Eco-Explorers! (Cookeville)

HOST: Imagine Foundry

WHEN: Monday-Friday, October 6th-26th 2025, 10:00am-5:00pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 1225 S. Willow Ave. STE. 103, Cookeville TN 38506

WHAT: Join Daisy, Finn, and Liam, the Eco-Explorers of Sugar Creek, on an exciting journey! Through 12 hands-on STEAM Challenge Quests, they'll explore careers from Nature Photographer to Wildland Firefighter. Each activity, like building a pollinator hotel or designing a green city, offers engaging, real-world career exploration, inspiring young minds to protect our planet.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Families, Children/Youth with Special Needs

COST: $8 per ticket
Buy tickets at imaginefoundry.org/programs and click on Daily Admission. Select the STEAM Festival ticket option.

WEBSITE: imaginefoundry.org

Take and Make: Design and Create and Instrument (Nashville)

HOST: Country Music Hall of Fame

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 9:00am-5:00pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S., Nashville TN 37203

WHAT: Imagine an instrument you would like to play. Does it have strings? Is it a percussion instrument? Join us in using commonly found objects to create new and amazing instruments of our own creation. Come dream big with us! Recommended for ages 5 and up, but all are welcome.
We will run this program every day of the STEAM Festival, except October 19th, 2025. The kits will be available in the Taylor Swift Education Center.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Free

Planetarium: Memphis Skies (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 4:00pm-5:00pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: WHAT’S THAT IN OUR NIGHT SKY? Find out more about “what’s up tonight” in just a few minutes than some people do in a lifetime. Hop through constellations, learn cool star names, and groove to planetarium space music in this full dome audiovisual experience.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Planetarium: Black Holes (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: West Tennessee

REGION: October 10th-26th 2025, 2:00pm-3:00pm

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: Black holes are the most extreme objects in the universe - objects so dense, that not even light can escape them. This show gives an overview of what black holes are, how they form, and what would happen if you fell inside one.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Planetarium: Forward to the Moon (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 11:00am & 1:00pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: A look into the Artemis program, NASA's new project to return to the moon. From landing humans on the surface, to building a space station in lunar orbit, learn how NASA plans to establish a permanent human presence on the moon.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Giant Screen Theater - Fantastic 4: First Steps (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 3:00pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue. Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Giant Screen Theater - Oceans: Our Blue Planet (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 2:00pm-3:00pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: Embark on a global odyssey to discover the largest and least explored habitat on earth. New ocean science and technology have allowed us to go further into the unknown than we ever thought possible.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Giant Screen Theater - T REX (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History-Pink Palace

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025, 11:00am and 1:00pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38111

WHAT: This immersive film explores the life of the GOAT—the Greatest of All Tyrants—while highlighting famous specimens, landmark discoveries, and the evolving interplay between speculation and scientific evidence. Narrated by Sam Neill, the film tells the remarkable true story of three kids who discovered a teenage T. rex fossil, a find that made international headlines in over 2,000 media outlets.

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Adults $14.75
Seniors $12.75
Youth $12.75

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.org

Overcoming Hateful Things: Stories from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Imagery (Memphis)

HOST: Museum of Science and History (MoSH) Pink Palace

WHEN: Friday, October 10th-19th 2025, 10:30am-5:00pm

REGION: West

WHERE: 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis TN 38135

WHAT: Explore the Jim Crow system, its impact on African Americans, and its ongoing legacies, focusing on the resistance and resilience of Black communities. On view May 31 - Oct 19.

AUDIENCE: Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Adults with Special Needs

COST: Free with museum admission
Members: Free

WEBSITE: moshmemphis.com

Spice it Up! Discovery Lab Program (Gray)

HOST: Hands On! Discovery Center

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025
Programs by announcement periodically throughout each day.

REGION: East

WHERE: 1212 Suncrest Drive, Gray TN 37615

WHAT: Join Hands On! Discovery Center to explore the chemical properties that contribute to the unique properties of kitchen spices in recognition of National Chemistry Week’s 2025 theme, "The Hidden Life of Spices". Discovery Lab programs announced periodically throughout each day. FREE with paid general admission. (*This program contains food allergens such as wheat, nuts, and a variety of spices including cinnamon, black pepper, mustard, onion, garlic, etc.)

