Travel

Nashville Kids

Establishment neighborhood
Frist Art Museum
919 Broadway, Downtown
The Frist has an entire interactive area—the Martin ArtQuest Gallery—devoted to artmaking activities where children of all ages (including adults!) can come by every day between 10 and 5:30 and on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. There are thirty decked out stations set up for visitors to experiment with different media including painting, printmaking, and even animation with toy figures and animals. In the main galleries, the Frist offers an encyclopedic lineup of rotating exhibitions from all over the world. Bonus: Children under eighteen can always visit for free.
Adventure Science Center
800 Fort Negley Blvd., 8th South
Although kids will love this museum’s three-floor soft jungle gym (where they can slide, climb, and jump through a model digestive system) and the child-size firemen’s truck and ambulance, adults will get a kick out of it, too. There are exciting, interactive exhibits where you can learn about astronomy, biology, physics, weather, technology, energy, sound, and creativity. Plus, Adventure Science Center is home to the renowned Sudekum Planetarium and is located five minutes from downtown Nashville with a breathtaking view of the city.
Phillip’s Toy Mart
5207 Harding Rd., Belle Meade
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s girls, Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey McGraw, recommended this store to us—it’s a kid’s dream come to life: There are toys crammed in every nook and cranny of this shop. You will find no big-brand toys here—it’s been here forever, full of costumes, books, and wooden toys. Reese Witherspoon used to come here with her grandparents. GP's kids could have spent an entire day in this shop and would get excited at the very mention of the word “Phillip’s.”