Spending hours outside at a playground is no fun when it’s cold or rainy. While Nashville has several trampoline parks and indoor playgrounds, they can be expensive. Here are some free indoor playgrounds and play places to take your kids to instead, from nature centers to libraries and museums.
🌲 Nature Centers
Several parks in the Nashville area have excellent nature centers with toys and activities. We frequent the Warner Park Nature Center, where they have puzzles, a sensory area with skulls, sticks, and rocks, a hollowed-out tree, an art station, and animal figures to play with.
The downtown library branch is now open (park at McKendree garage for discounted parking) and has a wonderful children's play area. Or visit your nearest Nashville Public Library branch; all have children’s play areas, often with Legos and puppet theaters. Check NPL’s events page for children’s programming. I also recommend visiting The John P. Holt Brentwood Library, which is not part of NPL but has a beautiful children’s area.
Most local community centers have children’s activities on their schedules, from designated toddler play time to family open gyms and skate nights. Check your nearest location for options!
The Tennessee State Museum has an excellent children’s room that more parents should take advantage of. It’s always free! And it's so fun, with a dress-up center, mini farmers market, train set, and MAGNA-TILES.
🛍️ Malls
As a kid, I played in the Bellevue Mall’s indoor playground, but alas, that charming caterpillar tunnel is no more. We still have a few malls around, though. I’ve taken my kid to both the CoolSprings Galleria and Opry Mills indoor playgrounds on cold and rainy days. The only downside is that my daughter always convinces me to play nearby arcade games, so it’s not exactly free.
Martin ArtQuest is so fun for kids. (Margaret Kingsbury / City Cast Nashville)
I’m cheating: While kids are always free at the Frist, adult tickets are $20. But their children’s area, Martin ArtQuest, is fantastic, with a plethora of art activities that keep kids busy for hours, like painting, printmaking, and creating movies from stills. While the types of art activities remain the same, they switch up themes based on current exhibits.
Children five and under are always free at this museum, but adult tickets are $15. Their kids’ area is a blast, with vehicles to zip around on a giant city carpet, and small cars to hop in and pretend to race. race.
