The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge (located in – you guessed it – Oak Ridge, Tennessee) is an wonderful place for kids to explore. It was my go-to spot to take the kids when they were younger, even after we moved almost an hour away.
Housed in an old elementary school, the museum has set up each of the old school rooms with different themes– from an Appalachian cabin to space exploration to Tennessee birds. There’s even a rainforest room and a room dedicated to life in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project.
One of the most popular rooms in the Children’s Museum is the Waterworks room that has model dams and locks for kids to take play boats through.
The other perennial favorite room of my kids is the World of Trains wing with its large model train display, including a large town, mountain landscapes, and 2 trains going around and around.
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is a hodgepodge for sure but that is what makes it so fun to explore– each room is a completely new adventure.
Why We Like The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
We have been visiting the museum since the kids were toddlers and they still enjoy it now as middle school kids. There are so many unique rooms that you can make each visit a little different.
Sometimes we just drop by to play in the waterworks or see the trains in a short visit. Sometimes we stay all day and do everything. (This is generally the case when it is rainy or cold outside but also sometimes when it is really hot outside too.)
We almost always end our visit with some delicious Big Ed’s pizza because you can’t go to Oak Ridge and not go to Big Ed’s — at least our kids believe that is an actual rule. It makes a fantastic end to a fun day out at the Children’s Museum.
What You Need To Know About The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
What Age Kids Should I Bring To The Museum?
Most of the museum’s rooms focus on the kids using their own imagination to make the most of it — such as the recreated 1930s classroom which just begs for kids to take turns playing teacher.
This does mean that the museum is geared more toward the elementary school and younger crowd. There are costumes to play dress ups and even a kid- sized, 2 story dollhouse complete with mini- furniture. No Adults Allowed (not that they can fit inside easily anyway).
There are a few exhibits that are more of a traditional nature with signs to read and artifacts to look at in context with the information. These will appeal to older kids and they tend to deal with more mature subjects, such as WW2. If you are interested in Oak Ridge’s role in the nuclear bomb and the construction of the “Secret City,” the museum has some nice exhibits on that.
Is The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge Part Of The National Park Service?
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge houses the Visitor Center for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, run by National Park Service. That means there is a park ranger on staff to answer questions about the Historical Park, which includes the K-25 History Center, the Oak Ridge History Museum, the American Museum of Science And Energy, and the New Hope Visitor Center at Y-12.
Besides talking with a ranger and planning out visits to the other parts of the Manhattan Project Historical Park, you can get a NPS passport stamp at the Children’s Museum as well as watch a park film.
How Much Time Do You Need To Tour The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge?
At least an hour for sure and probably more like 2-3 hours, especially if you have a kid who likes dollhouses, trains, playing dress up, toy boats, and/or making a mess in water.
How Much Are Tickets For The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge?
- Adults – $8.00
- Seniors – $7.00
- Children 3 & Up – $6.00, Children under 3 – FREE
- Members – Included (family membership is $90 for the year)
Where In Oak Ridge Is The Children’s Museum?
The address for the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is 461 W Outer Dr, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. The museum is in the middle of a neighbourhood so use Google to help get you there.
The museum is not far from the intersection of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Illinois Avenue. These are two of the main roads in Oak Ridge.
It will take you about 30 min from downtown Knoxville to drive to the museum or 20 minutes from West Knoxville.
What Are The Hours For The Museum?
- Tues- Sat: 10am – 4pm
- Sun: 1pm- 4pm
- Closed on Mondays
- Holiday Closings: New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
- The museum follows Oak Ridge City Schools for weather. If schools are closed for inclement weather, so is the museum. If schools are opening 2 hours late, so is the museum.
Our Favorite Exhibits In The Children’s Museum Of Oak Ridge Over The Years
Appalachian Heritage
I think the two model cabins are really neat and the kids love trying to carry pails on the kid-sized shoulder yoke. It is fun to tell them that their daily chore every morning would be to go fetch water with this and see them realize how good they have it now.
Space/ Rocket Room
I can’t tell you how many hours I have sat and watched while they blasted off to somewhere else in the two story rocket. There is also a tiny climbing wall and slides for young kids to enjoy. And a pipe walkie talkie so kids can stand on opposite sides of the room and whisper to each other.
Rainforest Exhibit
Again, an imagination room where we can go on a rainforest adventure. The kids love the boardwalk and the fantastic murals packed with jungle life.
If you look in the Field Station adjacent to the boardwalk, you will find puzzles and a scavenger hunt for the rainforest (it has a list of animals you should look for at every stop on the boardwalk).
The Kid- Sized Dollhouse
A giant, two story dollhouse with kid- sized furniture, including dishes in cupboards? What more could a kid want? If dollhouses are their thing, expect to make yourself comfortable on the bench provided for the grownups (who aren’t allowed in the dollhouse, not that you fit anyway).
The Waterworks Room (my personal favorite exhibit!)
TVA and Ingram Marine Group have donated what is probably our overall favorite room in the Children’s Museum.
