Cookeville Children's Museum
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Showing posts with label Day Trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Day Trips. Show all posts
Cookeville Children's Museum - Cookeville, TN
A day out with my baby girls...
Cookeville Children's Museum
Cookeville Children's Museum
Cream City - Cookeville, TN
Any town that has a Historic District named after an ice cream store is A-OK in my book!
I don't know the history of Cream City, but I know the place there now is pretty awesome!
It's got a laid back coffee shop type atmosphere with comfy couches and chalkboard-topped tables. The kids love to pick from the many flavors they offer, and then grace the tables with their artistic masterpieces.
In addition to ice cream, you've got a variety of hot drinks, sodas, and a few snacks like hot dogs.
Two of our favorite flavors are the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and the Mexican Chocolate.
I'm not sure what your favorite is, but I'll bet Cream City has it!
I don't know the history of Cream City, but I know the place there now is pretty awesome!
It's got a laid back coffee shop type atmosphere with comfy couches and chalkboard-topped tables. The kids love to pick from the many flavors they offer, and then grace the tables with their artistic masterpieces.
In addition to ice cream, you've got a variety of hot drinks, sodas, and a few snacks like hot dogs.
Two of our favorite flavors are the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake and the Mexican Chocolate.
I'm not sure what your favorite is, but I'll bet Cream City has it!
Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN
One of our favorite places to hang out when we're in the area!
The museum itself is small, but packs a lot of informative exhibits and information into the historic train station. Outside, there are several train cars, including an engine and a caboose. There are a few other pieces of equipment that are open and available for the kids to enjoy. The Depot exhibits are very hands-on, and their staff is quite friendly.
If you've got a little one that loves trains, check out the Cookeville Depot Museum!
It's in the Cream City Historic District, which means yummy ice cream is right across the street!
The museum itself is small, but packs a lot of informative exhibits and information into the historic train station. Outside, there are several train cars, including an engine and a caboose. There are a few other pieces of equipment that are open and available for the kids to enjoy. The Depot exhibits are very hands-on, and their staff is quite friendly.
If you've got a little one that loves trains, check out the Cookeville Depot Museum!
It's in the Cream City Historic District, which means yummy ice cream is right across the street!
National Corvette Museum - Bowling Green, KY
"Awesome History of America's Favorite Car!"
By nature, we're not specifically Corvette fans. But this museum is such a top-notch representation of all things Chevrolet, Corvette, Auto Racing, and Mechanical Engineering, that it's impossible not to appreciate the collection of beautiful exhibits.
Upon entering the building, you'll likely see a parade of fresh-off-the-assembly-line Corvettes awaiting "factory pick-up" from their proud new owners. Watching someone take possession of their brand new car is a red carpet affair for everyone in the room! Make sure you catch one of these babies heading out the door!
Also in the lobby is a late-model Corvette in which you can sit, take photos, and otherwise let the kids enjoy.
Once you purchase tickets, you begin your adventure with a short film, and the background of Louis Chevrolet and his company that would go on to produce the Corvette.
As you work your way through the perfectly preserved cars in their gorgeous displays, you'll eventually come to an awesome play area to keep little hands busy and little minds engaged. Kids will enjoy hanging out in the drive-in, serving up meals in the 50's style cafe, and learning all about car maintenance as they use a variety of tools to work on a life-sized model car on a lift!
Changing tires, checking under the hood, and experimenting with tools will put a smile on everyone's face. My kids could have sat here for hours working on cars, but luckily they were just as fascinated with the exhibits; so after a while, on we continued.
Next, you'll come to a few rooms on Chevrolet racing history. From Le Mans to NASCAR, and a little bit of everything in-between, you'll see racing suits, trophies, posters, paraphernalia, and, of course, RACE CARS!
The last permanent exhibits cover Corvettes through the years, complete with unique body types and histories, and then an exhibit on the materials and construction of these iconic automobiles.
There is a section available for traveling exhibits, and many of them are very kid-friendly. Be sure to check this area out. You never know what you might find!
