Are you like me and you enjoy getting the kids out and exploring other cities? We do a lot of exploring when the kids are home for summer. That’s when we get out and see what else there is to do in the world besides video games and internet. Here’s a fun list of day trips that are within a few hours of Nashville, TN. These are also all trips I have taken with my own kids too!
1. Helen Keller’s home Ivy Green in Tuscumbia AL. This is a beautiful day trip. On the way down don’t forget to stop and get some great photo opps at the Al state line. When we toured Ivy Green we learned so much about Helen Keller and her life. We also toured some beautiful country roads from Nashville to Tuscumbia. We went two summers ago and let the kids bring their suits as we planned to let them swim at Joe Wheeler Lake State Park. The kids swam and cooled down after our visit. It is a very educational and fun trip! You will enjoy learning all about Helen and her life.
We were getting our exercise in exploring Chattanooga here.
2. Visit Chattanooga TN When we visited this fun city we were able to take in most of it in on foot. It’s about 2 hours away from Nashville and there is tons of things to do. On this trip we went to the Aquarium first and enjoyed seeing the butterfly garden, the otters and the fresh and salt water fish. After that we then walked over the footbridge to see this quaint little street that has the best ice cream shop ever and it’s a throwback to earlier days and times. There’s a Children’s Museum, an Imax theater, the Chattanooga Choo Choo and so much more. You will have a great time and you can spend a lot of money or hardly any. It’s up to you!
3. Great Wolf Lodge La Grange GA The family will have so much fun when you choose to visit Great Wolf Lodge. What I loved about it was that there are so many fun things to do all under one roof. You never have to leave and the kids are always busy. If you’ve not been this is an excellent way to pass the weekend or even a week if you have the time.
Don’t let my title (Teen Guide to Great Wolf Lodge) fool you there is so much for the younger kids to do too. They have pajama dance parties, daily character appearances, story time and the NorthWoods Friends show . They offer a Camp H.O.W.L. kids club and it offers parent-free programming at this location on select evenings. The offerings this place has for kids to do is simply astonishing. Read my article on the Teen Guide to Great Wolf to see what all they have onsite to keep the kids busy and happy. It really is so much more than just a waterpark!
Whether you’re staying at home or trying to visit as many places as you can, there’s lots to see and do in Tennessee and the surrounding states. You can have fun and not go very far!
Before you go make sure you follow me on facebook, instagram, pinterest and twitter to see all the travel, crafts and recipe posts! Here’s some other posts I wrote for things to do in Nashville. How to make air fryer Nashville Hot Chicken, fun day trips within a few hours of Nashville, and things teens want to do in Nashville.
Where are you going exploring this summer? Leave me a comment and let me know.
We just returned from Nashville Tennessee. We missed some great places to visit. Just means we get to go back.
There’s so much more to do in the south than people think of. There’s quite a lot actually. We love to head up to the Nashville area to take in the sights.
I haven’t traveled really at all in the south. I would love to spend time in Nashville – or anywhere in TN!
These are some great attractions near Nashville. I’m sure our family would love all of these. It would be fun to make a road trip out of this and be able to check out all of your ideas.
Day trips are awesome and there are a lot of things to do in our own backyards if we simply look. Families can have fun without spending a ton of money (more people need to realize this) and the main thing is spending time together.
Yes just spend time with and making memories with your family is the best.
I love road tripping. Thanks for this list, it is great. Next time I am in the area, I will have to check these out.
Wow! That is looks like an amazing trip and I am sure your kids really love it so much. We? We are just planning to go to the beach for our family vacation.
These are such great tips! I’ve never been to Nashville before and would love to visit!
We will be in Tennessee next week but we are going to Gatlinburg. Chatanooga looks so beautiful!
It really is. There’s a lot to do there. Enjoy Gatlinburg!
That looks like a lot of fun. I have always wanted to go to Nashville, and I just might finally be able to go next year! I can’t wait because it seems like such a nice place to visit.
My aunt is moving to right outside Nashville. I can’t wait to visit and go on some of these trips!
My husband and I visited Nashville and Gatlinburg, TN a few years ago and love both places! Now, we have our own Great Wolf Lodge here in Virginia to and we used tho bring the kids there every year and they love it! Great tips here, by the way.
I’ve never been to Nashville before, but have it on my list of places to visit someday! We love Great Wolf Lodge as a family for sure!