Oak Ridge, TN Arts and Culture
With a host of museums, galleries and performance venues, Oak Ridge boasts a vibrant arts and cultural scene.
Museums, art galleries, live performances and annual events make Oak Ridge, Tenn. a top destination for arts and culture.
In This Article
Museums
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, offers kids hands-on learning opportunities emphasizing science, art and history. In addition to the museum’s many exhibits, such as a simulated Amazon rainforest, children can enjoy classes, camps, workshops and an after-school club.
At the American Museum of Science & Energy, visitors discover permanent exhibits like the World of the Atom and Earth’s Energy Resources, as well as temporary installations showcasing scientific discoveries, art and more.
Visual Art
Housed in an original World War II Manhattan Project building, the Greenwich Village Mall feature shops, artists’ studios and the Locally Grown Artists Gallery. Visitors can watch more than 35 artists and craftsmen in residence work and then can purchase wood carvings, embroidery, glassware, fiber art, jewelry, pottery, paintings or photography featured in the Locally Grown Artists Gallery.
Performing Arts
The Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Association dancers perform in productions like The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. The organization also hosts a summer camp for aspiring dancers as young as age 5. The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association hosts three concert series annually – the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, the Chamber Music Series and free Coffee Concerts. Meanwhile, Sound Company Children’s Choir of Oak Ridge, a show choir of more than 100 students in grades 1 – 12 from schools throughout the area, performs music from a wide variety of genres.
The Oak Ridge Playhouse showcases live plays and musicals such as The Adventures of Nate the Great, Urinetown and A Christmas Story, and the Junior Playhouse offers programming for young audiences and hands-on opportunities for young actors and technicians. The Junior Playhouse has presented performances for more than 50 years and sometimes works with the Mainstage on large-scale productions.
Festivals
With the goal of promoting Oak Ridge’s history, the Secret City Festival, now known as Celebrate Oak Ridge, features historical presentations and reenactments, an arts and crafts show, concerts, kids’ activities and more. The Taste of Anderson County event, which includes food from area restaurants and live entertainment in Jackson Square, raises funds for local organizations. Also held in Jackson Square, the Lavender Festival celebrates health, herbs and the environment with a luncheon, live music, educational presentations and local vendors.
The city comes together at A.K. Bissell Park for a Fourth of July fireworks display each year, and locals complete in dragon boat races at Melton Lake Park during the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival.