Discovery Park of America

Discovery Park of America is at 830 Everett Blvd. is a 100,000-square-foot museum on a 50-acre heritage park. Centered prominently outside is a 100-year-old church, discovered in middle Tennessee and purchased specifically for the park, as well as an 18th-century schoolhouse, a working gristmill, a rail depot with five full-size antique train cars, a replica 1700s public square and a frontier settlement with log cabins.

Ten learning galleries inside the Discovery Center feature everything from a working Gutenberg printing press and the Wright brothers' first airplane to a 22,000-gallon aquarium with sea life and a STEM Landing exhibit featuring a rocket engine and a Blue Angel airplane. Military enthusiasts will want to check out the collection of military vehicles—including a PT-17 Stearman bi-plane suspended from the ceiling—and climb into a Vietnam-War era helicopter.

An outdoor playground, an indoor children's art gallery and a giant slide housed in a 60-foot-tall replica of a human body are kid-friendly favorites. Viewing the aquarium from inside a bubble and climbing into a Vietnam War-era helicopter in the Military Gallery are other family favorites. Special exhibits available for an extra fee include an earthquake simulator, a starship theater and a 120-foot viewing tower with a glass elevator and glass floor panels. The park often hosts educational traveling exhibits, as well.

Picnicking is permitted. Food is available. Time: Allow 6 hours minimum.