20+ Family Things to Do Around Murfreesboro This Week (Oct. 8-14)
Fall break, cooler evenings and pumpkin season: Rutherford County is full of easy family outings this week. Here are more than 20 things to do around Murfreesboro, Smyrna and La Vergne from Thursday, Oct. 8 through Wednesday, Oct. 14, including night hikes and a not-scary evening at the Wilderness Station, ranger tours at Stones River, a pumpkin fun run, science programs at the Discovery Center and a long list of free library story times.
Little Picassos Toddler Art at Bradley Academy
Thursday, Oct. 8, 9:30 a.m. · Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center. Small fee; registration required. A hands-on art hour for the littlest artists, with paint, chalk and printing on rotation. A grown-up stays with each child, so dress for spills.
Campfire Story Time: Jonathan James and the What If Monster
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. Included with admission. A picture book about worries and what-ifs, read around the center's campfire setup. Just right for the preschool crowd.
Creature Connection: Chinchilla Foraging
Thursday, Oct. 8, 3 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. Small fee. One animal, one hour, up close: kids watch the center's chinchilla puzzle its way to a snack and learn how foraging works.
National Night Out in La Vergne
Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 p.m. · Veterans Memorial Park, La Vergne. Free. Meet police officers and first responders, watch demonstrations and browse community booths. Kids get to cheer while neighbors try to dunk the chief.
Night Sounds Hike at the Wilderness Station
Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m. · Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park. Free. An evening walk to listen for owls, frogs and insects as the woods wake up after dark. Bring a flashlight and a curious kid.
Turtle Talk at the Discovery Center
Friday, Oct. 9, 3 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. Included with admission. A close look at the center's turtles and what they need to thrive. A good fit for animal-loving little ones.
Lego Logic Lab at Smyrna Library
Friday, Oct. 9, 3:15 p.m. · Smyrna Public Library. An after-school building challenge for kids who like to engineer with bricks.
Nature Day at the Wilderness Station
Saturday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. · Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park. Free. Native-habitat exhibits with local biologists, a native plant sale in the morning and food trucks midday. Best for ages 10 and up.
Page to Stage: Sophie’s Masterpiece at the Center for the Arts
Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. · The Center for the Arts. Free. A read-aloud of a picture book followed by hands-on art activities, part of a monthly second-Saturday literacy series.
Battlefield Caravan Tour with a Park Ranger
Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. · Stones River National Battlefield. Free. Follow a ranger in your own car to key stops on the battlefield. Little ones can stretch their legs at each stop while older kids get the story.
STEAM-a-Palooza
Saturday, Oct. 10, 12 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. See the event page. An outdoor, all-ages celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and math with local artists, scientists and makers. Rain or shine.
Cardboard Costume Lab, Part 1 at the TEC
Saturday, Oct. 10, 1 p.m. · Technology Engagement Center. Free. Part one of a two-week workshop where kids turn cardboard into wearable Halloween costumes. Part two follows on Oct. 17 at Linebaugh Library.
Pumpkin Fun Run at Gateway Island
Saturday, Oct. 10, 3 p.m. · Gateway Island. Bring canned goods. Walk or run a one-mile loop while carrying a pumpkin, and every finisher gets a medal. Canned goods collected go to a local food ministry.
Stories of Service and Sacrifice: National Cemetery Ranger Walk
Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. · Stones River National Cemetery. Free. A quiet, ranger-led walk sharing the stories behind the names on the headstones. Best for school-age kids and teens.
SPARK! Windy Wonders
Monday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. A preschool and early-elementary session about wind and moving air, which mostly means things flying across the room on purpose.
Habitat Hike at the Wilderness Station
Monday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. · Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park. A guided walk through the park's habitats with a naturalist.
Home School STEAM Lab at La Vergne Library
Monday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. · La Vergne Public Library. A weekly hands-on science and art session for homeschoolers in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Tiny TEC: Lawn Mowers
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 11:30 a.m. · Technology Engagement Center. A picture book plus a matching craft for 2- to 4-year-olds, this week all about lawn mowers.
Tasty Tuesday Kitchen Science
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 3 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring. Included with admission. Kitchen science for curious kids: experiments you can (mostly) eat.
MTSU Blue Raiders Football vs. Delaware
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 6 p.m. · Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, MTSU. Tickets from MTSU athletics. A rare Tuesday-night college football game on campus. A shorter drive and smaller crowds make it an easy first game for kids.
All-Ages Storytime at Linebaugh Library
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. · Linebaugh Public Library. Stories and songs for every age in one easy morning session.
Wild Rumpus at the Wilderness Station
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5 p.m. · Wilderness Station at Barfield Crescent Park. Registration required; fee varies. A not-scary fall evening in the woods with a live animal program, a storybook trail, pumpkin painting, games and hot drinks. Costumes welcome.
Coming up
- North Boulevard Church Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat — Sun., Oct. 18
- Trunk-or-Treat at Experience Community Murfreesboro North — Fri., Oct. 30
- Cookies and Cocoa with Santa at Lucky Ladd Farms — Dec. 11-20
Times and details can shift, so tap through to each event page before you head out. For the rest of the month, see our family Halloween guide for Murfreesboro. Know about a family event we missed? Send it our way and we will add it to the calendar.
