Downtown Kids

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.

Here there's storytelling on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and marionette shows on Fridays and Saturdays. Stories are presented by a cast of wacky characters including the Professor, who not only reads but gets sing-alongs and lots of rainbow drawings going, too. The professionally crafted marionettes at the library are something special, made by a master puppeteer named Tom Tichenor.

Mike's has murals on the wall that remind you of a soda fountain and tall bar chairs with coiled backs. Plus, perfect sundaes: not too large, made with good vanilla ice cream, drenched in chocolate and peanuts, and topped with just the right amount of toffee.