If you watch the news, you've possibly heard that a giant sinkhole opened under the museum and swallowed 8 of the 28 rare cars on display in the Skydome in February of 2014. We visited while they were still retrieving cars from the sinkhole, and were able to capture some rare photographs of the damaged floor and the mangled vehicles.
In the past year, the floor was filled with limestone and refinished to its original condition. Most of the cars have also been painstakingly restored to as original condition as possible. I have included some of our photographs so you can see what happened. If you visit now, everything should be safe, secure, and completely as it was.
In addition to the museum, you will find a huge gift shop selling everything from toy cars to limited edition collectors' merchandise. Great gift ideas for kids, all the way to Corvette Connoisseurs...
There is also a 50's style cafe serving burgers, sandwiches, and great ice cream and milk shakes. The staff here seemed like they had better things to do than serve us, and we were the only people in the place as closing time was approaching; but the food was good for a quick bite to eat after spending most of the day immensely enjoying the museum.
*As a side note, if your family is into letterboxing, come prepared. There are several gems to be discovered throughout the museum.
Overall, whether you are a Corvette Enthusiast, a car lover, or just a kid along for the ride, there is great deal of enjoyment to be had here at the Corvette Museum. If you're in the Bowling Green area, take your family for a spin!
Upon entering the building, you'll likely see a parade of fresh-off-the-assembly-line Corvettes awaiting "factory pick-up" from their proud new owners. Watching someone take possession of their brand new car is a red carpet affair for everyone in the room! Make sure you catch one of these babies heading out the door!
Also in the lobby is a late-model Corvette in which you can sit, take photos, and otherwise let the kids enjoy.
Once you purchase tickets, you begin your adventure with a short film, and the background of Louis Chevrolet and his company that would go on to produce the Corvette.
As you work your way through the perfectly preserved cars in their gorgeous displays, you'll eventually come to an awesome play area to keep little hands busy and little minds engaged. Kids will enjoy hanging out in the drive-in, serving up meals in the 50's style cafe, and learning all about car maintenance as they use a variety of tools to work on a life-sized model car on a lift!
Changing tires, checking under the hood, and experimenting with tools will put a smile on everyone's face. My kids could have sat here for hours working on cars, but luckily they were just as fascinated with the exhibits; so after a while, on we continued.
Next, you'll come to a few rooms on Chevrolet racing history. From Le Mans to NASCAR, and a little bit of everything in-between, you'll see racing suits, trophies, posters, paraphernalia, and, of course, RACE CARS!
The last permanent exhibits cover Corvettes through the years, complete with unique body types and histories, and then an exhibit on the materials and construction of these iconic automobiles.
There is a section available for traveling exhibits, and many of them are very kid-friendly. Be sure to check this area out. You never know what you might find!
If you watch the news, you've possibly heard that a giant sinkhole opened under the museum and swallowed 8 of the 28 rare cars on display in the Skydome in February of 2014. We visited while they were still retrieving cars from the sinkhole, and were able to capture some rare photographs of the damaged floor and the mangled vehicles.
In the past year, the floor was filled with limestone and refinished to its original condition. Most of the cars have also been painstakingly restored to as original condition as possible. I have included some of our photographs so you can see what happened. If you visit now, everything should be safe, secure, and completely as it was.
In addition to the museum, you will find a huge gift shop selling everything from toy cars to limited edition collectors' merchandise. Great gift ideas for kids, all the way to Corvette Connoisseurs...
There is also a 50's style cafe serving burgers, sandwiches, and great ice cream and milk shakes. The staff here seemed like they had better things to do than serve us, and we were the only people in the place as closing time was approaching; but the food was good for a quick bite to eat after spending most of the day immensely enjoying the museum.
*As a side note, if your family is into letterboxing, come prepared. There are several gems to be discovered throughout the museum.
Overall, whether you are a Corvette Enthusiast, a car lover, or just a kid along for the ride, there is great deal of enjoyment to be had here at the Corvette Museum. If you're in the Bowling Green area, take your family for a spin!