There are toy boats and a series of locks for the kids to navigate, plus a large tugboat that the kids can climb aboard and toot-toot to their hearts content. The locks are so cool that you often see adults out there pushing their toy boat through, along with the kids. (Me – I am that adult.)
World of Trains Wing
The Knoxville Area Model Railroaders (KAMR) meets in the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, so it makes sense why they have such an outstanding model train set. The display is set up like a train itself, with a pretend diesel engine at the front that you can climb into, and the windows into the model making up the “cars.”
Two trains constantly circle around the model which wraps around to have 3 sides showing 3 different scenes. There is crazy amounts of detail in the display, from people on the streets to mountain goats in the hills. Look for special things too, like Santas at Christmas or bunnies at Easter.
Besides the huge model train display, there are wooden trains and toy train tracks for young kiddos to play with on a table nearby. There are also large Fisher- Price plastic train toys perfect for toddlers. I have sat for an hour or more in just this room when the twins were little.
If you are super into model trains, then plan your visit around the 3rd Sunday of every month when the KAMR opens their rooms to the public from 1-4. These model railroad aficionados have some really cool stuff in their room. There is also a garden railroad and full size caboose outside that are also open on the 3rd Sunday of the month.
History Of The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
The museum is housed in a historic building, Highland View Elementary School, which was built during the Manhattan Project for the children of the workers brought to Oak Ridge. After the population dropped after the war, four of those Manhattan Project elementary schools were closed.
The school itself is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Oak Ridge Historic District, which includes much of the secret town originally called Clinton Engineer Works. The school is also part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service.
The Children’s Museum itself started as a Girl Scout project in 1973, which is why you will see a big exhibit on Girl Scout dolls throughout the years.
Special Events/ Activities At The Children’s Museum
If you have toddlers or preschoolers, look at their Activities page for special events just for them, such as playtimes and music activities.
For older kids, check out their classes and camps, also listed on their Activities page.
The 3rd Sunday of every month has extra events like the open House for the Knoxville Area Model Railroaders, as well as the Living Light Solar House, a 750 sq ft, zero energy house designed by UT students.
Birthday Parties– While we haven’t had one here personally, I have visited when there is a party going on and it looked like the kids were having a blast. And I heard from a soccer Mom friend that they really enjoyed a party they went to here, so something to think about if you are looking for an event place for your elementary-school aged kid.
Other Family Friendly Activities Near The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
Playground And Picnic Area
Next to the museum is a pretty good sized playground and covered picnic area if you need a place to let the kids get all their wiggles out. The kids are always desperate to go run around it for at least a little bit since it is right next to the parking lot. The covered picnic area is nice too, perfect for a lunch break.
American Museum Of Science And Energy
If you like hands- on science exhibits, then the AMSE is for you. It covers the history of Oak Ridge as part of the Manhattan Project, the science of nuclear fission and the atomic bomb and what Oak Ridge National Labs has been working on since then. If you have older kids, they may enjoy this more than the Children’s Museum.
K- 25 History Center
Dedicated to the history of the K-25 plant, the building is where they enriched uranium via gaseous diffusion during the Manhattan Project. It was the largest building in the world when it was built, and the videos of the pipes and workers in the plant are pretty impressive. The new museum explains the science behind gaseous diffusion clearly and simply and has a lot of interesting artifacts and videos showing what life was like for workers at this top secret plant.
Melton Hill Greenway
If you want some outside time, the Melton Hill Greenway runs along Melton Hill Lake and makes an excellent walking, running, and cycling destination. There is a nice little playground and covered gazebo at MElton Hill Park on the greenway as well as place to rent kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and hydro-bikes next to the park.
Restaurants In Oak Ridge Near the Children’s Museum
Worth a trip by itself for the great pizza and nostalgia packed into this hole-in-the-wall and beloved Oak Ridge institution. Serves pizza and drinks and that is it – no salads, sandwiches, wings, or dessert. They haven’t changed much in the 50 years they have been operating but when you have a line out the door every day, why would you?
Open Mon- Sat for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday. Does serve beer, and has a great local craft beer list.
*Pro-tip– I am not kidding about the line so you may want to call ahead and get it to go if the wait is long.
Calhoun’s – Oak Ridge location
If it a beautiful day outside, you might want to consider heading to this Calhoun’s outpost which has an awesome deck overlooking Melton Hill Lake. If you aren’t familiar with Calhoun’s yet, you might as well get familiar because you will see a lot of them around the Knoxville area.
Their BBQ is excellent, but so are their wings, white chicken chili, and their sides, among other things. I live for the pretzels and beer cheese personally. Calhoun’s has a good kids menu as well, and our kids love their kids burgers.
Razzleberry’s Ice Cream Lab and Kitchen
For a tasty ice cream break. And interesting one too, as they serve fun flavors like lavender.
Final Thoughts
The Oak Ridge Children’s Museum is a fantastic place to hang out with your kids for a few hours, especially if you are looking for indoor activities.
With an elementary school aged crowd and younger, you could easily spend all day but even teenagers will find things to interest them. There are so many different parts to the museum, it is easy to find something for everyone!
Happy Trails! – Amanda
