Roadschooling in Tennessee | Must See Places

Are you planning to roadschool your kids in Tennessee? We have a complete list of awesome places you can take your children to have fun, but to also help them gain an education. Keep reading to find out more!

1. Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg

Aquariums are an excellent way to help kids learn about the multitude of fish, sharks, turtles, dolphins, and other sea creatures that exist in this big blue world of ours. Ripley’s Aquarium offers homeschooling discounts, which makes it more financially viable when roadschooling.

2. Cades Cove to See the Bears

Cades Cove is part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cade’s Cove specifically is a large valley surrounded by the Smoky Mountains. It is well known for being a great place for all sorts of wildlife viewing. It also features several historic buildings you can spot from the road. John Oliver’s cabin, the Cable Mill, the Elijah Oliver place, and more!

There is a road that takes you all around the valley, making it a great place to drive through and spot animals, which is a great way to help kids learn more about animals and the environments they live in! There are some times throughout the year when the road is closed to vehicles, which makes Cade’s Cove an excellent place to walk/hike and get a break from sitting in the car.

3. Lookout Mountain

Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga is an excellent attraction for the traveling family looking to do roadschooling. The views of the city are gorgeous, and there is a lot to do and see in the area. While lookout mountain does have quite an excellent lookout spot and it’s fun to be able to see all of Chattanooga all at once, the main draw is the set of attractions that they have there, namely Incline Railroad, Rock City, and Ruby Falls.

4. Incline Railroad

The incline railroad is over a hundred and twenty-five years old. The lower station is situated in St. Elmo, and tickets for the railroad can be purchased online. The incline railroad leaves every 20 minutes a day. The track itself is around a mile long and provides both excellent views of the city, and a chance to get off at the top and experience the other attractions at Lookout Mountain. You can board the line at either station. The cost of tickets is 15 dollars for a roundtrip per adult, and 7 dollars for a ticket for children ages 3 through 12.

Near the top of the railroad, the grade is 72.7%, which makes The Incline Railway incredibly steep when compared to most passenger railways. The railcars are enclosed, but the windows let in a breeze during the summer. The cars are heated during the winter, meaning that this is still a great road schooling option during that time of year as well!

If you want to teach a little bit of history, then you can have your kids learn more about the history and development of the incline rail line and how it influenced the development of the area, and tell them how president Teddy Roosevelt rode the incline all the way back in 1905. In fact, the railroad is designated as a National Historic Site and has been honored as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

5. Rock City

If your family is interested in geology, then Rock City is the place to be. Rock City features a huge number of unique rock formations and features over 400 native plant species as well. And, of course, it features incredible views. A visit to Rock City makes for a great hike and one in which your family can learn a lot about both rocks and plants alike.

6. Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls is a spectacular location to visit for anyone looking to learn more about caves, rock formations, and waterfalls! The falls themselves are the main attraction, of course, but the whole tour on the way there and back showcases numerous stalactites, stalagmites, and other cave rock formations, as well as underground pools. The tour itself takes a decently long time and covers an impressive distance through the mountain; it also really is incredible just how deep into the mountain the elevator there takes you!

7. Shiloh Battlefield

The Shiloh Battlefield lasted two days and was the site of one of the largest battles in the Civil War. Around 110,000 troops fought in a battle that caused 23,746 casualties. It also led to the later battle of Corinth nearby. This battlefield is an excellent place to learn about a unique and pivotal time in American history. Museums and visitor centers in the area provide lots of opportunities to learn more about the battle itself, as well as the weapons of the conflict and the consequences of the battle at Shiloh in the greater Civil War.

There are live history events held at the battlefield throughout the year, which offer a look into what the conflict there may have looked like, and there are sometimes hiking tours available as well. In addition to museums, tours, and a lot of other awesome experiences regarding the Battle at Shiloh, there is also an Indian Mounds National Landmark to see as well.

8. Confederate and Union Civil War Memorial in Chattanooga

Point park is a memorial park in Chattanooga that commemorates the battles which took place around the area, including the siege which was orchestrated on top of Lookout Mountain by Confederate troops and the subsequent “Battle Above the Clouds” on Lookout Mountain. In addition to featuring numerous monuments and granting a look at the location of Confederate artillery positions, Point Park also has some great hiking trails. This is definitely a great place to stop for those who are looking to be Civil War history buffs.

9. Parthenon Replica in Nashville

If you are teaching about ancient civilizations, the Parthenon replica in Nashville is a must-see. Located in Centennial Park, the Parthenon is also a beautiful example of ancient architecture, and indeed, the original is considered the peak of classical architecture. This site also offers a glimpse into the culture of the Ancient Greeks, as it includes replicas of the statues that graced the real Parthenon back in the day.

In addition to its classical beauty and lessons in classical architecture, the great thing about the Parthenon replica is that it is a two-for-one special: it is also an art museum, with 63 paintings in its collection that come from 19th and 20th-century American artists, as well as seasonal exhibits.

10. Adventure Science Center in Nashville

The Adventure Science center is a great location for your family to learn more about STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math: a critical part of modern education. It is full of hands-on exhibits and educational programs and even features a planetarium. The science center offers a whole day’s worth of science fun and learning.

