We’re still deep in festival season here in Middle Tennessee. First, for the older ones in your family, you can enjoy a haunted trip full of Tennessee history. Then there’s Halloweekend at the Adventure Science Center and PumpkinFest in Franklin to get your fall favorites out of the way. There’s also the rescheduled Kidsville Family Festival at Centennial Park and the year’s biggest and best festival for readers: the Southern Festival of Books. There’s no shortage of choices this week; it just may be tough to pick which you want to venture to.
As part of our series on free cheap things to do with the family, here is our weekly roundup of places to spend time together over the next week:
Twisted Tennessee
This event is for the older kids and family in your group. At Twisted Tennessee, they’ll focus on Tennessee history, and attendees will get a chance to “listen to both sides of each dark story from the participants themselves, and decide for yourself…guilty or innocent, liar or truth teller, murderer or victim?” The guided journey will end at the Two Tales Tavern, where they’ll serve up 18th century murder ballads, games and drinks. The tour is outside, lasts about an hour and is for folks above 10 years old. Tours are first come, first served and are $15 for folks 10-15 and $22 for anyone above that age. It takes place at Travellers Rest Historic House Museum on Oct. 25 from 6-10 p.m.
Halloweekend at Adventure Science Center
The Adventure Science Center is hosting a special Halloweekend Trick-or-Treat at the science center along with some science activities on Oct. 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For the cost of general admission to the museum, folks can enjoy trick or treat stations, live science shows in Eureka Theatre, an i2 Makerspace, the Tinkering Garage, as well as special activities like decorating a treat bag, collecting candy, blowing big bubbles and playing with dry ice and more. The day will also include giveaways for Davidson County residents, including a family membership to the museum, tickets to the planetarium and hands-on take-home science kits. Decorate a treat bag before collecting candy at exhibits around the science center.
Kidsville Family Festival
On Oct. 27 at Centennial Park, they’ll host the free Kidsville Family Festival, which was rescheduled due to hazardous weather in September. The daylong festival includes performances, crafts, games, face painting, food trucks, character meet-and-greets and more. The event is free and welcoming to children of all ages, including parents and caregivers.
Pumpkinfest
In its 39th year, PumpkinFest will bring everything autumn to Downtown Franklin on Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event, which begins at 10 a.m. and goes until 6 p.m., includes food, drinks, children’s activities, live music, costume contests for pets and families, and arts and crafts. The festival stretches along Main Street and its side avenues and offers events for folks of all ages.
Southern Festival of Books
The 36th annual literary festival is slated to happen at Bicentennial Mall, the Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee State Library from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 26, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. The festival weekend will feature appearances from approximately 150 authors, where attendees can connect with them through a series of live events, panels, meet-and-greets, book signings and more. There are authors of all kinds for the whole family to enjoy and learn from, and the swag is always excellent.