Vol. 1 — No. 11Weekend Episode · Thu–Sun, Aug 27–30, 2026 · South Knoxville, TN★ soknoear.com
Vol. 1 — No. 11 · Aug 27–30★ soknoear.com
The South Knoxville Ear — We Hear Things.
Wanna party in the Dirty South?
★ Tonight's plan: happy hours → music → karaoke →
Ijams ParkSat

Somebody reads out loud under the trees at the Ijams Nature Playscape on Saturday morning, and it's free

Two hours at the Playscape out by Mead's Quarry: a story in a shady spot, sometimes a hands-on nature project, and otherwise small kids left to roam.

Ten to noon, out at the quarry

The Ijams Nature Playscape sits out at Mead's Quarry — logs and stumps and dirt arranged so that a four-year-old can climb the whole thing without anybody having to use the word playground. Every Saturday from ten to noon, somebody sits down out there in a shady spot and reads a story out loud.

When
Sat Aug 29 · 10 AM – noon
Where
Ijams Nature Playscape at Grayson Subaru Preserve · 3518 Island Home Pike
Cost
Free
Ages
Small children and whoever brought them
How often
Every Saturday morning

What actually happens

Some weeks there's a hands-on, nature-inspired project attached. Other weeks the story ends and the kids just go — roam, dig, climb, meet somebody. Both versions work. Bring a blanket if you want to sit; bring nothing if you don't.

Why it's on this page

Most of what's worth doing this weekend has a ticket price and a start time you have to plan around. This one costs nothing, repeats every week, and asks only that you show up before noon. If you have small kids and a Saturday to fill, it's the easiest good decision available.

Original Dirty South Map Found

Click to see the original map of Knoxville’s Dirty South that was recently unearthed for the public to see.

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