Five Free and Cheap Family Things To Do in Middle Tennessee

This week, we keep you outdoors on your journey to find fun things to do with the family. Most of the things on our list are 100 percent free: Head to Green Hills for the eighth year of the Green Hills Park Festival. The Children’s Entrepreneur Market will be set up there as well as up in Hendersonville earlier in the day on Sept. 7. The Royal Family Community Farmers Market also hosts its September event this weekend. And then if you want to spend a little cash, The Nashville Fair revs up this weekend at The Fairgrounds Nashville, and you can go try some fancy cheese at Southern Grist Brewery. That event is free, but there’s no way you’re not going home with a bag full of goodies for later.  

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:

Green Hills Park Festival

The annual Green Hills Park Festival, which is in it's eighth year, is slated for Sept. 7 from 5-9 p.m. The event will include booths from local shops, family-fun activities like learning to juggle and face painting as well as plenty of food trucks, beer and wine vendors, screenings of college football games, and a family movie to cap the evening off. 

The Children’s Entrepreneur Market

The Children’s Entrepreneur Market will be set up in two spots in Middle Tennessee on Sept. 7: Streets of Indian Lake in Hendersonville from 9 a.m. to noon and Green Hills Park from 4:30-7:30 p.m. The program teaches young folks about entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership by engaging in experiences at various markets. Parents stay on site to provide guidance, but children decide what to sell, create their own booth, talk to customers, and handle money. Kids learn how to engage with folks and develop skills for small businesses. 

Royal Family Community Farmers Market

Through October, the Royal Family Community Farmers Market will be set up on the first Saturday of each month. The community is invited to check out live music, local vendors, handmade goods and more.

Cheese Festival

Greys Fine Cheeses is hosting its first Cheese Festival on Sept. 8 at Southern Grist Brewery. The afternoon will include artisan and farmstead cheesemakers, award-winning cheeses and cured meats from the United States and abroad. This one may be for your older kids, but there’ll be plenty of snacks for the whole family.

The Nashville Fair

The Nashville Fair is coming to town for 10 days beginning on Sept. 6. The event at The Fairgrounds Nashville includes rides, wrestling, farm animals, balloon sculpting, live music, a brew festival and more. This one is not free or cheap, but it’s worth mentioning either way.