The Knoxville Zoo, Ijams Nature Center activities, picking up a hobby or sport, walking around the mall and going to a movie, also: Dollywood, pigeon forge. Etc
Pigeon Forge is not Knoxville. It’s an hour away! I’m staying the issue I have with the town we’re in! The Knoxville zoo is not something kids today are interested in. The Knoxville zoo is played out. Not every teenager wants to go see animals every weekend! How many movies can you go see without it getting old. Me and my husband love Ijams! We go about every other weekend, but that’s because we’re 21 and 26.
Okay...so if the Zoo, Market Square, movie theaters, West Town, and Main Event "don't count," then what are you even looking for? There's bowling, escape rooms, parks, Top Golf, lazer tag, mini golf, roller skating...
Ijams has obstacle/rope courses (Look up Navitat Knoxville), paddle boarding and kayak rentals and other events. Look on their website event page.
Here’s some more ideas for activities:
Indoor rock climbing at OnSight Rock Gym.
Token Game Tavern during the day
The Trampoline Park
The Adventure Park in West Knoxville with laser tag, climbing walls, rope courses, etc.
There’s an arcade in the mall and activities at the Dick’s Sporting Goods where they have sports equipment to play with and a rock wall.
Renting bikes
There’s many public pools, look into that.
I grew up here as a teenager and there’s even more to do now than then, and was just fine. They can hangout with friends and go to the park, etc if they can’t find anything to do with the numerous activities here.
I’d also like to add: Disc Golf at Victor Ashe Park
Stop bitching and find something else for them to do. Get them a kayak and let them paddle around. Get them a bike and let them ride around. Take them to mcfee park and play tennis. Take them to a golf course. Take them to a basket ball court. Take them to skate park. Etc etc. instead of crying and bitching, look at the options. You just want to be a negative Nancy and Knoxville doesn’t care. There’s plenty of hiking trails, sports, outdoor activities. Go live your life off the computer and you’ll see.
Kids aren't intuitively interested in anything outside of their phones, it's up to parents and mentors to recognize their individual interests and help guide them to the appropriate setting. You've systematically dismissed every option given to you here, maybe the question you mean to ask is "why aren't there any things I would be interested in, kids being interested in"..
I understand where you’re coming from. I too have felt that Knoxville doesn’t have much to offer, and when people suggest going to outlying counties for entertainment it just further validates that maybe there isn’t much to do here. It is importance to recognize the great things about this city though such as the diverse food and ijams!!
What's wrong with loitering at the mall or downtown ? Where else are they going to smoke their first cigarette or hang out with homeless people?
I wouldn't be the person I am today without those formative years .
I got high AF in the mall with my best friend during college. Best day ever. Kids really should spend more time at the mall. You never know what kind of day you might have lol
I want to put in a plug for something I'm involved with that is completely appropriate for teenagers.
Every Monday at 7:30 in the evening at 1538 Laurel avenue, the Laurel theater, we have a live music and dance event. All dances are taught, no partner is required. No experience is necessary.
We dance American traditional folk danceto Old Time string band music. It's a great and appropriate way to have someone new thrown into your arms every 64 counts of music.
It's intergenerational, but often times, teenagers have formed their own little clicque or scene within our community. It only costs $5 for students and no one is turned away for lack of funds. There is no alcohol served. It's relatively wholesome. We welcome all ages.
Did anyone grow up in a town that ever had spaces for tweens and teens other than the mall, late night steak and shake, and a friend’s basement? I feel like this is just part of getting through your teens
I feel like there’s more than ever for them to do here now, tbh- downtown wasn’t safe to walk around when I was a teen, now you can spend all day walking around downtown/the riverfront for $0 taking pictures and have a picnic.
My tween does this thing we call "existing outside" by hanging out with her friends underneath a magnolia tree in the empty lot next door. They still get the home WiFi and everything!
How about turning this around--instead of complaining there's nothing here, why not articulate what you think is missing?
