Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium — Attraction in Kingsport

Today was my first experience at Bays Mountain Park. My son had been there before and he got to choose anywhere to go on a special mommy-son day and he chose to go to Bays. We had a great time. I ended up purchasing a one-year family annual pass. The annual pass is an amazing deal considering what it includes. I had some miscommunication with the lady at the gift shop and I didn't realize that even though I get 6 free tickets every visit with my pass, I have to get the tickets and book a seat on the barge rides. Luckily, even though I made a mistake of just showing up at the barge, there were a few extra seats and Crystal - the tour guide - was nice enough to let my son and I take a ride. It was a bit chilly today but we still really enjoyed it. The staff are all extremely knowledgeable and patient. They are there and available to answer all your questions. This is a city park and they are not part of the national park system. If you're passing through or you get the opportunity to go, do yourself a favor and make a stop. They have great animal exhibits even though there are only a few of them. They are in the process of replacing some of the animals so a couple of the exhibits are empty. We got to see a wolf feeding and that was incredible. You really feel like you're getting one-on-one experience here. I can't wait till the planetarium reopen. The bathrooms were all over the place and very clean. I don't know if I missed a part of the park but there are no options for food or Refreshments except for a vending machine in the gift shop. Although this is the case, you are allowed to bring in your own food and snacks. There are plenty of beautiful picnic places. Also, there is a Farmstead Museum that appears overlooked. I wish that there was more that they did with that. It'd be really cool if they had some sort of outdoor exhibit touching base on the history of farming in the area. I know that we would really enjoy that. Anyway, we would just like to say thank you to the staff for being so hospitable and making us feel welcome. We can't wait to come back...

I had my best visit ever to Bay’s Mountain Park on 7/31/24. I went out there to get away from the Biblical flooding rains in Knoxville. If you’re in a hurry skip to another review.

I must say the remodel of their visitor’s center came out beautifully! I was sad to see that the huge Apollo 11 spacecraft model is no longer hanging from the ceiling. Change is tough for me sometimes. 😂

If you’re into outer space, the planetarium show is right up your alley and the lady who gives the show is wonderful with a good sense of humor. Nice job Abby! I saw both shows: Appalachian Sky at 2pm and One Sky at 4pm. Both were really interesting and informative but I found the second show to be much more interesting. The visual detail shown by their projection machine is a total wonder for the eyes to feast on. Did you know they do a star watch with telescopes on Saturday nights in the Spring and Fall? I’ll definitely be back in October to see how much I remember from my planetarium lessons!

This time of year the park is open until 8pm so I decided to get a 6 mile hike in and take some pictures. I’ve been to Garden Mountain tower on the northwest summit overlooking Holston Army Ordnance plant near Mt. Carmel but I had never been to the tower on the southeast side of the park. It’s a stout hike up there from the parking lot but well worth it on a clear day. The view of Holston and Buffalo Mountains was very nice. The tower isn’t as high up as the other one so the trees could use a little trim job (hint hint).

I find Bay’s Mountain to really be an enchanting place. Just the reservoir itself is so pristine, you can’t take a walk around it without stopping several times to admire its beauty. If you can handle the costs, this is an enjoyable place for everyone because there’s a bunch of different things to see. Plus, everyone working there is very helpful and nice....

This is an absolute fantastic place to visit with the family. If you're looking for education, hiking, nature, animals and fun, look no further than Bays Mountain.

They have many exhibits that are both educational and fun. Wolves, foxes, bobcats, snakes, turtles, bees, etc. It's a fantastic place to bring your littles to teach them about nature and all of the incredible creatures surrounding them.

Whitney, a volunteer on the mountain, is an amazing contributor to the park. She's extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and will make sure you and your family have a blast.

They have trails, barge rides, animal exhibits, educational programs, a planetarium, zip lines and adventure course, and an awesome gift shop.

You literally cannot beat their prices. It's only $5 per car to enter for the entire day (excluding some activities). I'll be honest, we typically don't have a ton of money to spend. But, I always know I can count on spending 5 bucks at this place for a full day of fun. Hiking, animal exhibits and a picnic full of homemade sandwiches, chips and fruit for 5 bucks and hours of fun literally cannot be beaten.

They also have food trucks on certain days! We haven't tried them yet, but they're a great addition to the park.

The gift shop is definitely on the expensive side, but you know what? I'm okay with that. Because, what they receive in costs and donations, goes directly back into the park to help the wildlife and the upkeep of the park. They do whatever it takes to ensure you have a great, educational time and to maintain the beautiful creatures you come here to see.

If you want a fun-filled, family outing, one that's actually outdoors, come here. You won't find a better place within...