Field guide
Best Places for Kids in Cookeville, TN
Cookeville punches above its weight for family activities - from a swimmable waterfall to a maker space to a 60-year-old roller rink.
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Event
Big Band Sound Orchestra - August 24
The Big Band Sound Orchestra returns to Dogwood Park for a free evening of swing and big-band favorites. The show begins at 7:30 PM at the Performance Pavilion; bring a chair or blanket. The concession stand and restrooms will be open.
Event
Fall Gardeners' Festival
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and Cumberland County Master Gardeners host a free day for gardeners of every skill level. Registration opens at 8 AM, followed by seminars and exhibits from 9 AM to 3 PM, plus an ask-the-expert tent, wagon tours, garden and craft vendors, and food for purchase.
Event
Crossville's 125th Birthday Celebration
Crossville celebrates 125 years with a downtown community gathering from 10 AM to 5 PM. The anniversary event takes over Main Street for a full Saturday of birthday festivities.
Event
Dogapalooza
A free dog-friendly festival at the Cane Creek Dog Park featuring dog-related vendors, rescues, and nonprofits, plus demonstrations and activities for pups and their people. Bring your leashed, friendly dog and enjoy a day in the park.
Event
Fall FunFest
Cookeville's beloved Main Street festival returns for its 29th year with two days of live music, artisan vendors, crafts, food, and family activities in the heart of downtown. One of the Upper Cumberland's most popular fall traditions, drawing thousands to the square each September.
Event
Taste of Crossville
Downtown Crossville hosts its annual local-food showcase from 6 to 8 PM. Restaurants, food trucks, caterers, and other local food businesses gather downtown for an evening centered on Cumberland County flavors.
Event
TN Serves: Clean Up the Caney Fork
Volunteer with Rock Island State Park from 10 AM to noon to remove litter along the Caney Fork River Gorge between Twin Falls and Great Falls. Participants help care for one of the Upper Cumberland's signature waterways.
Event
Spooky Season Celebration
The Cookeville Depot Museum hosts a free family-friendly Halloween afternoon from 2 to 3 PM with a silent disco, spooky stories, games, activities, and treats for costumed guests.
Event
5th Annual Smithville Art Walk
Downtown Smithville celebrates local art, live music, and community from 3 to 8 PM. The walk brings artists and visitors together in the heart of town for an early-fall Saturday.
Event
Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series
Enjoy free live music at the Cookeville Depot Museum from 11:30 AM to 1 PM on October 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. Admission is free, with an optional $10 lunch available onsite and drinks for $1.
Event
Crossville Oktoberfest
The Upper Cumberland's long-running German-American festival returns for two days of food, music, and community celebration. The festival runs from 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM Friday and Saturday at the Knights of Columbus grounds east of downtown Crossville.
Event
National Public Lands Day Hike
Join a Rock Island State Park ranger from 10 AM to 1 PM for a 1.95-mile hike through the park's upland oak forest. The ranger-led outing may cover park history, native plants and wildlife, and other points of interest along the route.
Event
Second Saturday in Downtown McMinnville
Spend an evening downtown from 5 to 8 PM, with local restaurants serving dinner and shops staying open late for the monthly Second Saturday gathering.
Event
Shakespeare in the Park: All's Well That Ends Well
Cookeville's free outdoor Shakespeare tradition returns for its 22nd season. Performances begin at 7 PM on October 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10. The October 10 finale also includes an all-day festival with themed vendors. Bring chairs, blankets, or a picnic.
Business
The Centre School of Dance
The Centre School of Dance on E Spring St is one of Cookeville's most highly rated dance studios, offering ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip-hop, and musical theater for students from age 2 through adult. With a 4.8-star Google rating and a welcoming environment that serves both enrichment-focused and competitive-track students, it's the Upper Cumberland's destination for serious dance education.
Business
Vertical Coffee Company
Vertical Coffee Company is a craft coffee roastery and cafe in downtown Cookeville, roasting their own beans in-house and serving exceptional specialty drinks. With a 4.9-star rating across more than 400 reviews, it is one of the highest-rated businesses in the entire city. The clean, intentional space on West Spring Street is the go-to for serious coffee in the Upper Cumberland.
Business
Soul Craft Coffee
Soul Craft Coffee is a community-centered cafe with two locations in Cookeville and a 4.9-star rating across nearly 250 reviews. Exceptional espresso, knowledgeable baristas, and a warmth that turns first-time visitors into regulars. The West Broad location is a downtown anchor that draws everyone from Tennessee Tech students to working professionals.