Additional program dates available at visithandson.org

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs

COST: Free with paid general admission.

WEBSITE: visithandson.org

October Art Studio Programs (Gray)

HOST: Hands On! Discovery Center

WHEN: October 10th-26th 2025,
Tuesdays - Saturdays - 9:00am-5:00pm
Sundays - 1:00pm-5:00pm

REGION: East

WHERE: 1212 Suncrest Drive, Gray TN 37615

WHAT: Join Hands On! Discovery Center for Pablo Picasso inspired cubism drawings, Frida Kahlo inspired Day of the Dead collages, bug and insect plate rubbings, and crayon resist watercolor eerie mansions. All activities are self-guided with instructions provided. FREE with paid general admission

Additional program dates available at visithandson.org

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens, Children/Youth with Special Needs

COST: Free with paid general admission.

WEBSITE: visithandson.org

Henry Hollow ROCKS! (Ashland City)

HOST: Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation

WHEN: Thursday, October 16th 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 5911 Old Hickory Boulevard, Ashland City TN 37015

WHAT: Meet at the Nature Center to hike down to the creek in Henry Hollow. We’ll observe sedimentary rock, weathering, erosion, escarpment, and more.
Leader: Heather Gallagher

AUDIENCE: Youth/Teens, Adults, Families, Senior Citizens

COST: Free

WEBSITE:

Explore the Arts at Frist Art Museum (Nashville)

HOST: Frist Art Museum

WHEN: Friday, October 10th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Saturday, October 11th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Sunday, October 12th 2025, 1:00pm-5:30pm
Monday, October 13th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Thursday, October 16th 2025, 10:00am-8:00pm
Friday, October 17th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Saturday, October 18th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Sunday, October 19th 2025, 1:00pm-5:30pm
Monday, October 20th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Thursday, October 23rd 2025, 10:00am-8:00pm
Friday, October 24th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Saturday, October 25th 2025, 10:00am-5:30pm
Sunday, October 26th 2025, 1:00pm-5:30pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37205

WHAT: Visit the Frist Art Museum and explore the award-winning Martin ArtQuest®. This inclusive and interactive art-making space is for guests of all ages where they can be creative with activities that delight and inspire. ArtQuest's accessible art-making stations offer you an opportunity to draw, animate, make prints, paint, and more—and discover your unique talents and celebrate your creative energy, and just have fun!

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Adults, Families

COST: Adults: $20; Children 18 years of age and younger: Free

WEBSITE: FristArtMuseum.org

Scopes at 100: What does history tell us about science and religion? (Murfreesboro)

HOST: Middle Tennessee State University

WHEN: Thursday, October 16th 2025, 6:00-7:30pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 422 Old Main Circle, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
MTSU Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Room 102

WHAT: This public lecture at MTSU is sponsored the Distinguished Lecture Fund, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, the Nashville Section of the American Chemical Society and the Tennessee Academy of Science. Nicholas Spencer is Senior Fellow at the Theos Think Tank in London, England. He is the author of a number of books including Darwin and God and most recently Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science and Religion.

AUDIENCE: Youth/Teens, Adults, Senior Citizens

COST: Free and open to the public

WEBSITE: mtsu.edu

FALLing for STEAM (Knoxville)

HOST: Muse Knoxville

WHEN: Friday, October 10th - Friday, October 17th 2025, 10:00am-4:00pm

REGION: East

WHERE: 516 N. Beaman St. Knoxville TN 37914

WHAT: This Autumn, we're FALLing for STEAM at Muse Knoxville! Enjoy quintessential Fall-time table top STEAM activities and weekly programming takeover with us!

AUDIENCE: Children, Youth/Teens, Families, Children/Youth with Special Needs

COST: Included with admission

WEBSITE: www.themuseknoxville.org

STEAM Showcase (Smyrna)

HOST: Boys & Girls Clubs of Rutherford County - Smyrna

WHEN: Thursday, October 16th 2025, 4:00pm-6:00pm

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: 198 Culbertson Street, Smyrna TN 37167

WHAT: At our showcase - members will be able to show the amazing activities they've worked on throughout the School Year. Families will be able to attend and watch their child shine!

AUDIENCE: Children, Families

COST: Free

WEBSITE: bgcrc.net