When we found out we would be PCSing to Fort Campbell and living in Clarksville, Tennessee, I was excited because it would be fairly close to Indiana. (Four hour drive from my family) What I didn’t realize, though, is how much I would love the Clarksville area. We lived there for almost two years, and now that we recently moved I’ve been thinking back to all the neat spots that I loved in that city.
For those out there who are PCSing to Fort Campbell or maybe already live in Clarksville, I wanted to share those favorite spots. About a week before we moved, a friend took me a park that was awesome! I kept thinking, “Why did no one tell me about this spot?!” I couldn’t believe it! I had really missed out, and I don’t want that to be the case for anyone else. So let me share with you my favorite spots in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Spots to Check Out In Clarksville, Tennessee
1. Miss Lucille’s
If you like good food, good drinks, and shopping, this place is for you. They have a cafe with really good food, a coffee shop, and a ton of booths with all sorts of items for sale — from clothes to furniture to antiques to gifts. It’s fun just to walk around and browse. They have more than 200 vendors, so you could be there awhile! It’s a great spot for your friends to get together for lunch or drinks. Check out their website here.
2. Golly G’s
I’m all for local ice cream shops. Of course, I’ll take Coldstone any day, but I love supporting local businesses. So even though Golly G’s was a farther drive for me, I went there often. They have tons of great flavors of hard-dipped ice cream, but they also have coffee drinks and tons of baked goods. Check it out here.
3. Liberty Park
This is the park I was telling you about above. I only found it my last week in Clarksville, but even so we went twice that week! This place is huge and includes a 10-acre fishing pond, a walking trails, pavilions, a dog park area, and a huge playground. Plus, there is just tons of open grass for playing or lounging or picnics. I loved that the playground had a separate area specifically for toddlers that way I knew Raylee wasn’t getting run over by bigger kids. Check out their website for more info, but I’m telling you don’t miss this spot!
4. McGregor Park Riverwalk
Not too far away is McGregor Park Riverwalk, which is, you guessed it, right along the river. This is such a nice area for a stroll on a pretty day. Travis and I would stop here after dinner and walk along the river or sit on a bench or swing and just talk. There’s also a playground area and rental bicycles. A friend and I once brought our lunch and a big blanket and had a picnic along the river. It was so nice! Here’s more info on the area.
5. Clarksville Farmer’s Market
Travis and I were really excited to live in a city that actually had a nice farmer’s market. We loved getting fresh produce each week, but we also loved the homemade ice cream from the Amish stand. Oh, and their homemade breads and pastries. We also loved the lemonade stand, the popsicle stand, and, when it was there, the taco food truck. Do you see a trend? We love food! Here’s all the info you need to check it out!
6. Dunbar Cave
Others had told us Dunbar Cave was pretty neat to check out, so we gave it a try. It was interesting to read the history, but after seeing Miller Cave at Fort Leonard Wood, Dunbar Cave was a little disappointing. With that being said, if you haven’t been to Miller Cave, then you should still go see Dunbar Cave. There’s lots of hiking available, and they give cave tours (which I didn’t realize). If you actually do a tour of the cave, I bet it’s neat. We just walked around the entrance and were disappointed we couldn’t go inside. Get more information on Dunbar Cave here.
7. Montgomery County Library
Here’s another spot I didn’t find until the end of our time in Clarksville. I took Raylee to the library to meet some other moms for a play-date, and it was so much fun. They have tons of toys (and books obviously) for the kiddos to play with, and it gave us mamas plenty of time to chat while watching them. The library also has programs available several times a week for different age groups. I always wanted to take Raylee, and unfortunately didn’t get a chance to before we moved. But I would recommend this spot for sure! Check out their calendar here.
8. Liberty Park Grill
I’m so glad we found this restaurant early on, because it was one of my favorites in Clarksville! This spot is close to the park, so maybe after a fun day of playing, you can stop in for some food. The atmosphere is so nice, yet still casual. I loved sitting outside when the weather was nice because it’s right on the marina. You can watch the water and the boats, and it’s so relaxing! The kicken’ chicken was my favorite entree. Check out the menu!
9. Kids N’ Play and Clarksville Elite Gymnastics Center
Once Raylee started walking, we needed to get out of the house more. If you have a toddler (or two) you probably get it. That’s where these two spots come in handy! Kid’s N Play is a huge place for kids to, well, play. They have a large 3-story jungle gym complete with slides, a cannon blaster area where you can shoot nerf balls at each other, a track with hand-powered cars, a whole town set up with imagination toys, arcade games, and a bungee jumping area. There is also an area just for crawlers and infants. There is so much to do. Kids from ages 1-10 would love it and could probably spend all day there. Here are all the details!
The other spot I enjoyed taking Raylee was the Elite Gymnastics Center. They have a toddler time where you can let your little ones go wild. There are soft mats covering all the floors and tons of things for them to explore. Raylee had a blast, and I had fun chasing her around and watching her smile. I’m sure toddlers who are older would love it even more than she did. Get more info here.
10. High$5
We found out about this place, again, toward the end of our stay in Clarksville. But that’s probably for the best, because we would have spent a lot of money here if we had known about it. This store gets all kinds of returned items from other stores and they sell them for $5. Now, some of the stuff is junk. But some items are real treasures! It’s almost like gambling, because you may not know if the item is broken or if they person returning it just didn’t want it. There’s a certain day they open and you have to get there early if you want to get the good stuff, but when Travis went early he hit the jackpot. We got two large rugs (both valued at hundreds of dollars) for $5 each, and there’s not a thing wrong with them. He also loved getting the mystery boxes and going through them at home to see what was inside. Those were always hit or miss. Here’s the Facebook page if you want to see how it all works.
Those are my favorite spots in Clarksville, Tennessee. I’m sure Clarksville has even more hidden treasures, so share in the comments! What did I miss?