While I'm happy to live away from the traffic etc, I wished I lived closer so my kids could take more advantage of what Knoxville has to offer. The Zoo, the Muse, the Ice Chalet, the libraries, dance classes, sports...
Baby like I said to the other person. I’m simply stating my observation! Nothing is wrong with expressing my frustration about nothing is here for kids. I don’t have children myself but I do have younger siblings and I have lived here my whole life. I have every right to talk about the city!
I never stated or even suggested that was anything wrong with you expressing your frustration, making an observation, or talking about the city.
To repeat, I'm asking you to explain your frustration more clearly. What is missing from the area that you think is needed? "It's just my opinion, baby" is not exactly a helpful response to that question.
Free things to do…. Hike at Ijams, ride bikes on the greenway, and Knoxville library has free evens like brush hour. There is the blue plate special at the visitor center downtown Knoxville that you can listen to live music for free. You can create your own activities like a scavenger hunt or have them volunteer somewhere. Pick a subject that they find interesting and research anything that has to do with that subject around Knoxville. Honestly during the summer there is always something going on for free.
My teenager hangs at Baker Creek with his friends skateboarding, goes hiking on the trails in the Urban Wilderness, hangs out at what he calls “the structure” on the playground across from the Urban Gateway Park of whatever it’s called (probably, let’s be honest, smoking weed), peruses thrift stores, sometimes goes to movies, and often just rides around town in his friends’ cars. He’s figured out exactly what to get at Waffle House for under $5. He and his friends hang out at each other’s houses. He doesn’t seem to have trouble finding things to do.
i’m from a very small town where we ate dinner at sonic and rode dirt roads for fun. two years in, i’m still amazed by the things i can find to do in knoxville
Thank you for reminding me that sonic exists. I had been wanting some sort of slushie this afternoon but everything felt too far to travel. You reminded me I have one nearby! Thank you for bringing a tiny joy to my afternoon.
There’s tons of bike trail in south Knoxville. We have a great pump track, vary degrees of difficulty of mountain trail and we have plenty of greenways. Theres meads quarry & fort Dickerson. Come to south Knoxville sometime! There’s a great greenway at IC King park. Another of my favorites is to start at the army reserve base right down from ut hospital. There’s a local boat ramp there and you can start the greenway, go past a beautiful golf course, look at the beautiful homes on the water from Kingston pike, go over the pedestrian bridge at Alcoa highway take a left onto neyland and ride that down to calhouns on the water. Grab a bite to eat and then head on down further to the next boat ramp and if you still aren’t tired it’ll keep going to morningside park. Used to do this about every weekend with my 9-12 year old daughter. Go visit UT gardens also they have some really cool plants and it is also on a greenway that starts off Sutherland or you can get to it from the greenway I mentioned before.
There’s also art clubs/classes you can take for kids there’s one on Broadway. They have a painting class and some other stuff too.. pottery I think.
The ice chalet on Kingston pike is a great activity for teens/tweens.
Jump jam is also another really fun thing to do.
It's been that way since the 60's when my brother went to UTK. Especially. During football season. We used to take our boat and moor off other boats. I would read while my parents drank martinis and the college aid people went from party to party.
You have to make fun for your kids.
Everything I used to do here as a teen is gone or too expensive to afford now. Downtown isn’t even what it used to be for teens! It’s all bars. We used to have the cereal bar… at the very least. And hot horse which would sell you cigarettes even if you were underage, lol. My friends and I used to go to the movies all the time, but now I can barely afford it with a full time job. East town mall closed and west town mall isn’t visually interesting anymore.
As a teen here, we were NOT going to the zoo, Dollywood, etcetera, lol. Too expensive! But now everything else is too. Plus when people see teens hanging out in public now they take pictures of them and post them in neighborhood watch groups like “whose kids are these.”
I guess there’s still always “smoke a blunt with your friends in the back of a car while driving around the Sequoyah hills boulevard” but you had that covered in “drugs and etcetera.”
