Discovery Park of America – A Great Family Trip

“Union City, Tennessee, Really?”

This is the reaction of most folks when they hear about Discovery Park of America.  You don’t expect something so big and nice in a place so small and away from a large city.

Union City is only 40 minutes south of Mayfield and on our way to my parents home, so we have been watching the construction of Discovery Park for several years.  It always looked so tremendous is size.  It opened toward the end of 2013 and we were finally able to go with some friends, Chris and Vickie Fry, last Friday.

Here are some of my thoughts on the Park . . . 

1. We were very impressed. Everything is done with top quality.
2. It is very large.  We were there from opening (10 a.m.) to closing (5 p.m.) and we did not come close to getting everything seen.  There were also 2 or 3 school buses full of kids at the same time and we hardly noticed, it did not seem crowded.
3. It has a lot to do outside.  It was kind of cool on our day which made it a little more difficult to enjoy the outside activities.  I would estimate that about half of the exhibits are outside.  Many of these are buildings, but you have to walk back and forth to them.  It would be wonderful to do in the fall and spring of the year.
4. It was very reasonably priced.  It cost us a little over $60 dollars for the basic admission for our family of 6 (Caleb was free and we did not do any of the special exhibits that cost more money).
5. It is not just for kids.  It is a park that is for adults as much as kids.
6. It is very diverse.  It is a museum, science center, inter-active history, an American cultural exhibition, and playground.  They have everything.  They have old cars, military stuff, geology, old tractors, a water mill exhibit, ceramic exhibition, a maze, train exhibit, old homestead and log cabins, and so much more.
7. It contains some information that conflicts with the Bible.  The museum contains an exhibit on the Big Bang theory, prominently promotes Dinosaurs and their existence millions and millions of years ago, and has other incorrect geological information.  A young earth creation perspective is not represented in anyway.  So parents need to be aware that much of this may conflict with what they teach their children at home.
8. It is a great trip to do as a family and with friends.  We had a wonderful time together and with our good friends the Fry family.  The kids loved it and are already planning their next trip.  You can purchase season passes pretty reasonable.  We did not choose this option, but may in future years.

Here is the website to Discovery Park of America so you can learn more and plan your trip.

Enjoy some pictures from our trip.

The kids in front of the Ark of the Covenant

The slide was the kids favorite.

The kids loved playing in the water section.

Caleb liked the playground area for babies.

We all enjoyed getting to watch pottery being made.

Austin and Emma enjoyed the comfort of the luxury train car.

All the kids on a bench outside.