11. The Lost Sea

The Lost Sea is an excellent stop for families looking to learn about the fascinating world underneath our feet. It features a tour of caverns, and even better still, the largest underground lake in America. The tour itself lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes. The Lost Sea is open starting at 9 and closes at different times depending on which month it is, so make sure to check ahead of time on their website.

12. Cummins Fall State Park in Cookeville

If your family is in the mood for a rugged adventure, then you don’t have to look any further than Cummins Fall state park. A 306-acre park just outside of Cookeville, Cummins fall is both beautiful and makes for excellent hiking and swimming. It is the perfect opportunity to get some exercise in to break up your road trip while getting to experience nature firsthand.

There are two routes down into the gorge where you can swim, with one being one and a half miles and the other just one mile, although they are relatively difficult hikes, so be careful! This stop may be best for older children (Source).

13. Gem Mining at Anakeesta or in Pigeon Forge

Gem mining is a hugely fun activity for kids interested in geology. I don’t think my son has more fun than when we go gem mining. The owners give you a booklet that identifies all kinds of rocks and minerals – rose quartz, amethyst, calcite, cobalt, feldspar, and much more. It’s a great hands-on way to get your kids interested in how rocks and minerals are found, and how to identify them by hardness and color. Not only that, but it offers insight into the way people of the past looked for precious rocks and minerals!

14. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a must-see for families looking to go on a roadschooling trip through Tennessee. It features not just Cades Cove, but also all sorts of hiking opportunities. There is a multitude of black bears around the park, and there are also excellent camping opportunities to be had there. Wildflowers are also a year-round delight to be seen in the park. Overall, this park is the best stop you can make in order to learn more about the beautiful flora and fauna of Tennesse and the Smoky Mountains.

15. Greenback Castle

Sometimes dubbed the “Fortress of Faith”. Greenback castle is homemade, constructed nearly entirely by one man: Floyd Banks Junior. The castle itself is run by Floyd himself, and he will give you a tour if you stop by at the right time.

This is definitely one of the most unique stops on this list, and certainly one worth seeing if you are intending to pass by the Greenback area. Not only is it unique and somewhat of an oddity, but the Greenback castle is completely free to visit. One room has thrones in which your kids can sit and pretend to be kings or queens for the day!

Just make sure to visit before dark, as it closes at sunset. Something else to know before visiting is that Floyd Banks intends to be overtly religious in the messages he shares at Greenback Castle. So, if your family is religious, you may find Greenback Castle even more interesting.

16. Museum of Appalachia in Clinton

The Museum of Appalachia is a Smithsonian Affiliate museum founded in 1969. A living history museum, its purpose is to inform videos about the lives of those who lived in Southern Appalachia long ago.

It is 65 acres large and features numerous log cabins, barns, churches, schools, gardens, and farm animals, as well as over 250,000 artifacts. These artifacts include musical instruments, Native American artifacts, and more. There is also a restaurant there that specializes in Southern Appalachian cooking. All in all, this museum is an excellent stop for a family interested in history!

17. Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge

Almost everyone knows about the Titanic and its famous sinking, but not everyone knows just what it was like to be on the ship. What the Titanic museum offers is a self-guided tour amidst a fantastic recreation of what the interior of the Titanic would look like.

There are over 400 artifacts on display at the museum. One of the most unique aspects of the tour is that each person who enters is handed a boarding pass recreated from the real ones that passengers of the Titanic had been handed over a century ago. At the end of the tour, you can see what happened to the person whose boarding pass you received. Admission is 27 dollars for adults and 14 dollars for kids ages 5 to 12, and the museum opens at 9 and closes anytime from 7 to 9 depending on the day.

18. Civil War Sites

There is a huge number of Civil War sites, including battlefields and other important locations, in Tennessee. Considering that the Civil War is one of the most influential conflicts in our nation’s history, it is definitely worth visiting at least a few to help get a sense of the scale of the conflict in just Tennessee alone. Some of these sites include:

• Carnton
• Carter House in Franklin
• Fort Defiance in Clarksville
• Fort Pillow State Park
• Battles for Chattanooga Museum at Lookout Mountain
• Fort Negley in Nashville
• The Lotz House Museum in Franklin
• The Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville National Cemeteries
• The General Longstreet Museum in Russelville, TN.
• Tennessee State Museum offers a lot of insight into the history of the state and its involvement in the Civil War as well.

19. Knoxville Zoo

Knoxville Zoo is an excellent zoo, with a massive number of different animals to see, including everything from African Elephants to Yellow-backed Duikers. Don’t know what those are? Neither do I! That’s why you’ve got to go to find out. The zoo is an exciting way for kids to learn about the diverse and fascinating world of nature through observing the animals that inhabit it.

Don’t Forget to Document Your Adventures

Conclusion

Tennessee is one of our favorite states. From the open fields, to the gorgeous Smoky Mountains, to the historical sites, there is so much exploring and learning to do!

What are some of your favorite locations for travel homeschooling in Tennessee? Leave them in the comments below so we can keep this list growing!

Happy homeschooling!