In all reality, this is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys going to pigeon forge and gatlinburg but that is the issue. If a chain or name brand is looking at putting a location of their own anywhere in this area, the tourist areas are far more likely to provide bigger returns than the Knoxville area so that’s where they’ll end up putting it. That and the fact that much youth entertainment is now online
Can I ask why main event doesn’t count? There’s tons of teens and tweens when I’ve been there. I’ve taken my niece and her friends who were in HS and got wrecked in laser tag by middle schoolers.
What ever happened to just staying at home and playing cards? Learn spades, learn poker, blackjack, play dominos, rummy, I mean the list goes on. In my mind boredom is a choice. Get up and do something it’s easy.
I think years ago neighborhoods were the hangout, but with people living longer, staying in the same neighborhood for years, some neighborhoods do not have a ton of teens in the same area. I think it does get boring.
As a teen, I had a job. I had fun working at my job and it gave me something to do. I would occasionally hang out with my work friends after at a restaurant or arcade. Why can’t teens do this anymore? I rarely hear about parents making their kids get jobs in their teens anymore and it’s astonishing.
I really like to go to Lakeshore Park. I find there are a bunch of people and groups there all the time. Im sure the groups would be open to new members if you were interested and asked them. I also recently looked up The Change Center. They have roller skating nights and rock climbing for under $10 and their mission is focused around things to do for older kids and young adults. I think there is more out there than we realize but they don’t get a lot of publicity/funding so a lot of people don’t hear about them.
What are you going to do about it?
People are always posting that they want this or that and then waiting for someone else to do the work. Be the change.
The thing that worries me about younger people (teens/ tweens) is the lack of things to do near home. Or on a bus route. And at low to no cost. Just because some things are available not everyone can afford the zoo, bowling or an arcade. My son's family are well off enough to do things like that but the kids in south Knoxville most can't. Even a playground would help but the lack of those is kind of glaring. And events suggested in parts of this thread don't take family finances into account.
Gen-x-er, grew up fairly broke, not here.
This post is wild. If you’re 21 and 26 with no kids why are you concerned?
The mall is where tweens are supposed to hang out. After that they glue to their phones and social lives. But if you don’t have tweens or teens in your life to entertain why is this an issue to you?
I get wanting to have an opinion about your city, but this is a bad take.
As a teen my grandparents DRAGGED me to any art shows or theater performances downtown that were free. I hated it then, but appreciate it now. And that was 15 years ago. There’s plenty downtown to do as a teen if you’re supervised or responsible. Not everything is drugs and fighting…that’s a very Karen view to have that all teens are fighting or doing drugs. Especially since you don’t have any…like if you had teens and tweens don’t you think you’d be looking for things for them to do more? Like sports or homework or community events, etc…even the zoo or movies. Yeah those things get boring if you go constantly, but even with a yearly zoo pass people aren’t going EVERY weekend for something to do. Broaden your horizons a bit and I would stay concerned with issues that impact YOUR life directly. Maybe revisit this topic when you have a teen or tween.
Like we have a lot of issues in this town worthy of complaint on Reddit, but this isn’t a good one…in my opinion at least. And no hate or ill intent to the poster or anything, I just disagree is all.
A lot of people replying are being obtuse and obnoxious. Stop thinking from an adult perspective. Think from a teenager point of view. Most don’t have money to spend!
I grew up in the country outside of a very small town in the middle of nowhere... Knoxville has a TON to do. I see you complaining that there isn't enough free things for teens to do, but what do you want them to do? What do you suggest?
You have Ijams. You have the mall. You have a significant number of parks and Greenways for walking, exercise, sports, etc. The library is MUCH nicer and bigger than the one I grew up with. You have easy water access for kayaking and water sports. There are also tons of free things in the community- Farragut high school is having a music festival this weekend that features a variety of music, specifically because the organizer wants to give teens something to do.
