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

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

FULL STEAM AHEAD LIVE! VOL. 1: AIR IS EVERYWHERE (Nashville)

HOST: Tennessee Performing Arts Center

WHEN: Monday, October 20th 2025, 10:30am-11:30am
Tuesday, October 21st 2025, 10:30am-11:30am
Wednesday, October 22nd 2025, 10:30am-11:30am
Thursday, October 23rd 2025, 10:30am-11:30am
Friday, October 24th 2025, 10:30am-11:30am

REGION: Middle Tennessee

WHERE: TPAC Polk Theater
505 Deaderick Street, Nashville TN 37243

WHAT: The Season for Young People is available to schools statewide and beyond through in-person shows at TPAC and through virtual performances to view in your classroom. All performances are during the school day, and exclusively for student audiences. Look for virtual and live performance options, titles that are new and returning, and grade-level specific recommendations. Be sure to view our Resource section where you will find standards and classroom materials, helpful instructions for show days, and inspiring professional development workshops.
Pre-registration is required and opens August 4th, 2025. School groups can register online at TPAC.org/Reserve

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

COST: $10 per student/adults - 1 adult free per every 10 students
Pre-registration is required and opens August 4th, 2025. School groups can register online at TPAC.org/Reserve. Use code: STEAMFESTIVAL when you place your reservation

WEBSITE: https://www.tpac.org/inclusive-arts/student-performances

Nuclear Science Week (Oak Ridge)

HOST: American Museum of Science and Energy

WHEN: Monday, October 20th - Saturday, October 25th 2025

REGION: East Tennessee

WHERE: 115 Main Street East, Oak Ridge TN 37830

WHAT: Hosting the symposium with nationwide contributors for the week of Oct 20-25

AUDIENCE: Adults

COST: Free

WEBSITE: amse.org

FULL-DOME PLANETARIUM SHOW! Black Holes: the Other Side of Infinity (Jackson)

HOST: University of Memphis Lambuth M. D. Anderson Planetarium

WHEN: Tuesday, October 21st 2025, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Friday, October 24th 2025, 1:30pm-2:30pm

REGION: West Tennessee

WHERE: 705 Lambuth Blvd, Jackson TN 38301

WHAT: Impossible to see because gravity is so dense even light can't escape, black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. So how do we find them, or study them? Join us to find out!
No entrance fee, free parking in Hyde lot (across from Planetarium on Maple Street). Doors open 15 minutes before showtime. For safety reasons, no seating once IN USE lights are on, and no food or drink in the auditorium. For more information, call 731.425.7368.

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

COST: Free

WEBSITE: https://www.memphis.edu/lambuth/newsevents/index.php?_ga=2.56037161.360498741.1750097262-707020329.1750097262