20+ Family Things Around Murfreesboro This Week

Fall shows up in Murfreesboro this week in all the ways that matter to a kid: a leopard gecko under a black light, a campout at Barfield, a festival with bounce houses in Walter Hill and Smyrna's whole Depot District turned into a street fair. Saturday is stacked, so pick a lane early.

Here is the week, Thursday through Wednesday.

Thursday, September 24

Little Picassos at Bradley Academy Museum — 9:30 a.m., $5. Process art for toddlers and preschoolers: paint, pastels and printmaking, with the mess happening somewhere other than your kitchen table. A grown-up stays with each child, and the class caps at 24, so register ahead.

Campfire Story Time at the Discovery Center — 2 p.m., included with admission. A counting book about falling leaves, read in the Great Outdoors exhibit, followed by leaf rubbings. Short and sweet for the under-6 set.

Creature Connection: UV Leopard Geckos — 3 p.m. at the Discovery Center. The museum's gecko goes under ultraviolet light, which is exactly as cool as it sounds to a seven-year-old, and there is a science activity built around it.

Discovery Design Time: Capillary Action Leaf Art — 3 p.m. at the Discovery Center. Salt, glue and watercolor on a leaf shape, and kids watch the color creep through on its own. A quiet, hands-on half hour that sneaks in a real science idea.

Friday, September 25

Turtle Talk at the Discovery Center — 3 p.m., included with admission. A quick visit with the museum's turtles plus a craft, easy to fold into an afternoon there.

Build a Biosphere at the Wilderness Station — 4 p.m., $5, ages 6 and up. Kids learn how habitats hold together and build a small model one to carry home. Registration through the city.

Smyrna Depot District Car Show and Fish Fry — 6 to 8:30 p.m., free to walk in. Classic cars, live music and a Southern fish fry. Kids who like anything with an engine will be happy for an hour.

Friday Night Live season finale on the square — 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., free. The last of the summer concert series on the courthouse square, this time an '80s tribute band. Bring chairs, let the kids dance on the lawn, grab dinner downtown.

Saturday, September 26

A Walter Hill Fall Festival — 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Heartland Baptist Church on East Jefferson Pike. Food trucks, vendors and bounce houses. A good first stop before the day gets warm.

Smyrna Depot Days — 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission. More than a hundred vendors, food and music around the Smyrna depot, with free inflatables in the Kids Zone and train rides for a dollar or two.

Hispanic Heritage Day at the Discovery Center — During regular hours, included with admission. Special programming layers on top of the usual exhibits, so it is a full museum day plus the celebration.

Bradley Academy history walking tour — 10 a.m. to noon, check in from 9:45. A 1.5-mile walk through the history of Rutherford County's early African American schools. Best for older kids and teens who can handle the distance. Register by phone at 615-962-8873.

Family Campout at the Wilderness Station — Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning at Barfield Crescent Park. The tent-and-campfire night without the two-hour drive, and small kids camp nearly free. A great first campout if you have been putting one off.

Monday, September 28

SPARK! Beaks, Wings, and Nesting Things — 9 to 11 a.m. at the Discovery Center. Birds, nests and how wings work, timed nicely with fall migration.

Home School STEAM Lab at the La Vergne Library — 10 a.m. A weekly hands-on lab for homeschoolers in kindergarten through 4th grade.

Tuesday, September 29

Books and Babies at the La Vergne Library — 10 a.m. Lap-time rhymes and books for the birth-to-3 crowd.

Tiny TEC: What's in a Pumpkin? — 11:30 a.m., free, ages 2 to 4. A picture book and a pumpkin you get to dig into. It ends before anyone melts down, which is the whole design.

Campfire Story Time at the Discovery Center — 2 p.m., included with admission. Another round of fall read-alouds in the Great Outdoors exhibit.

Tasty Tuesday: Mini Fruit Pizza — 3 p.m. at the Discovery Center, included with admission. Kitchen science that ends in a snack. Capped at 24 kids, so go early.

Wednesday, September 30

Little Learners at the La Vergne Library — 10 a.m. A weekly program for preschoolers.

Turtle Talk at the Discovery Center — 3 p.m., included with admission.

Archery for Beginners at the Wilderness Station — 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., $10, ages 7 and up. A real instructor, real bows, and a one-mile paved walk to the range, so wear good shoes. Register online.

Looking ahead: the Discovery Center's Great Pumpkin Festival runs three evenings, Oct. 1 to 3, and the Wilderness Station's Wild Rumpus (Oct. 14) and the not-so-haunted Goldilocks hayride at Barfield (Oct. 23 and 24) are the gentle Halloween picks for younger kids. Everything is on the Murfreesboro family events calendar.