Family-Friendly Activities

Families

Bring the whole family to Johnson City for the best in quality time! Make memories to last a lifetime at Bright’s Zoo where you can Go.All.Out and book your family as zookeepers for a day or visit the zoo on your own time and take the opportunity to feed the giraffe’s or enter the bird cage for an interactive experience. Animals not your thing? Explore outdoors at Jacob’s Nature Park where tree and plant identification is fun! The one-of-a-kind arboretum identifies and links tree species with the pollinator that it hosts. Take a family walk on the two mile trail exploring woodlands to wetlands along Sinking Creek. The National Wildlife Federation recognized Jacob’s Nature Park as a certified wildlife habitat.

Take a full day to explore the Hands On! Discovery Center at Gray Fossil Site. Yes, it’s just what it suggests! Experience the world’s largest musical Tesla coil, giant building blocks, a 3-story Paleo Tower, a maker space, an art studio, a science lab and much more! Guests are invited to engineer a rocket, build a wind-powered car, create an artistic masterpiece, and discover something new. You don’t have to be a paleontologist to be amazed by the live dig site and processing lab. The site dating back 5 million years has produced fossilized red pandas, alligators, salamanders and even a 10-ton mastodon! You will lose track of time on this adventure and build a big appetite. Visit Cootie Brown’s or Scratch Brick Oven for a fun and filling family dinner.

Spend a leisurely day in Downtown Johnson City where you will find open, green spaces in Founder’s Park and King Commons where the kids can be kids. Get family photos at the Johnson City Sign and wall mural at King Commons and take the art walk around Founder’s Park. Revisit your own childhood or work off extra energy on trampolines, obstacle courses or laser tag at Quantum Leap. Have an afternoon snack at Cakebuds Bakery, as seen on Food Network.