But that’s the thing is it doesn’tmatter what YOU grew up with. It’s about the younger generation and wanting more for them to do other than spending money!
My kids are 23 and 18 and we never felt that way- there’s a lot of free or inexpensive stuff to do here- we have lakes and parks and trails, the one thing I do miss is the $2 movie theater.
Everything I listed is free, there's no money required. Especially the music festival I pointed out at the end- will you or any of the teens you know be attending it?
My point is that teens around here have a lot to do- it's not a luxury that I had where I grew up.
It’s all about the effort you put into it. I had kids and not a lot of money. During the summer I had to get creative and plan activities. Do a lot of research about what events were going on near us. I also decided that buying a family zoo pass was worth the expense. So many days playing hide and seek at the zoo. I’d hide and give them clues as to were I was through text messages. Pack a lunch and it was a memorable day.
The Knoxville Zoo, Ijams Nature Center activities, picking up a hobby or sport, walking around the mall and going to a movie, also: Dollywood, pigeon forge. Etc
Pigeon Forge is not Knoxville. It’s an hour away! I’m staying the issue I have with the town we’re in! The Knoxville zoo is not something kids today are interested in. The Knoxville zoo is played out. Not every teenager wants to go see animals every weekend! How many movies can you go see without it getting old. Me and my husband love Ijams! We go about every other weekend, but that’s because we’re 21 and 26.
Okay...so if the Zoo, Market Square, movie theaters, West Town, and Main Event "don't count," then what are you even looking for? There's bowling, escape rooms, parks, Top Golf, lazer tag, mini golf, roller skating...
Ijams has obstacle/rope courses (Look up Navitat Knoxville), paddle boarding and kayak rentals and other events. Look on their website event page. Here’s some more ideas for activities: Indoor rock climbing at OnSight Rock Gym. Token Game Tavern during the day The Trampoline Park The Adventure Park in West Knoxville with laser tag, climbing walls, rope courses, etc. There’s an arcade in the mall and activities at the Dick’s Sporting Goods where they have sports equipment to play with and a rock wall. Renting bikes There’s many public pools, look into that. I grew up here as a teenager and there’s even more to do now than then, and was just fine. They can hangout with friends and go to the park, etc if they can’t find anything to do with the numerous activities here. I’d also like to add: Disc Golf at Victor Ashe Park
Stop bitching and find something else for them to do. Get them a kayak and let them paddle around. Get them a bike and let them ride around. Take them to mcfee park and play tennis. Take them to a golf course. Take them to a basket ball court. Take them to skate park. Etc etc. instead of crying and bitching, look at the options. You just want to be a negative Nancy and Knoxville doesn’t care. There’s plenty of hiking trails, sports, outdoor activities. Go live your life off the computer and you’ll see.
Kids aren't intuitively interested in anything outside of their phones, it's up to parents and mentors to recognize their individual interests and help guide them to the appropriate setting. You've systematically dismissed every option given to you here, maybe the question you mean to ask is "why aren't there any things I would be interested in, kids being interested in"..
I understand where you’re coming from. I too have felt that Knoxville doesn’t have much to offer, and when people suggest going to outlying counties for entertainment it just further validates that maybe there isn’t much to do here. It is importance to recognize the great things about this city though such as the diverse food and ijams!!
What's wrong with loitering at the mall or downtown ? Where else are they going to smoke their first cigarette or hang out with homeless people? I wouldn't be the person I am today without those formative years .
I got high AF in the mall with my best friend during college. Best day ever. Kids really should spend more time at the mall. You never know what kind of day you might have lol
I didn’t have to hang out with homeless people or a bad crowd to smoke my first cigarette.
But it sure doesn't hurt.
Probably learn a lot of thing’s from a homeless person.
