On a hot summer day in July, we decided to take the kids to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. While researching the trip, I came across the Creative Discovery Museum that is located near the aquarium and it is a must-do with kids. We parked in a nearby parking garage for the day that is walking distance to both the Museum and the Aquarium. We decided to go on a Sunday and we arrived at the Creative Discovery Center at noon when it opened. We were not expecting it to be as big as it actually was and how many activities there are to do with kids, I would suggest planning on staying at least 3 hours, if not more. After the Creative Discovery Museum, we walked to the Tennessee Aquarium a few blocks away. There are 2 buildings, one for salt water and one for fresh water.
This is located at the entrance doors of the Creative Discovery Museum. It forms a bubble around you when someone pulls the string to lift the hoop out of the soap.This is the Science area of the Discovery Center, here you use air to try to get the ball through the hoop. There are multiple areas within the Discovery Center that are very interactive and educational. The ticket price is $13/person for all ages 2 and up.
This is the toddler area that is for ages 2 and under. It is gated and is always supervised. It is also very interactive including a slide, a full play kitchen and climbing blocks.
A family photo inside the toddler climbing room.
This is located in the science area and shows the heat off your hand when you touch the window. This is Chris and Christian’s hands.Located in the science area, this is a large plasma ball showing the kids how electricity flows.One of the information boards located in the adult seating area.This is one of the rooms in the music area, there was a room for each type of musical instrument so the kids can learn how the different types work and sound.In each bottle there is a little bit of sand from a different part of the world. This is located in the fossil room where there is pit for kids to dig fossils and dinosaur bones.Each pin represents where a bottle of sand is from in the previous picture.On the second floor, they change out the displays per season. When we were there it was The Wizard of Oz and Insects. This is a honeycomb that the kids could climb in.The second floor of the Discovery Center has a balcony where kids can learn about simple machines utilizing pulleys and levers. Here he is lifting his own body weight by pulling the rope through a set of pulleys.Next, we went to the Tennessee Aquarium and this is the view from the 4th floor. The Aquarium tickets are $30/adult and $19/ages 3-12. I would suggest not using the kiosk outside, it double charged our debit card.This is a spotted stingray, located on the top floor of the salt water building.In the petting area of the salt water aquarium, you can pet stingrays in Stingray Bay.You can also pet small hammerhead sharks!In the back of the petting area, there is a butterfly room. There are hundreds of free-flying butterflies and you can walk up to a flower or tree and it will hop onto your finger.There is a small area where penguins are located for viewing called Penguins’ Rock. The Tennessee Aquarium host Gentoo and macaroni penguins.There is a huge area of jellyfish in the Jellies: Living Art to Chattanooga area.In the Jellies area of the aquarium, there are six different types of jellyfish species. This certain species of jellyfish sticks to the glass.This is a great photo opportunity in this shark diving cage located on the second floor of the aquarium.There are numerous 10-foot sharks located in the Aquarium. Here is a close up of one as it swam by.As you are exiting the Aquarium, to the right hand side there is a small hallway with alcoves that is a great photo opportunity.
This is a great day trip for us as a quick getaway with the kids. This is another option for spending the day in Chattanooga that is very kid-oriented and not very expensive.
