Looking for outdoor family fun? Check out events at these 6 Knoxville parks

Ali James
·2 min read

It was a big turnout for the first Kid A’Riffic Fun in the Park event June 7 at Fountain City Park.

The City of Knoxville’s free annual program is geared toward the 2-to-12 age group and held 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at a different park every Wednesday throughout the summer months.

Here is the remaining schedule:

  • June 14: Chilhowee Park, 3301 E. Magnolia Ave.

  • June 21: Safety City of Knoxville, 165 S. Concord St.

  • June 28: Fort Kid, 1049 World’s Fair Park Drive

  • July 12: Ijams, 2915 Island Home Park

  • July 19: Lakeshore Park, 5930 Lyons View Pike

  • July 26: World’s Fair Park.

“We have had a great crowd,” said Kyndra Brewer, director of City of Knoxville special events. “This is our fourth year. We started in 2019 only on Market Square. And you never want to say COVID is a blessing, but for us this is a good thing that came out of it. We wanted to expand and decided to get out on the road.”

The summer series sees local vendors, crafting, games and activity stations full of free and educational experiences.Brewer said families will often follow the event from park to park. “They may not have been to Fort Kid since the new playground was installed or know of Safety City of Knoxville,” she said. “It is a way to engage all of the community.

Bubble blowing station at the Kid A’Riffic Fun in the Park at Fountain City Park on June 7, 2023.
Bubble blowing station at the Kid A’Riffic Fun in the Park at Fountain City Park on June 7, 2023.

“We have definitely added several new partners, including the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The Asian Festival is here teaching origami and answering questions about their 10th annual festival from Aug. 25-26.”

At Chilhowee there will be a Touch a Truck themed event, and Zoo Knoxville will participate whenever possible. Others such as Rusty Wallace – who hands out free ice cream – B97.5, Home Federal bank and the K.O.R.E. (Knoxville Outdoor Recreation Experience) truck are with the summer program for the “long haul,” according to Brewer.Each location will have something new.

“Home Depot will do a craft or bring plants so that kids can play at being a gardener,” said Brewer. “Keep Knoxville Beautiful may repurpose T-shirts, Young-Williams Animal Center may come and talk about what they do and animal care. KAT is here to talk about the trolley and bus system. We have also partnered with Knox County Head Start, another wonderful resource.“It is a space where the kids can go back and forth and visit each booth to see what they are interested in.”

For parking instructions and weather cancellations follow @CityofKnoxvilleSpecialEvents on Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville parks offer free things to do for the family this summer