🌲 Anakeesta – Gatlinburg

Ride a gondola to the top of a mountain and enter a world of treehouses, rope bridges, ziplines, and flower gardens. Anakeesta blends adventure and relaxation with scenic views, treetop walks, and a mountaintop coaster you control. It’s part fairy tale, part adrenaline rush.

🦈 Ripley’s Aquarium – Gatlinburg

Underwater tunnels, shark lagoons, and a glass-bottom boat ride? Yes, please. Ripley’s Aquarium is a family favorite for its up-close encounters with penguins, stingrays, and thousands of sea creatures. There’s even a mermaid show if you time it right.

🐻 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Hike to waterfalls, spot black bears, and earn Junior Ranger badges in America’s most visited national park. From scenic drives in Cades Cove to easy trails like Laurel Falls, the Smokies are the ultimate natural playground for families.

🧑‍🚀 Adventure Science Center – Nashville

Blast off into hands-on STEM fun at Nashville’s interactive science museum. From building roller coasters to exploring the stars in the Sudekum Planetarium, kids can tinker, climb, and discover their inner astronaut or inventor.

🐯 Zoo Knoxville

Home to red pandas, giraffes, and river otters, Zoo Knoxville is both wildly fun and walkable. Kids love the splash pad, playground, and chance to feed giraffes. Parents love how clean, friendly, and manageable the whole place feels.

🧪 The Muse – Knoxville

Part children’s museum, part science lab, The Muse lets kids learn through play. Explore a rocket room, test out coding, or catch a show at the planetarium. The outdoor discovery garden is a hidden gem for sunny days.

🎡 World’s Fair Park – Knoxville

This historic park in downtown Knoxville has a splash pad, wide open lawns, festivals galore, and the iconic Sunsphere observation tower. Great for a low-key day of fresh air and skyline views.

🎸 Country Music Hall of Fame – Nashville

Don’t let the name fool you—this museum is kid-approved. Try singing in a recording booth, see Elvis’s Cadillac, or tour the historic RCA Studio B. There’s also a cool art station and interactive exhibits for future rock stars.

🦒 Nashville Zoo

Meet animals from around the world, then zipline over their heads. Nashville Zoo is home to rhinos, bears, and sloths—and the playground here (aka Jungle Gym) is one of the biggest in the country.

🧠 Discovery Center at Murfree Spring – Murfreesboro

Mix science, nature, and hands-on learning at this super-interactive museum. Build stuff, splash in water features, walk the wetlands, or dig into dinosaur fossils. It’s educational without being boring (win-win).

🐘 Memphis Zoo

Pandas, polar bears, hippos, and more—this zoo’s got it all. Ride the tram, visit the farm animals, or wander through award-winning habitats like Teton Trek and Zambezi River. It’s clean, massive, and packed with cool encounters.

🛸 Discovery Park of America – Union City

This 50-acre park is a hidden gem in West Tennessee. Think: dinosaurs, a planetarium, a replica village, and an earthquake simulator—plus gardens, trains, and a vintage car collection. Come curious, leave amazed.

From mountain coasters to science museums, Tennessee brings big energy for family vacations—without the big stress. Whether you’re chasing waterfalls in the Smokies or building rockets in Nashville, the Volunteer State has something for every curious kid and kid-at-heart.

Catch you next trip,

– The TMA Team ✈️

✅ Trivia Answer: B) Pigeon Forge

Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee — right in the heart of the Smokies. Co-founded by country music icon Dolly Parton, the park blends Appalachian heritage with thrill rides, live entertainment, and that unmistakable Dolly charm.

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