Event
Cookeville Farmers Market, Spring Season
Cookeville's weekly farmers market returns for the spring season with local produce, baked goods, honey, flowers, and handmade crafts. Opens every Saturday morning through October.
Business
7 Brew Coffee
7 Brew Coffee is a drive-thru coffee chain at 1200 Interstate Drive offering a wide range of coffee beverages, energy drinks, and customizable drinks at high speed. The best option in Cookeville for convenience coffee when you need something in hand fast without getting out of your car.
Business
Alexander's
Alexander's has been a Cookeville steakhouse institution on S Jefferson Ave for decades. Known for prime cuts, fresh seafood, and the kind of full-service hospitality that older Cookeville residents grew up with, it's a family-friendly restaurant with a full bar that fills up on weekend nights. It's not trendy, it's consistent, and consistency is what keeps locals coming back year after year.
Business
Back Alley BBQ
Back Alley BBQ is a North Side Cookeville staple for slow-smoked Tennessee BBQ. Their pit-smoked ribs, pulled pork, and homemade sides have kept locals coming back for years. Unpretentious, consistent, and priced right, this is what neighborhood BBQ in the Upper Cumberland looks like.
Business
Best Beginnings Preschool
Best Beginnings Preschool on E 12th St is a Tennessee 3-Star Quality Rated childcare center serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years in Cookeville since 2007. With a curriculum focused on Kindergarten readiness, including ABCs taught in both English and ASL, and a maximum capacity of 30 children, it provides the kind of personalized early education that shapes how children learn for the rest of their lives.
Business
Car Fix Cookeville
Car Fix Cookeville is a full-service auto repair shop on S Willow Ave with a 4.7-star rating from nearly 300 verified reviews. AAA Approved and backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile nationwide warranty, they handle tires, brakes, diagnostics, engine and transmission work, and preventative maintenance on all makes and models, domestic and foreign, with upfront pricing and loaner cars available for extended repairs.
Business
Chaffin, Fitzpatrick & Pinson
Chaffin, Fitzpatrick & Pinson is a Cookeville law firm specializing in personal injury, criminal defense, DUI, and family law. With over 150 combined years of legal experience and attorney Walter Fitzpatrick III named a Super Lawyers selectee and 2025 Client Champion, the firm is one of the most recognized in the Upper Cumberland for serious personal injury and criminal defense cases.
Business
Cookeville Regional Medical Center
Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC) is the primary hospital serving the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee. A full-service, accredited medical center, CRMC provides emergency care, surgical services, maternity care, oncology, cardiology, and a broad range of specialty services to residents of Putnam County and the surrounding nine-county region. As a community-owned, not-for-profit hospital, CRMC reinvests in the region it serves.
Business
Cream City Ice Cream & Coffee
Cream City is a beloved Cookeville institution on W Broad St, serving handmade ice cream in 40+ rotating flavors alongside locally roasted coffee. Family-owned and operated, Cream City is famous for its handmade waffle cones and one of the oldest working neon signs in Tennessee. It's a downtown gathering spot that spans generations, the kind of place grandparents bring their grandkids and college students hit after dinner. With a 4.8-star Google rating from over 800 reviews, it's one of the highest-rated spots in the entire city.
Business
CrossFit Cookeville
CrossFit Cookeville is a CrossFit affiliate gym on the north side of Cookeville offering coached group classes for all fitness levels. Unlike globo gyms, CrossFit Cookeville's programming is structured and led by certified coaches who help members scale every workout to their current ability. The community is tight-knit, results-driven, and welcoming to beginners and experienced athletes alike.
Business
Flatt Veterinary Clinic
Flatt Veterinary Clinic on S Willow Ave is one of Cookeville's most trusted independent veterinary practices, voted Best Veterinarian in the Upper Cumberland by Herald-Citizen Reader's Choice Awards. With a 4.7-star rating from over 500 reviews, they provide wellness exams, in-house diagnostics, dental care, dermatology, pain management, radiology, and compassionate end-of-life services for dogs and cats.
Business
Larry's Auto Care
Larry's Auto Care on Church Ave is Cookeville's specialist for European vehicles, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, MINI Cooper, alongside all domestic makes. A NAPA AutoCare Center with over 30 years in business and ASE-certified technicians, all work is backed by NAPA's Nationwide Peace of Mind Warranty. The shop is known for exceptional customer care and going above and beyond when Cookeville-area drivers are in a bind.
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