My sister and her kids came to visit us for a couple of days and we had lots of fun in the sun with the kids. I thought I would share the activities we did – all were free or cheap and kept us busy and wore us all out. If you are visiting Chattanooga during warm months and want to do kid activities that won't break the bank, these would be at the top my list.
Warner Park Pool and Spray and Play Park
To kick things off, we met Angela and her kids downtown at the Warner Park Pool and Spray and Play Park. The pool is a little hard to find (if you aren't familiar with the area) because it is right behind the Warner Park Zoo. Basically you have to park at the zoo and walk a little way to the pool entrance.
Between us, my sister and I have three kids ages 2-5, so the pool and spray park are the perfect combo. The kids had fun wading in the 1-2 foot pool and running around the spray park. There is also a 3-4 foot wading pool and 4-12 foot pool with obstacle course for bigger kids. If you want to go swimming, this is a great pool for all ages.
Parking is free and you can take food in with you. The cost to swim is $3 for adults, $2 for kids 3-13 and ages 2 and under are free. Summer hours for the pool are Saturday-Wednesday 12:30-5:00 and Thursday-Friday 11:00-5:00.
Pumpkin Patch Playground
After we had our fill of getting wet, we headed back to my house on Signal Mountain to get changed and do something a little different. The kids were still going strong so we decided to take them to the Pumpkin Patch to burn off the last of their energy.
The Pumpkin Patch is worth the drive up the mountain – it is a huge playground with a wide variety of things for kids to play on. The super long slide is a hit with bigger kids and there is also a climbing wall and zipline. For littles, there is a separate playground to keep them entertained as well. Jack is a big fan of wandering around the park and digging in the sand. It is the biggest playground I have ever been to with a lots of things for everyone to do.
The park is wooded so you don't have to worry about kids getting burned. And there are picnic tables and plenty of benches for parents to sit on while watching your kids, but really, this is a park you will want to play with your kids.
Signal Point
We took our time getting moving on Friday morning, letting the kids play at our house. Then my sister packed up and I took them to Signal Point for a great view of the Tennessee Valley. My niece, Izzy, was a little annoyed when we told her we were going on a "little" hike, but when we arrived at the view, she exclaimed, "The view isn't too bad!"
To access the view of Signal Point, it is just a short walk from the parking lot. There are some steps, but nothing too difficult.
The parking lot to the park closes at sunset, but the view is worth a visit to Signal Mountain. You can also access the Cumberland Trail from this park.
Coolidge Park Fountain
After viewing Signal Point, we headed down the mountain to go to Coolidge Park in Northshore so that the kids could play in the water fountain there. Before heading to the park, we made a stop at Shuford's BBQ to grab food for a picnic at the park.
The kids had a blast playing in the fountain. There is also a carousel at the park, but you have to do that first since you cannot ride it if you are wet. We skipped the carousel this time, but will definitely be back to ride it another time.
Parking is $1.50 for two hours on Monday-Saturday. The park has a view of the Market and Walnut Street Bridges that cross the Tennessee River. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the water and climbing on the statues and running through the open field.
We had a great visit with my sister and her kids and we didn't break the bank doing fun stuff with them!
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