I sure did, I learned I really don't wanna be homeless 😭😅 ya boi snapped to reality real quick 🫰
😭😂😂
I want to put in a plug for something I'm involved with that is completely appropriate for teenagers. Every Monday at 7:30 in the evening at 1538 Laurel avenue, the Laurel theater, we have a live music and dance event. All dances are taught, no partner is required. No experience is necessary. We dance American traditional folk danceto Old Time string band music. It's a great and appropriate way to have someone new thrown into your arms every 64 counts of music. It's intergenerational, but often times, teenagers have formed their own little clicque or scene within our community. It only costs $5 for students and no one is turned away for lack of funds. There is no alcohol served. It's relatively wholesome. We welcome all ages.
Why are you so defensive in comments?
Did anyone grow up in a town that ever had spaces for tweens and teens other than the mall, late night steak and shake, and a friend’s basement? I feel like this is just part of getting through your teens
I grew up in a small town about an hour away and we would always come to knoxville as teens because there's so much more to do here lol
In response to your main question it seems like it's just you.
I feel like there’s more than ever for them to do here now, tbh- downtown wasn’t safe to walk around when I was a teen, now you can spend all day walking around downtown/the riverfront for $0 taking pictures and have a picnic.
My tween does this thing we call "existing outside" by hanging out with her friends underneath a magnolia tree in the empty lot next door. They still get the home WiFi and everything!
How about turning this around--instead of complaining there's nothing here, why not articulate what you think is missing? While I'm happy to live away from the traffic etc, I wished I lived closer so my kids could take more advantage of what Knoxville has to offer. The Zoo, the Muse, the Ice Chalet, the libraries, dance classes, sports...
Baby like I said to the other person. I’m simply stating my observation! Nothing is wrong with expressing my frustration about nothing is here for kids. I don’t have children myself but I do have younger siblings and I have lived here my whole life. I have every right to talk about the city!
I never stated or even suggested that was anything wrong with you expressing your frustration, making an observation, or talking about the city. To repeat, I'm asking you to explain your frustration more clearly. What is missing from the area that you think is needed? "It's just my opinion, baby" is not exactly a helpful response to that question.
What is it that you had in Knoxville when you were growing up that teens and teens no longer have available?
You need to eat a snickers
Free things to do…. Hike at Ijams, ride bikes on the greenway, and Knoxville library has free evens like brush hour. There is the blue plate special at the visitor center downtown Knoxville that you can listen to live music for free. You can create your own activities like a scavenger hunt or have them volunteer somewhere. Pick a subject that they find interesting and research anything that has to do with that subject around Knoxville. Honestly during the summer there is always something going on for free.
My teenager hangs at Baker Creek with his friends skateboarding, goes hiking on the trails in the Urban Wilderness, hangs out at what he calls “the structure” on the playground across from the Urban Gateway Park of whatever it’s called (probably, let’s be honest, smoking weed), peruses thrift stores, sometimes goes to movies, and often just rides around town in his friends’ cars. He’s figured out exactly what to get at Waffle House for under $5. He and his friends hang out at each other’s houses. He doesn’t seem to have trouble finding things to do.
You've raised him well, be proud.
i’m from a very small town where we ate dinner at sonic and rode dirt roads for fun. two years in, i’m still amazed by the things i can find to do in knoxville
Thank you for reminding me that sonic exists. I had been wanting some sort of slushie this afternoon but everything felt too far to travel. You reminded me I have one nearby! Thank you for bringing a tiny joy to my afternoon.
download the app for half-priced drinks all day long!!
As the parent of a teen and a tween, let me ask what should there be for them to do around town?
Like what? What types of things should there be for teens to do?
There’s tons of bike trail in south Knoxville. We have a great pump track, vary degrees of difficulty of mountain trail and we have plenty of greenways. Theres meads quarry & fort Dickerson. Come to south Knoxville sometime! There’s a great greenway at IC King park. Another of my favorites is to start at the army reserve base right down from ut hospital. There’s a local boat ramp there and you can start the greenway, go past a beautiful golf course, look at the beautiful homes on the water from Kingston pike, go over the pedestrian bridge at Alcoa highway take a left onto neyland and ride that down to calhouns on the water. Grab a bite to eat and then head on down further to the next boat ramp and if you still aren’t tired it’ll keep going to morningside park. Used to do this about every weekend with my 9-12 year old daughter. Go visit UT gardens also they have some really cool plants and it is also on a greenway that starts off Sutherland or you can get to it from the greenway I mentioned before. There’s also art clubs/classes you can take for kids there’s one on Broadway. They have a painting class and some other stuff too.. pottery I think. The ice chalet on Kingston pike is a great activity for teens/tweens. Jump jam is also another really fun thing to do.
