Ideas for Fun at Home
Have several days to play? Check out our 5-day staycation plans for preschoolers, school-aged kids and teens!
Lanes Trains & Automobiles
Lanes Trains & Automobiles (hereafter referred to as LT&A) is a family fun center located in Murfreesboro, TN. When you walk through the front door, you will pass through the…
Dave and Busters
A trip to Dave and Busters can be great family fun with just a bit of advance planning. Dave and Busters is located in Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, TN….
Nashville Airsoft
Cooler temps in Nashville means the inevitable struggle to find fun things to keep the kiddos busy indoors. This might not seem like such a difficult task if you think…
Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour
Take a peek behind the scenes at country music’s biggest show. There are 3 ways to tour the Opry. There is a VIP Tour, a Post Show Tour and a…
Cock of the Walk
Looking for a family fun restaurant? Don’t overlook Cock of the Walk. Located in the Music Valley area near Opry Mills Mall and Opryland Hotel. It is also a quick…
Rock Castle
Step back in time with a trip to Historic Rock Castle. Rock Castle is located in Hendersonville, TN on Old Hickory Lake. The home was built by Daniel Smith on…
Chuck E. Cheese
Just hear me out. I know you’re probably thinking, “Every parent in creation knows more than they want to know about Chuck E. Cheese!”. And, look, I understand. But I…
The Larry Keeton Theatre
Located in the Fifty Forward Center in Donelson is a gem – the Larry Keeton Theatre. It is unassuming from the street, but it is the third highest attended theatre in…
Tennessee State Capitol
A visit to the Tennessee State Capitol is great exposure for kids at anytime – but when the legislature in session it is a particularly great time to bring civics home. Kids…
Skate Center Smyrna
After two weeks of standardized testing and rainy weekends, the kids in my house were desperate for a diversion. Skate Center Smyrna was a perfect solution. Often indoor family fun options…