The Location
The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring is a hands-on museum and nature center that inspires exploration, enhances learning, and builds confidence through diverse programs and exhibits. Chartered in 1986 as Children’s Museum Corporation of Rutherford County, the Discovery Center provides hands-on education opportunities for the community. An extensive grassroots campaign orchestrated by young parents led to purchasing a building and creating exhibits and programs. During its first year of operation, over 11,000 visitors came to experience the museum’s exhibits and programs. Now, 27 years after its inception, the Discovery Center serves as a vibrant community and tourism center with over 120,000 children and families exploring the exhibits each year.
The Area
Rutherford County was created from parts of Davidson, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson Counties in 1803. The county was named in honor of Revolutionary War General Griffith Rutherford and was once hunting grounds for the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Shawnee nations. The Stones River, a major tributary of the Cumberland River named for explorer Uriah Stone around 1767, provided a transportation route and water source for settlers and power for mills built throughout the county. From 1818 to 1826, our county seat, Murfreesboro, was the capital of Tennessee.
The Jack Trail GeoTour
The Jack Trail GeoTour is a series of geocaches along the backroads and small towns of Middle Tennessee. There is no fixed itinerary, like on a traditional trail, but rather a series of points of interest in a self-guided, goal-oriented plan. We have created a special passport, which you can download here, which lets you track your progress as you hunt specially placed geocaches along the tour. This passport will help you collect “code words” to qualify for special geocoins for completion of the GeoTour.