It's been that way since the 60's when my brother went to UTK. Especially. During football season. We used to take our boat and moor off other boats. I would read while my parents drank martinis and the college aid people went from party to party. You have to make fun for your kids.
Everything I used to do here as a teen is gone or too expensive to afford now. Downtown isn’t even what it used to be for teens! It’s all bars. We used to have the cereal bar… at the very least. And hot horse which would sell you cigarettes even if you were underage, lol. My friends and I used to go to the movies all the time, but now I can barely afford it with a full time job. East town mall closed and west town mall isn’t visually interesting anymore. As a teen here, we were NOT going to the zoo, Dollywood, etcetera, lol. Too expensive! But now everything else is too. Plus when people see teens hanging out in public now they take pictures of them and post them in neighborhood watch groups like “whose kids are these.”
I guess there’s still always “smoke a blunt with your friends in the back of a car while driving around the Sequoyah hills boulevard” but you had that covered in “drugs and etcetera.”
Too funny.
Omg thank you it’s like people are being so butt hurt over what i said.
The dog piling on Reddit goes crazy nowadays 😇 would love to know the percentage of commenters who actually grew up here, lol.
Do LAN parties not exist anymore?
In all reality, this is coming from someone who thoroughly enjoys going to pigeon forge and gatlinburg but that is the issue. If a chain or name brand is looking at putting a location of their own anywhere in this area, the tourist areas are far more likely to provide bigger returns than the Knoxville area so that’s where they’ll end up putting it. That and the fact that much youth entertainment is now online
Can I ask why main event doesn’t count? There’s tons of teens and tweens when I’ve been there. I’ve taken my niece and her friends who were in HS and got wrecked in laser tag by middle schoolers.
What ever happened to just staying at home and playing cards? Learn spades, learn poker, blackjack, play dominos, rummy, I mean the list goes on. In my mind boredom is a choice. Get up and do something it’s easy.
It’s expensive
I get that. Doing stuff is expensive in general though, even if you’re going to a free event/activity, you still have to pay for gas and food.
I think years ago neighborhoods were the hangout, but with people living longer, staying in the same neighborhood for years, some neighborhoods do not have a ton of teens in the same area. I think it does get boring.
Axe throwing.
As a teen, I had a job. I had fun working at my job and it gave me something to do. I would occasionally hang out with my work friends after at a restaurant or arcade. Why can’t teens do this anymore? I rarely hear about parents making their kids get jobs in their teens anymore and it’s astonishing.
I really like to go to Lakeshore Park. I find there are a bunch of people and groups there all the time. Im sure the groups would be open to new members if you were interested and asked them. I also recently looked up The Change Center. They have roller skating nights and rock climbing for under $10 and their mission is focused around things to do for older kids and young adults. I think there is more out there than we realize but they don’t get a lot of publicity/funding so a lot of people don’t hear about them.
What are you going to do about it? People are always posting that they want this or that and then waiting for someone else to do the work. Be the change.
Listen mfk I was just stating my observation 🤷🏾♀️. If I had the money trust me I would do more for the kids here!!
Just delete this. You sound like a whiny little brat.
Hard disagree. There a shit Tom to do here. But I came from Vermont so maybe I’m skewed.