Chattanooga Zoo - Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Zoo
As others have also mentioned, the Chattanooga Zoo is a VERY small zoo.
With that being said, though, the limited space packs quite the punch!
Over the years, the Zoo has been completely redone. A beautiful entrance has been constructed, complete with a spacious gift shop, modern bathrooms, and the Gombe Cafe.
New buildings have been added, featuring Deserts of the World and Forests of the World. These are in addition to the other areas, which include the Gombe Forest, Corcovado Jungle, Himalayan Passage, a North American animal section, and the Warner Park Ranch.
At the ranch, you can get up close and personal with many species of domesticated animals. You can pet, feed, or pose with goats, ponies, cows, dogs, and even camels!
This zoo doesn't have a lot of larger species, like elephants and giraffes; but they have loads of adorable mammals, from big cats to tiny Tamarins. You'll also find a great selection of reptiles, amphibians, birds, arachnids, and insects from all over the world.
The best part of this zoo, in our opinion, is that it IS small. It's not overwhelming if you have smaller kids, and most importantly, you really feel like you are right there with all the animals that you see. It's nice to have such close viewing opportunities for so many unique species. You don't always get that at larger zoos.
With admission prices starting at $9 for adults, and $6 for kids ages 3-12, with kids 2 and under free, this is one of the few affordable zoos left. If you have an AZA Reciprocal membership, you get 50% off those prices.
Additional programs and add-on options are available through Zoo Tours and Wild Encounter Programs.
The zoo also hosts many fundraisers and special events throughout the year. Jack Hanna is a regular guest and we would love to meet him. I will review their Boo at the Zoo event in a separate review, because even though we love the zoo itself, we personally find their Halloween event to be highly misleading and a disappointing waste of time.
We adore the zoo for a regular visit, though. Most of the employees are very friendly. Whenever we are visiting friends in Chattanooga, we always think of the zoo as a good meeting place for everyone to gather. It's a hit in our social circle, and I think you will enjoy it, too!
1254 East 3rd Street,
Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37404
Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37404
"Small Zoo - GREAT Experience!"
As others have also mentioned, the Chattanooga Zoo is a VERY small zoo.With that being said, though, the limited space packs quite the punch!
Over the years, the Zoo has been completely redone. A beautiful entrance has been constructed, complete with a spacious gift shop, modern bathrooms, and the Gombe Cafe.
New buildings have been added, featuring Deserts of the World and Forests of the World. These are in addition to the other areas, which include the Gombe Forest, Corcovado Jungle, Himalayan Passage, a North American animal section, and the Warner Park Ranch.
At the ranch, you can get up close and personal with many species of domesticated animals. You can pet, feed, or pose with goats, ponies, cows, dogs, and even camels!
This zoo doesn't have a lot of larger species, like elephants and giraffes; but they have loads of adorable mammals, from big cats to tiny Tamarins. You'll also find a great selection of reptiles, amphibians, birds, arachnids, and insects from all over the world.
The best part of this zoo, in our opinion, is that it IS small. It's not overwhelming if you have smaller kids, and most importantly, you really feel like you are right there with all the animals that you see. It's nice to have such close viewing opportunities for so many unique species. You don't always get that at larger zoos.
With admission prices starting at $9 for adults, and $6 for kids ages 3-12, with kids 2 and under free, this is one of the few affordable zoos left. If you have an AZA Reciprocal membership, you get 50% off those prices.
Additional programs and add-on options are available through Zoo Tours and Wild Encounter Programs.
The zoo also hosts many fundraisers and special events throughout the year. Jack Hanna is a regular guest and we would love to meet him. I will review their Boo at the Zoo event in a separate review, because even though we love the zoo itself, we personally find their Halloween event to be highly misleading and a disappointing waste of time.
We adore the zoo for a regular visit, though. Most of the employees are very friendly. Whenever we are visiting friends in Chattanooga, we always think of the zoo as a good meeting place for everyone to gather. It's a hit in our social circle, and I think you will enjoy it, too!
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