Pumpkin painting and a 1pm kids’ costume contest make Frontier Frights at Marble Springs a free Saturday win. BOO! at the Zoo Knoxville adds the HallowGlow light forest and a family dance party after dark, and on Sunday The Snowy Day comes to the Bijou stage.
This week: 21 outings at 17 places, each one linked to the page we checked it on. How we check
One short email with the Knoxville picks, already found and checked. Free, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Here’s how we’d do Saturday, Oct 17. Two things from this week’s list, plus one of our regulars from Around town. Tap a stop for the details.
MORNINGFrontier Frights at Marble Springs11am–4pm · Marble Springs State Historic Site · Free
AFTER NAPLEGO Club (Powell)2–3:30pm · Knox County Public Library – Powell · FreeTimes come from each event’s page or the place’s own site. Plans change, so check before you head out. Print this plan
Not this week’s events, just the reliable stuff. Where to eat with a toddler, where to burn off energy when it rains, where to splash, what’s worth the admission, and where to spend a night without going far.
Places where a dropped fork is no big deal and nobody minds a little noise.
A Market Square favorite for pizza and sandwiches, with a cheap kids’ menu of pasta bowls, cheese toast and the Simon Plate.
Southern brunch, lunch and dinner at the base of the Oliver Hotel, with patio seating on the square.
A seasonal Kingston Pike restaurant serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with its own kids’ menu.
Window-service barbecue on Magnolia Avenue. Kids’ plates include a chili dog, two ribs or three wings, each with a side.
For rainy mornings, cold afternoons and anyone who needs to run in circles for an hour.
A hands-on science museum for young kids, with free family nights on the fourth Friday of each month.
Admission paid onsite
A natural history and culture museum on the University of Tennessee campus. Admission and parking are free.
Regional history on the first floor of the East Tennessee History Center.
The main branch of the Knox County library, with free children’s programs on the calendar.
Pools, fountains, zoos and theme parks: the big all-day outings.
A nonprofit nature center with trails, storytimes and toddler programs.
The Festival Lawn, splash pads in summer, and the Sunsphere overhead.
44 acres of display gardens, stone walls and walking trails, with old stone roundhouses to find.
Museums, animals and farm days that hold a little one’s attention.
Home to more than 1,500 animals, with interactive spots for kids.
A night away without a long drive. New bed, same bedtime.
A boutique hotel right on Market Square, steps from Tupelo Honey and the Tomato Head.
4,018 acres on Norris Lake with cabins, a campground, a playground, CCC history and an old grist mill.
These don’t change week to week. Last checked . Hours and prices change, so check the place’s own site before you go. Know a spot we missed? Tell us at hello@littlesweekly.com.
This week we found 21 outings that work for kids ages 0–6. Our top three: BOO! at the Zoo Knoxville, Frontier Frights at Marble Springs, Fall Festival & Plant Sale at the Knoxville Botanical Garden. See the full list.
Yes, 18 of this week’s 21 picks are free, including library storytimes and Frontier Frights at Marble Springs. Tap “Free” in Find your thing.
16 picks this week are indoors, mostly library programs and shows. Tap “Rainy-day OK” in Find your thing.
This week we list 14 library storytimes and baby or toddler programs. Each one links to the library or venue page with the time and place. See them in the list.
We look at venue and library calendars and local family pages every week. Each listing links to the page we checked it on, and where the organizer or venue has its own page, we confirm the details there. We lean toward things that fit around naps and don’t need a long walk.
Sign up for the Friday email at the bottom of the page. It’s one short email, and you can unsubscribe any time.
If it’s good for the under-6 crowd, we’d like to hear about it. Free events go on the list for free, always. If you want a guaranteed spot at the top or in the Friday email, there’s a sponsored option too, and it’s clearly labeled. We’re just getting started, so the first 10 local partners in each city get 50% off your first booking.
We do the digging, you get one short email every Friday morning: the five things worth leaving the house for in Knoxville, plus what to skip.