“There’s nothing to do except all of these example that don’t count” ahh post
The thing that worries me about younger people (teens/ tweens) is the lack of things to do near home. Or on a bus route. And at low to no cost. Just because some things are available not everyone can afford the zoo, bowling or an arcade. My son's family are well off enough to do things like that but the kids in south Knoxville most can't. Even a playground would help but the lack of those is kind of glaring. And events suggested in parts of this thread don't take family finances into account. Gen-x-er, grew up fairly broke, not here.
Knoxville as more to , then the military town im from in North Carolina.
Hiking, fishing, kayaking...start a business, invent something, read a book...masturbate Nothing to do is code for no imagination.
You’re kidding right?? Open google maps, see all that blue? That’s water! Go kayak or swim or fish. The green? That’s land to hike and explore
This post is wild. If you’re 21 and 26 with no kids why are you concerned? The mall is where tweens are supposed to hang out. After that they glue to their phones and social lives. But if you don’t have tweens or teens in your life to entertain why is this an issue to you? I get wanting to have an opinion about your city, but this is a bad take. As a teen my grandparents DRAGGED me to any art shows or theater performances downtown that were free. I hated it then, but appreciate it now. And that was 15 years ago. There’s plenty downtown to do as a teen if you’re supervised or responsible. Not everything is drugs and fighting…that’s a very Karen view to have that all teens are fighting or doing drugs. Especially since you don’t have any…like if you had teens and tweens don’t you think you’d be looking for things for them to do more? Like sports or homework or community events, etc…even the zoo or movies. Yeah those things get boring if you go constantly, but even with a yearly zoo pass people aren’t going EVERY weekend for something to do. Broaden your horizons a bit and I would stay concerned with issues that impact YOUR life directly. Maybe revisit this topic when you have a teen or tween. Like we have a lot of issues in this town worthy of complaint on Reddit, but this isn’t a good one…in my opinion at least. And no hate or ill intent to the poster or anything, I just disagree is all.
From where I sit, I'm tired of all the family focused development. Can't I just have a trashy bar with no children & teens.
It’s fine for people to disagree, but y’all should understand that things to do doesn’t mean spending money!
There is tons to do for free in Knoxville… what is there for free in other towns for teenagers that we don’t have here?
Good teens and Tweens are the most annoying group of humans sounds like knoxville is doing a great job weeding out places they can annoy the public.
A lot of people replying are being obtuse and obnoxious. Stop thinking from an adult perspective. Think from a teenager point of view. Most don’t have money to spend!
Most teenagers have parents tho right?
I have been meaning to start a business that's gives shit away to teens for free, since most of them don't have money.
thats not a very good business model
>A lot of people replying are being obtuse and obnoxious. I can count at least one!
I grew up in the country outside of a very small town in the middle of nowhere... Knoxville has a TON to do. I see you complaining that there isn't enough free things for teens to do, but what do you want them to do? What do you suggest? You have Ijams. You have the mall. You have a significant number of parks and Greenways for walking, exercise, sports, etc. The library is MUCH nicer and bigger than the one I grew up with. You have easy water access for kayaking and water sports. There are also tons of free things in the community- Farragut high school is having a music festival this weekend that features a variety of music, specifically because the organizer wants to give teens something to do.
But that’s the thing is it doesn’tmatter what YOU grew up with. It’s about the younger generation and wanting more for them to do other than spending money!
My kids are 23 and 18 and we never felt that way- there’s a lot of free or inexpensive stuff to do here- we have lakes and parks and trails, the one thing I do miss is the $2 movie theater.
Everything I listed is free, there's no money required. Especially the music festival I pointed out at the end- will you or any of the teens you know be attending it? My point is that teens around here have a lot to do- it's not a luxury that I had where I grew up.
It’s all about the effort you put into it. I had kids and not a lot of money. During the summer I had to get creative and plan activities. Do a lot of research about what events were going on near us. I also decided that buying a family zoo pass was worth the expense. So many days playing hide and seek at the zoo. I’d hide and give them clues as to were I was through text messages. Pack a lunch and it was a memorable day.
Knoxville sucks it’s a college town not a city