Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium
Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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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. That’s a big plus!
Sean PlankeySean Plankey
00
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 hundreds of miles.
Dani PapenfusDani Papenfus
10
Before arriving, we called the office to see what was functional since covid-19 is going on all around us. The man who answered our questions said that all exhibits are open but the planetarium and the barge rides will most likely be closed. This was not the case once we paid and walked the park. Many of the exhibits were empty with no information on whether or not that exhibit was closed or anything else. All places that had a structure was closed minus the bathrooms. This meant that we would not be able to see the snakes and frogs and more. We saw more wild deer roaming the property than we did inside of the exhibit. The area was clean and it seemed everything was well maintained. The dam was cool to walk but there was no information about the dam or the history of the dam specifically when it comes to water levels and that sort of thing. We were hoping this would be a really cool educational experience for our kids but it seemed extremely frustrating for them since there was not much information to go on. We felt very misled by the questions that were answered by the person working the phones. It seemed like he was more wanting us to come in to get our $5 then really letting us know the conditions the park is really in. Even though the park was well maintained it did not seem like a very nice professional place where you would actually show off and keep animals. I would not recommend this place unless you are planning on walking the trails for some fresh air or for exercise.
Jeremy LeeJeremy Lee
40
7/5/2021 - 3 stars we really like Bays Mountain, and for $5 to get in, it's a great deal. the animal staff is super nice and helpful. we enjoyed the animals today (tho rarely do the otters seem to be in the exhibit, water all drained today). we were just a bit disappointed that the planetarium wasn't even open - was told it would hopefully be open in a couple weeks, not sure why it's closed. we are glad that our pass can apparently be used next time for it. the barge was full as usual, but things are busy these days. :) we were rather disappointed by our hike up to "Lookout Tower." granted, some assumptions were made based on the name of the destination, but I think those are mostly fair. this thing is completely grown up w/ trees - there was no view from atop the rickety structure (see attached photo). and on the "rickety" - I had my kids only walk where there were braces underneath the obviously old wooden planking which I watched bow and pop underneath even my 40 pound daughter's weight. this thing needs some TLC, or at the very least some disclaimers. probably should be noted that we did not talk to an employee before embarking on this VERY steep .5 mile hike. guess we will talk to someone in the future before taking any more trails. overall a good visit and we'll be back, but definitely things people should know. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 7/2020 - 5 stars
Chris PChris P
30
Absolutely beautiful area. Went on a clear, sunny December morning with kids ages 2, 6, and 8, when it was 32°. The barge and ropes course were winterized but we nearly had the whole place to ourselves and got to see bobcats, foxes, gray wolves, and various raptors all up close. Gave it 4 stars because the website was not clear about which things were closed for the winter and which were available year-round (the welcome / visitor center was closed -- disappointing! but the gift shop was open). The person taking parking entrance fees had run out of park maps. Also, the credit card machine in the gift shop wasn't working well and took 10 minutes till it worked, and we ended up getting overcharged when it finally went through and at that point didn't bother pressing for a refund (aka more time fighting with the credit card machine). (An elderly person was running the gift shop at the time.) We didn't make it to the Planetarium this trip so we only paid the parking entrance fee ($7). Would love to go back in the spring or summer to do the ropes course. Based on our winter experience and a bunch of little reasons above, I would almost give it 3 stars, but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that everything is run much better during the warmer months.
Emily SmithEmily Smith
00
Absolutely love this place that has so much to offer in the people are really great. I am editing my review of Base mountain today on October 10th 2021 because on their website they have everything priced at $3 me and my fiance called to make sure these things were going on today. The woman who answered the phone was rude and told us it was $5 each and $10 for zipline and a couple of the others. That's a big difference between 3 and 10. Her reasoning was we must be looking at an old website. No it is their website it had the dates ,the prices, and what all they were offering today. I understand a park needs money to operate especially a park as neat and cool as this one. We absolutely love this place and I have been going for my entire life. I have taken my kids their entire life. This is the first time I've had any issue with Bay's mountain. I have to wonder if it was just the lady who answered the phone or if they haven't updated the website, but I would think when you put on there the date of the event and the price it wouldn't be subject to change.
Joseph & Heather MillerJoseph & Heather Miller
30
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
853 Bays Mountain Park Rd, Kingsport, TN 37660
Map
Phone
(423) 229-9447
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Website
baysmountain.com
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Reviews
Overview
4.7
(1.5K reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
entertainment
family friendly
pet friendly
Description
Bays Mountain Park is a 3,750 acres nature park and planetarium located on Bays Mountain in Kingsport, Tennessee. Founded in 1971, it features a 44 acre lake and 40 miles of hiking trails, a nature center with a planetarium theater, fire tower, and animal habitats.
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