10 Family Things Around Murfreesboro This Week (Aug. 20–26)
School is back, which means the Discovery Center's weekday programming has started up again — and this week it carries most of the load. Five of the ten picks below are within a block of Murfree Spring, which is either efficient or a little repetitive depending on how you look at it. It is efficient.
Everything here runs Thursday through Wednesday.
1. All Access Night: Sports Science, Thursday Aug. 20
A sensory-friendly evening built for families with children who have special needs. The museum opens after hours, 6 to 8 p.m., with smaller crowds and reduced sensory stimulation so kids can move at their own pace. This one runs monthly and is worth putting on a recurring reminder. Event details.
2. Campfire Story Time: Pig the Winner, Thursday Aug. 20
Two in the afternoon, a short read-aloud for the youngest visitors, and a bookmark to color and take home. Included with admission, which means you can stay for the exhibits afterward without paying twice. Story time details.
3. Discovery Design Time, Thursday Aug. 20
An open art studio from 3 p.m. — paints, markers, fabric, clay, whatever is on the table. No skill level, no sign-up, no correct outcome. Good for the kid who would rather make something than look at something. Details.
4. Homeschool Learning Pods: Earth Layers, Thursday Aug. 20
Three to four in the afternoon, grade-specific and led by the museum's education team, digging into the layers of the Earth with actual materials rather than a worksheet. Space is limited and registering ahead is strongly encouraged. Cost varies by lab. Details and registration.
5. Homeschool PE at Patterson Park, Thursday Aug. 20
One in the afternoon at the community center on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, and it is free. If you are homeschooling and looking for the part that is hard to do at home — other kids, a gym, someone else running the drills — this is it. Details.
6. Turtle Talk, Friday Aug. 21
Three in the afternoon, the museum's weekly children's program, and the format rotates week to week between demonstrations, crafts and hands-on discovery play. Included with admission, and built for a wide enough age range that you can bring more than one kid without one of them being bored. Details.
7. Curry Up Now grand opening, Saturday Aug. 22
Eleven in the morning, and the hook is free meals for a year for some number of early arrivals. Grand openings are chaotic by design, but they are also free entertainment and the line itself tends to be part of the fun. Details.
8. Stones River National Battlefield — free, any day
A confirmed fee-free national park about ten minutes from the square: no entrance pass, no ticket, no reservation. There is a visitor center, a driving tour road with short walks off it, and a Junior Ranger booklet that will occupy a seven-year-old for the entire visit and produce a badge at the end. Early mornings are best while it is still hot.
9. Boro Beach at Sports*Com — the last few weekends
The city outdoor pool on Memorial Boulevard closes after Labor Day, so the window is short. Weekend open swim runs Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 6 p.m. Daily admission is $12 for adults, $8 for youth, seniors and military, and free for ages four and under. Worth one more trip before it shuts for the year.
10. Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village — free grounds, any day
A reconstructed 1800s Murfreesboro village on South Front Street: a log home, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, a chapel and a toll bridge, plus the World's Largest Cedar Bucket, which is the photograph you are going to take whether you plan to or not. The grounds are free to walk; some programs are ticketed.
Times and details can change — check the event page before you load everyone into the car.
