Ten Family Things to Do Around Murfreesboro This Week
Murfreesboro's family calendar is quietly excellent this week, and almost all of it is free. Raptors, turtles, a pioneer village, a homeschool morning and a couple of junior tennis draws — here are ten things to do with kids between Thursday and next Wednesday.
1. Raptor Rhapsody at the Wilderness Station, Thursday
Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Wilderness Station in Barfield Crescent Park, and it is free. Birds of prey up close is one of the few nature programs that lands equally well with a five-year-old and a twelve-year-old.
Raptor Rhapsody →
2. Turtle Talk, Tuesday morning
Same place, Tuesday at 10 a.m., also free. Shorter and gentler than the raptor program, which makes it the better pick if your crew is mostly preschool age.
Turtle Talk →
3. Guided tour of Cannonsburgh Village, Thursday
Thursday at 10 a.m. A walking tour of the restored pioneer village — log houses, the gristmill, the one-room schoolhouse — with someone who can actually answer the questions kids ask.
Guided Tour of Cannonsburgh Village →
4. The 250 Years of American Independence exhibit
Open Thursday and Friday at Cannonsburgh, free. Worth pairing with the guided tour if you are already making the trip downtown — an hour there covers both easily.
Thursday · Friday
5. Re-Living Tennessee History, Tuesday
Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Cannonsburgh and free. Living-history demonstration rather than a walk-through, so expect hands doing things — usually the version kids remember.
Re-Living Tennessee History →
6. Homeschool Days at Cannonsburgh, Wednesday
Wednesday at 10 a.m., free, built around the independence exhibit. Aimed at homeschool families but the format works for anyone with a weekday morning free.
Homeschool Days →
7. Homeschool PE at Patterson Park, Thursday and Tuesday
Thursday at 1 p.m. and Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Patterson Park Community Center, free. Structured gym time that burns off an afternoon's worth of energy indoors, which in August is the entire selling point.
Thursday · Tuesday
8. “Newsies Jr.” dance auditions, Thursday evening
Thursday from 5:15 p.m. at Patterson Park, free to audition. If you have a kid who has been circling the idea of theater without committing, an audition call for a junior production is a low-stakes way in.
“Newsies Jr.” Dance Auditions →
9. Junior tennis at the Adams Tennis Complex, Saturday
Two youth draws run Saturday from 8 a.m. — a 12-to-18 challenger and a 10-and-under tournament with a grand prix. Good watching even if your kid is not entered, and a useful look at what the junior circuit actually involves.
Jr Circuit 12–18 · 10 & Under
10. The Barfield trails, any morning
While you are out at the Wilderness Station, the surrounding trails at Barfield Crescent are free and shaded, and the shorter loops are manageable for small legs. Go early — by mid-morning in August the shade stops being enough.
Dates and times change. Confirm with the organizer before you load the car.
