Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
Discovery Center at Murfree Spring things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
Posts
Spent the day as a family at the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro Tennessee! ❤️ #tennessee #nashvilletn #militaryspouse #momthings #toddlers #motherhood #familythings #familyday #discovery #everydaylearning #thingstodoinnashville
ashleyylongg_ashleyylongg_
947
This place is fun for all ages, but especially for kids under 10. Your kids will love the two-story slide, but make sure you ball up a little if you are tall... I'm 5'4", and I definitely slowed down because of it. They have several permanent exhibits, and "Tiny Town," a place where kids 5 and under can pretend to run the town! There's even a baby room for kids from birth until 2. There are outdoor exhibits, too, along with a playground and garden. Murfree Spring has a walking trail and a cool playground, too! Admission for everyone 2 and older is $8.95, and there are membership packages for families of up to 7, some of which include reduced or free admission to most scientific museums in the US. The things that kept me from rating this place a 5 were the fact that most of the exhibits and especially the carpets and walls were very dirty. I dropped a baby wipe on the floor in Tiny Town, and it was black where I rubbed the floor while picking it up, and a lot of the exhibits didn't work 100%, some of which were due to cleaning issues, and some just needed to be repaired.
Carissa FayCarissa Fay
20
Visited the Discovery Center at Murfree Spring with my grandchildren today. Now this place is LOUD when it is packed with kids running from one exhibit to another. They have a room for small children to crawl and play on thickly padded mats along with toys to entertain them. The exhibits and opportunities for interaction range from role playing (Dr, Nurse, Postman, Grocer, etc.) to building structures with awesome foam tinker toys. The water exhibit, twisting slide, and fire truck get a lot of attention here…difficult to see how a kid could get bored here. You can also walk the gardens and nature wetlands seeing the history of the area along with wildlife. Overall a great facility and well maintained based on how many children visit here every day. I did see employees constantly working to keep things clean and sanitized…not an easy task but the efforts were there.
Joe LaFerriereJoe LaFerriere
10
👎 Our kiddo absolutely loves the water table, but it has turned into an area of constant anxiety when we visit. This comes after about 6 visits, each seeing children fall hard on the floor in that section. Why someone would surround a kids water area with slick, hard concrete is beyond me. There is no texture, mats, rubber dots or anything of the type to ensure kids safety. I see employees diligently mopping every 20 minutes or so but it does not alleviate the danger. Today alone I watched several different children fall, one of them on top of my 1 year old child while he played, smashing his head into the table edge. My own son has fallen many times as well during our visits. We tried 3 different pairs of shoes to no avail, it is so wet and SO slick that it makes no difference. I have gently brought up the issue to the centers kind staff, who seem in full agreement of the issue needing to be addressed. They have all said the manager has been made aware and that they get multiple complaints on the issue daily, but their manager will not make a move to change things because she doesn't see an issue, despite the complaints. I commend the wonderful employees, and frown at seemingly indifferent and careless management. Perhaps they are simply overwhelmed... or do not have the funds to see to the safety concern? It is easy to judge but sometimes hard to try and relate or see things from someone else's perspective. Maybe she has a reason to neglect this concern. I would be happy to give 5 stars if the manager in question can see to it that this issue is addressed with mats, rubber grip, flooring change or literally anything other than the absurd floor choice in place.. Why not make a change and give kids a safe place to play BEFORE you get a lawsuit from a seriously injured child? 🤞 Beyond this issue youll find a lovely place, full of fun games and creative layouts. A lovely experience for those with kids in need of entertainment in an engaging environment.
Kelsie FergusonKelsie Ferguson
30
We visited this weekend, and after about 7 visits the last 3 years, it seems this place has taken a step back. It didn’t seem to have as much interaction as it used to, and some of the exhibits weren’t working. There’s a couple of art stations that allow you to draw based off light and shadows, but all of the pencils were broken and none sharpened. One of the exhibits that use pulleys and other things, the ball was stuck at the top of the machine and wouldn’t move. We went just a few minutes after they opened, so you’d think the employees would make sure everything is working prior to opening. I did notice more seating available throughout, so that was nice, especially for the parents who use the Discovery Center as a babysitter and sit in the same spot on their phones for awhile, having no idea where their child is at. While it’s probably still a good spot to host a birthday party, I felt that $36 for 3 people wasn’t worth what we saw. My wife and I said the zoo would’ve been a better choice for us that day.
Brent TurnerBrent Turner
10
Very fun place for kids of all ages. For kids 5 and under, there is a tiny town with little shops and play tasks kids can creatively have fun with. Like, at the post office they have a postal workers safety vest, mail bag and pieces of mail and then there are various mailboxes around the town that the "mail" can be delivered to. There is a second floor available via stairs or elevator. A large enclosed spiral slide can be used by the children to get back down to the first floor. There is a small gift shop, no food or beverage options. Though it was a really fun experience, especially for my 2 year old, it would have been even more impressive if each part of every activity were in working order. It seemed like there was some maintenance needed across the facility to make it an even more magical experience.
Karen Dunn SwaffordKaren Dunn Swafford
00
Nearby Attractions Of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
JR's Foodland
Cannonsburgh Village
Mid Tenn Furniture
Main Street Murfreesboro Saturday Market
Murfree Spring Wetlands
The Curious Kitchen
Rutherford County Area TN Habitat For Humanity ReStore
Patterson Park
United States Postal Service
Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center

JR's Foodland
4.5
(480)Click for details

Cannonsburgh Village
4.6
(435)Click for details

Mid Tenn Furniture
4.9
(235)Click for details

Main Street Murfreesboro Saturday Market
4.8
(182)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring
Sami's Brick Oven Pizzeria & Buffet
Puckett's Restaurant
Murfreesboro Kabob
Jeff's Family Friendly Restaurant
Kleer-Vu Lunchroom
Joanie's
Milano II & Jack’s place
Domenico's Italian Deli
Level 3
City Cafe

Sami's Brick Oven Pizzeria & Buffet
4.7
(786)Click for details

Puckett's Restaurant
4.3
(1.1K)Click for details

Murfreesboro Kabob
4.8
(626)Click for details

Jeff's Family Friendly Restaurant
4.5
(496)Click for details
Basic Info
Address
502 SE Broad St, Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Map
Phone
(615) 890-2300
Call
Website
explorethedc.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.5
(853 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
outdoor
family friendly
accessibility
Description
The Discovery Center is a children's museum, nature center and wetlands boardwalk near downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Exhibits include themed exploration areas for town life, science, trains, cars, a fire engine and farmers market.
attractions: JR's Foodland, Cannonsburgh Village, Mid Tenn Furniture, Main Street Murfreesboro Saturday Market, Murfree Spring Wetlands, The Curious Kitchen, Rutherford County Area TN Habitat For Humanity ReStore, Patterson Park, United States Postal Service, Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center, restaurants: Sami's Brick Oven Pizzeria & Buffet, Puckett's Restaurant, Murfreesboro Kabob, Jeff's Family Friendly Restaurant, Kleer-Vu Lunchroom, Joanie's, Milano II & Jack’s place, Domenico's Italian Deli, Level 3, City Cafe

- Please manually select your location for better experience