We are ready to splash into summer with our Summer Bucket List! Beginning in Nashville, this series will cover Nashville, Annapolis and Jacksonville with the best things to check off.

Cooling off from the heat in music city with treetop adventures, water activities and more, we have fun for the whole family below!

Adventure Park

Adventure awaits! Axe throwing, zip-lining, a treetop ropes course and so much more is located conveniently minutes west from Downtown Nashville at Adventure Park. With fun for the whole family, the treetops courses begin at ages 7, with a specially designed option for the little ones age 3-6.

Lucky Ladd Farms

Explore 60 acres of friendly critters, playgrounds, pony rides, mega slides, games and more at Tennessee’s largest petting farm! Get up close and personal with livestock, wildlife, feathered friends and exotic animals. The summer calendar is packed full of events for all ages!

Burns Park in Kingston Springs, TN

Tucked just one town over from Nashville proper, this splash pad is on the simpler side but perfect for the kids for an afternoon! There is a shaded pavilion for parents to stay out of the sun, and a brand new splash facilities for the little ones.  There is a very nice public restroom a few steps away, as well as a playground if they get tired of water play.

Brentwood Splash Park

This splash pad doubles as a mini water park, featuring 4 slides on top of their ground-up features for smaller kids. This one is great if you have older kids as well as younger kids, as there’s something for everyone!  Entry is just a few dollars (see website for details) which is very reasonable for all the amenities.  Plenty of lounge chairs and shades for little kids and parents—pack a lunch and spend the day here!

Soundwaves at Opryland Hotel

There’s no doubt that Soundwaves is THE BEST water park in Nashville, and a plus is that it’s (mostly) indoors. However, in the summer, they open up even more attractions outside, including a cliff drop slide, an additional kids splash pad/play area, and a wave pool.  You can access both the indoor and outdoor sections, so summer is the best time to visit Soundwaves.  Most people think you HAVE to stay at Opryland Hotel to access Soundwaves.  While this is mostly true, there is a loophole.  If you book a party room, you do not have to stay at the hotel to get in.  Visit the Soundwaves website for details.  If you really want to go all out, book a Cabana which can help keep little ones out of the sun, or just give everyone in your party a little break when needed.

Percy Priest Lake

We highly recommend renting a pontoon boat for the day on Percy Priest Lake! Most marinas offer single story pontoons as well as “party pontoons” which are double decker and often feature a slide.  This is such a fun activity for kids and adults alike.  Grab some snacks and beverages, some lift jackets and noodles, and take a tour of this 14,000 acre reservoir just 10 miles east of downtown Nashville.  Fun fact: this lake is the inspiration for the Grammy award winning song “Pontoon” recorded by Little Big Town 11 years ago.

Old Hickory Beach

Over in Old Hickory, just a few miles east of downtown, there is a lovely little sandy beach and swimming area for you to enjoy on a hot summer day. Entry is affordable at just $5 per vehicle, you can pack a picnic and spend a day or afternoon here.  There is a nice large shelter in case you need some shade, as well as a small playground for the kids.  The swimming beach is the main attraction, as it’s corded off and the perfect safe depth for the whole family.  You might even feel some tiny minnows nibbling at your toes when you take a dip!

Thanks for checking in! Stay tuned for the next installment.

~ The Silver Street Team