Venture into nature with these unforgettable activities fun for the family and furry friends.
When a city’s name is a combination of a tree species and a word to describe a mountainous hilltop, then you know it’s a good place to be outside. That definitely is the case with Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Here are a few of the many ways you can experience outdoor fun in Oak Ridge.
There are plenty of mountains in the Oak Ridge area, but one of the best places to go mountain bike riding is on a peninsula along the Clinch River. The 33 miles of trails at 780-acre Haw Ridge Park were ranked among the top 10 in Tennessee by the website Singletracks.com.
The trails consist of a series of small loops that can be combined to create rides of various lengths, making it ideal for both experienced mountain bikers and beginners. In 2020, the Clinch Valley Trail Alliance opened the Dirt Lab Mountain Bike Skills Park at the Haw Ridge trailhead, providing riders with a pump track where they can test their moves and improve their ability.
Hops & Hounds
Take your pooch and grab a pint at Hops & Hounds, on off-leash dog park and craft beer garden located less than 5 miles from Oak Ridge’s city center.
In addition to providing a safe place for four-legged friends (and their two-legged owners) to have fun, Hops & Hounds has special events such as Mini Mondays, when the enclosed leashed area is reserved just for small dogs.
Day passes cost $8, but a monthly membership runs just a dollar a day at $30. Hops & Hounds is owned by Bela and Maggie Parrott, animal lovers who have been involved in rescuing and fostering dogs in need.
Here is a rowing machine that you can’t stick in the corner and forget. Members of the Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) have access to the boathouse at Melton Lake Park as well as the fitness facilities and docks.
Introductory classes and training programs take place on Melton Lake’s 30 miles of calm water, which is considered to have one of the best 2,000-meter rowing courses in the country. The ORRA has hosted several prestigious regattas over the years, including the NCAA Women’s Rowing National Championships and USRowing championship events, and is home to the Atomic Rowing Juniors Program, a competitive youth racing team for ages 13 to 19.
K-25 Interpretive Center and Atomic History Center
For decades, visitors have been able to see into the past at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, honoring the efforts made in Oak Ridge during the 1940s to help end World War II. Now, visitors also can see for miles into the distance from the park’s new K-25 Interpretive Center and Atomic History Center, which will soon have William J. Wilcox Jr. added to its title. The viewing platform provides a panoramic view of the former K-25 building’s massive 44-acre footprint, with the mountains in the background vividly illustrating why the facility and adjacent community were dubbed “Happy Valley.”
The Greens by Gypsy Circus
On the golf course, “the drink” refers to a water hazard that golfers try to avoid. But that is not the case at The Greens by Gypsy Circus, a mini-golf course and entertainment center that includes two dozen draft beer drinks available through the on-site Atomic City Brewing Co., the first brewery in Oak Ridge.
Owned by locally made Gypsy Circus Cider, The Greens offers three mini-golf courses along with several other outdoor games, including bocce ball, cornhole and a giant chess set.
UT Arboretum
With Knoxville and the University of Tennessee less than 25 miles away, the color orange is prevalent in the Oak Ridge area. But at the UT Arboretum, you also will find a kaleidoscope of reds, yellows, blues, pinks and purples through the more than 25,000 varieties of plants and flowers on display.
This 250-acre field is a project of the University of Tennessee Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, serving as an outdoor classroom for university students working on new techniques in forestry, wildlife resources management and environmental stewardship. The Arboretum also receives more than 30,000 visitors a year.