Going Green in Tennessee
Kimberly Stapleton is the mom of two fabulous daughters, Fiona (4) and Matilda (8 months). After learning early on in my second pregnancy that her daughter would have special needs due to a brain anomaly, she decided that she would need to rearrange her life and priorities a but. After seven years of working as the development director for a non-profit organization, Kimberly is a now a stay-at-hom mom. She has long believed in living an eco-friendly, sustainable, lifestyle but this has become even more important to her now that she is a mother. Kimberly enjoys raising both of her girls with an appreciation of the Earth and its resources.
Here are green mom Kimberly Stapleton’s tips for going green in her home state of Tennessee..
Green Forums
FARMER’S MARKETS
Dixie Lee Farmer’s Market – 12740 Kingston Pike, Farragut, TN Open: Saturdays, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Maryville Farmer’s Market - Downtown Maryville on Church Avenue, near CBBC Bank, Open: Saturdays 9:00 am – sell out, Contact: 865.984.0954
Memphis Farmer’s Market – Central Station, S. Front Street at GE Patterson, Downtown Memphis, Open: Saturdays, Mid-April through October 7:00 am – 1 pm
Franklin Farmer’s Market – The Factory, 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN Open: Saturdays, May through October 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Nashville Farmer’s Market – 900 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208,
Open: Monday – Sunday, 8:00 am – 6 pm, Contact: 615.880.2001
FOOD
Major Grocery Chains
Earthfare – Johnson City and Knoxville
Whole Foods – locations in Middle and Western Tennessee
Wild Oats Marketplace – in the Nashville area
Local/Independent Grocers
National Foods Market – serving the Johnson City and surrounding are
Eaton’s Creek Organics – organic produce, herbs and cut flowers, located just outside Nashville
Greenlife Grocery – Chattanooga
Three Rivers Market – Knoxville area community co-op
Turnip Truck Natural Market – Nashville area
Whole Earth Grocery and Café – Gatlinburg, TN
Other
Off the Vine Home Produce Delivery – bringing the farmer’s market to you, delivers organic, local produce to Middle and Eastern Tennessee
RESTAURANTS
Vegetarian options exist at several of the area Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Chinese restaurants. The list of these restaurants is simple too extensive. Listed below are vegetarian restaurants.
212 Market Restaurant – a green certified restaurant, Chattanooga
Belewa’s Vegan Gourmet – 1651 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104, #901.274.3917
Veggie Café – 1601 Riverside Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37216, #615-228-4323
Jamine Thai and Vegetarian Restaurant – 916 South Cooper Street, Memphis, TN 38104, #901.7250223
Country Life Restaurant – located in the Wildwood Lifestyle and Hospital, Chattanooga
Sunspot – near the University of Tennessee campus, Knoxville – consistently voted best vegetarian restaurant in Knoxville area, meat options also available
Sunset Grill – 2001 Belcourt, 21st Avenue, Hillsborough Village, Nashville, TN #615.386.3663
The Tomato Head – not purely vegetarian but a lot of options for vegetarians, locations in Knoxville and Maryville
FAMILY FUN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – the best opportunity to see nature with your children, the US’s most visited national park, East Tennessee
Adventure Science Center – Nashville, fascinating planetarium
Creative Discovery Museum – Chattanooga, explores a variety of subjects – science, art, and music in a fun way!
Discovery Center at Murfee Spring – Murfreesboro, museum and nature center
Hands On! Museum – great resource in the Johnson City area
Ijams Nature Center – one of my favorite places to go!, nature trails and educational classes, Knoxville
Little Ponderosa Zoo – Clinton, petting zoo and pony rides
Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary – Nashville area, dedicated to conservation, education, and preservation
Pink Palace Family Museums – a variety of things to see and do in the Memphis area
Tennessee Central Railway Museum – rail tours, Nashville
Tennessee Valley Railroad – rail tours, Chattanooga
FESTIVALS
Children’s Festival of Reading – Knoxville
Earth Day celebration – Nashville
EarthFest –Knoxville
Juneteenth Festival – Memphis
Germantown Oktoberfest – funland for the children, Nashville
Memphis in May – international festival
Riverbend - Chattanooga
The Children’s Picnic & Flying WILD Bird Festival – Warner Nature Park
Window on the World – multicultural festival, Cookeville
ACCOMMODATIONS
McCoy Place B&B – located in the Catoosa Wildlife Management area on the Cumberland Plateau
Crocker Springs B&B – Nashville area
Gaylord Opryland hotel – beautiful hotel, winner of the Good Earth Keeping Award
River Inn of Harbor Town – Memphis, rated 2 eco leaves for its eco-initiatives
Timber Rose Lodge – Gatlinburg area, offers “eco suites”
Union Station Hotel – historic hotel in the Nashville area
SHOPPING
Enchanted Planet, 111 W Lytle, Murfreesboro, TN 37130, 615-849-1994
Earth Stuph – 114 S. 11th Street, Nashville, TN 37206
The Green Wagon - Nashville at 4429 Murphy Road
Hi I am a stay at home mother of two, Fiona who is 3 and Rowan who is 1, in Knoxville. I thought that local CSAs should also be mentioned as well as businesses that help people assess their energy consumption and make a plan to conserve. My husband works for Sustainable Future in Knoxville and they do solar panels and zero energy housing, they also do some consulting on energy conservation. http://www.sustainablefuture.biz
Hi, I love your page. My daughter has really bad allergies. I have been looking everywhere for an organic solution for her rooms and I thought you might want to know about Natures Greenlife, LLC I fell in love with their organic bedding and children’s line. The owner really took her time to explain to me the products and the benefits of the products she was offering. Natures Greenlife in Nashville, TN offers all kinds of home products such as mattresses, bedding, paint, and furniture. All organic.
I got a great deal on a mattress!
Thanks for putting up these great resources. I live in California, but my cousins are in Knoxville living the same type of green lifestyle that I do. They have a lot of fun visiting the EarthFest in Knoxville every year.