Everyone Needs a “Bucket List”

I think everyone has had those weekends where you want to get out of the house and do something fun, yet when you ask everyone what they want to do, the answer is always “I don’t know” or I don’t Care.”  Then by lunch, no one has decided on an activity, so you end up not doing anything or going anywhere.  Believe it or not, this has happened to us on numerous occasions. Therefore, this year I came up with the idea of the family “Bucket List.” On January 1st, we sat down as a family and went around the room one by one making suggestions for the “bucket list”.  Between all of us, we came up with 36 different items.  The rules were that the activity has to be within driving distance, it has to be a single-day trip or a small, close weekend getaway, and it has to be something everyone can participate in.   Below are a few examples from our “bucket list.”

The bucket list consists of a variety of different places or activities. Listed below are categories with particular places that we put in the bucket. 

Free things to do:

If you want a weekend without spending any money, except for gas, there are always free and educational things that you can do with your kids, friends, or significant other. Pack a picnic lunch, get out of the house, and learn something new. Listed below are some examples that we have in our “Bucket”

       1. State Museums: such as the Tennessee State Museum or Kentucky State Museum.   

       2. The Abraham Lincoln Museum in Harrogate, Tennessee.

        3. Shiloh National Military Park

Hiking:

Hiking is another activity that is always free. We love to take the kids hiking, not only to get exercise, but it is a great way to spend the day together.  Listed below are some of the hiking places that we have in our “bucket.”

1. Cedars of Lebanon
2. Fall Creek Falls
3. Big South Fork
4. Burgess Falls

Cities and Towns:

Sometimes instead of an activity, we list a city or a small town. When this particular location is drawn, we spend the entire day or weekend in that town.  We eat at local restaurants, visit the square, see if there are any museums that tell the history of that particular area, and we shop at local stores.  We love doing this because we feel like we get to know a little more about our own state and country. So many times when you are on the freeway, you drive right by some really neat places that have so much to offer but you never stop because you are in a hurry to get to your destination, or there are no signs therefore you don’t even know it exists.  This is our way to get off the freeway, slow down, and enjoy an area of our country that we may not have ever seen.  Listed below are some examples in our “bucket.”

1. Old City Knoxville
2. Rugby, Tennessee
3. Paris, Tennesee
4. Louisville, Kentucky

Museums:

Education is a very important thing in our house.  We strive to make every place that we go a learning experience. We try to learn the history of the area or what animals are native to that particular area and why.  We feel that education is imperative and the best way teach your kids something new, and also learn something new yourself is to go to a museum. There is usually a small entrance fee.  Listed below are some museum examples from our “bucket.”

1. Sam Davis House in Smyrna, Tennessee
2. American Museum of Energy in Oakridge, Tennessee
3. Agriculture Museum in Nashville, Tennessee
4. Jefferson Davis State Park and Museum in Fairview, Kentucky
5. National Air and Space Museum in Huntsville, Alabama

Plantations and Mansions:

Our kids absolutely love touring old houses and plantations.  Most kids probably do not; therefore, this might be a couple’s day out or somewhere to take your parents.  There is an entrance fee, however, Groupon usually has tickets at a discounted price. Listed below are some of the plantations and homes we have in our “bucket.”

1. The Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee
2. The Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee.
3. Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.
4. The Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee.

Animals:

Kids love animals, therefore, we have Zoos and Aquariums in our bucket.  You can go to the Nashville zoo only so many times before the kids want a change of scenery, so we compiled a list of different places to take the kids to change it up. Listed below are some of the zoos and aquariums in our “bucket.”

1. Knoxville Zoo
2. Chattanooga Aquarium
3. Atlanta Aquarium and World of Coke
4. Memphis Zoo

Fun Things:

Last, but not least, you have to have some non-educational, fun activities in there too! Listed below are some of the other activities that we have in our “Bucket.”

1. Indoor Rock Climbing
2. Canoeing
3. Horse Back Riding
4. Ziplining
5. Lost River Cave/Lost Sea Adventure (There are two, one is in Bowling Green Kentucky and the other is in Sweetwater, Tennessee.)

As you can see, there are a variety of different things in our “bucket”.   The beauty in each time you draw a piece of paper out is a day that you get to spend with your kids, out of the house, and the day is all about them.  Even if it is something they were not excited about doing, make it exciting for them and help them to be engaged. After every tour, we always ask the kids questions about what they learned, answer what questions that they have, and have a detailed conversation about the place that we visited.  At the end of the day, even if it is a place that we would not go back to, we still look at the positive and discuss the good things from the day.

Remember every experience good or bad is still a learning experience and you will always have a story to tell.