As a stay at home mom that rarely stays home, the colder months mean some MAJOR cabin fever around these parts. When the days of packing a picnic lunch and hitting the free parks and splash pads are gone until next year, there HAVE to be some inexpensive indoor options. Guess what, mama? You have come to the right place:
THE FREE STUFF:
Storytimes
- Knox County Public Library: for ages infant to 5 years, starting around 10am, Monday – Friday. Check the website for the library closest to you and for specific date and age groups.
- Barnes & Noble: Saturdays at 11am.
- Smart Toys and Books: Mondays at 11am.(the art class has a $5 materials fee)
- Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: performs at various Knoxville library storytimes!
Museums
- McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture: Monday – Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 1-5pm. (The museum is closed on the following dates: January 1, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and 25.)
- Knoxville Museum of Art: Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1-5pm.
- Beck Cultural Exchange: Tuesday – Saturday 10am-6pm.
- Farragut Folklife Museum: Monday – Friday 10am-4:30pm.
- Sunsphere: open daily 11am-6pm.
- Lenoir Museum: (Norris, about 30 minutes north of Knoxville): historical artifacts from early life in East Tennessee. Hours vary. Call (865) 494-9688 for more information.
Local Stores and Shops
- Home Depot Kids Workshops: 1st Saturday of the month 9am-12noon; each child gets a free Home Depot apron.
- Lowe’s Build & Grow Clinics: 2nd Saturday of the month – must register online to attend; each child gets an apron, goggles, and a patch.
- Smart Toys and Books: Mommy, Daddy and Me Art Class: Fridays at 10am and 11am (ages 2 and up); Thomas Play Day: first Tuesday of each month (no Thomas Play Days in November and December).
- Williams-Sonoma Junior Chef Classes: located in West Town Mall, every Saturday at 10am. A new “recipe” is introduced each week, with step-by-step instructions in this interactive class.
THE INEXPENSIVE STUFF:
Sporting/Physical Activities
- Bounce USA: $9 per child. Two free adults per child with paid admission. Wednesday and Thursday 10am-2pm; Friday 10am-8pm. (Note: always check website first before visiting. Hours vary based on winter months and Knox County school schedule.)
- Gym Bugs: $5 per child ($1 discount for siblings); cash or check only, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:30-11:30am.
- Pump It Up: $7.50 per child + tax; Monday-Friday, check event calendar for specific times.
- The Zone Sports Complex: $12.50; Friday and Saturday, 6pm-10pm (elementary or middle school aged children); Bounce Zone $7.00 on Saturday 9:30am-12noon. (Extended hours 10 am-2 pm on Knox County In-service and several school holidays.)
- Coolsports: ice skating ($8/skater includes skate rental), Monday-Friday 1-3pm; Fridays 8-10pm; Saturdays and Sundays 4-6pm.
- JumpJam: 6 and under: $8 for 1 hour; $12 for 1.5 hours; $15 for 2 hours. Under 2: free with an adult ticket purchase.
- The Ice Chalet: $6, skate rental $4, kids 5 and under $4; most days start at noon and go until 3:30 or 5:30pm.
- Knoxville Ice Bears: take the family to watch a hockey game! Tickets as low as $15. Check website for 2014-2015 schedule and times.
- Chuck E Cheese: admission is free, games are one token each. Check website for times and location and coupons for pizza/token combos.
- Tataru’s Gymnastics: Open play: 9am-1pm Monday thru Friday and Parents Night Out Friday and Saturday 7pm-10pm. $5/child.
Museums and Movies
- The Muse of Knoxville: adults $5, kids 2+ $4, kids under 2 are free; Mondays 9am – 12pm; Tuesday-Friday 9am – 5pm; Saturdays 10am-5pm, Sundays 1pm-5pm.
- American Museum of Science and Energy: $5 adults, $3 children (6 – 17 yrs old), FREE children (5 and under). Monday-Saturday: 9am-5pm; Sundays 1-5 pm. The museum is open daily, except Christmas Eve, Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
- Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge: adults $8, kids 3 and up $6, kids under 3 are free; Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm; Saturdays 10am-4pm; Sundays 1-4pm. Closed: New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
- Museum of Appalachia (Norris/Clinton exit) adults: $18.00, children (5-12) $6.00, children (under 5): free. 9am-5pm, 7 days a week.
- Carmike Movies 7: adults and children $2.50; open 7 days a week.
- Museum of East Tennessee History: Admission is $5.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, and FREE for children 16 and under. Admission is FREE each Sunday, and ETHS Members always receive FREE admission. Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm.
What did we forget? If you have a great idea to add to the list, let us know!
Share this list with your friends and see ya at the museum!
Tataru’s in Turkey Creek. I’ve only been once but loooooved it! They have open gym on weekdays.
I have heard fun things about this!! Got it added. Thanks!
Smart Toys and Books Art Class has a $5 material fee.
Thanks Melanie for letting me know! I added the info to the list.
I agree! Don’t leave Tataru’s out. They have open play mon-fri $5 per kid per hour. Also if you need a date night they offer a Friday night or Saturday night parents night out.
Done! I have GOTTA try this place out!
The youth orchestra has amazing concerts free. There are fall, winter and spring concerts. Dates can be found on http://www.knoxvillesymphony.com.
[…] The more working parents I meet, the more I realize that most of us feel like we’re in limbo when it comes to spending times with our kids in the evenings and weekends. When you work 9 to 5, it’s impossible to make the weekday playgroups or open gym times of most businesses. So what’s a working momma to do? In order to make it a little easier, I’ve put together a list of all the activities that my daughter and I frequently do, or that I’ve added to my to-do list. Most of these are fairly budget friendly (though who wouldn’t love to go to the Zoo or Dollywood every weekend?). If you are a working parent or stay-at-home parent that has free time during the weekdays, I highly recommend checking out our list of Free & Inexpensive Indoor Activities. […]
Thanks so much for this AWESOME list!!! Already making plans for my kids to have some fun-filled days:)