Famously known for being the “Birthplace of Rock and Roll” and the BBQ capital of the county, Memphis is full of fun for kids and their parents with a wide array of attractions, parks and activities. With top things to see like Graceland, the Memphis Zoo, the Children’s Museum of Memphis, and the Metal Museum, you won’t be hard-pressed to fill a day of fun for the children.
Graceland
Hailed as the most famous rock ‘n’ roll residence in the world, Graceland is the estate and mansion that was once owned by Elvis Presley. Set on a 13.8-acre in the Whitehaven community of Memphis, Tennessee, Graceland is a museum dedicated to the life and career of the famous musician. The museum takes visitors on an unforgettable journey through the rock-and-roll legend’s home and delves into the personal side of Elvis Presley and how his unique sound and revolutionary style changed the face of the pop music and culture forever. Graceland has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is open to the public daily.
Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116, Map
The Children’s Museum of Memphis
The Children’s Museum of Memphis is a hands-on, interactive museum for children that encourages touching, feeling and exploring. The museum features a variety of themed exhibits that inspire learning through play with topics such as health and well-being, house construction and recycling, waterworks, transportation, and money. There is also an outdoor play space featuring a bank-shot basketball area, a dinosaur dig, a hot air balloon and motion simulator, and a mini-van that kids can pretend to drive and repair. The Children’s Museum of Memphis has a casual café and brown bag area for hungry museum-goers who need a snack, and a gift shop that sells books, educational toys, trinkets and souvenirs.
2525 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104, Phone: 901-458-2678, website, Map
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Stax Museum of American Soul Music is dedicated to soul music and celebrates the legacy of Stax Records and its famous artists. Located on East McLemore Avenue, the former home of Stax Records, the museum is operated by Soulsville USA, which also operates the adjacent Stax Music Academy.
The museum showcases the legacy of Stax Records and its artists such as Albert King, Booker T, & the MGs, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and Johnnie Taylor, among others. Visitors can enjoy vintage video footage of other world-renowned soul artists like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, The Jackson Five, James Brown, and Tina Turner. The Stax Music Academy is a state-of-the-art facility which offers music-focused educational programs for music-loving students and houses the musically rich Soulsville Charter School where students study language arts, math, science, social studies, and orchestra.
926 E McLemore Ave, Memphis, TN 38126, Phone: 901-261-6338, Map
National Ornamental Metal Museum
Located just south of downtown Memphis with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River and the Harahan Bridge, the National Ornamental Metal Museum is dedicated exclusively to the art and craft of fine metalwork and offers unique activities, such as tours of the Museum, metalwork demonstrations and more.
The museum boasts over 3,000 items in its permanent collection that represent a broad spectrum of metalwork created by artist metalsmiths, including studio jewelry, sculpture, and contemporary hollowware, as well as historical objects dating back to the Renaissance. There is also an archive of over 36,000 architectural drawings, photographs and slides and a resource library of over 6,000 books and folios. The National Ornamental Metal Museum also offers educational opportunities such as artist residencies and apprenticeships, internship opportunities, classes, and conservation.
National Ornamental Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, Memphis, TN 38106, Phone: 901-774-6380
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum is a complex of museums and historic buildings that document the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. Built around the former Lorraine Motel, the infamous site where civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, the museum features an array of multi-media and interactive exhibits, including photographs, short movies, storyboards, and several historic vehicles such as James Earl Ray's Ford Mustang, and a replica of the burnt-out Freedom Riders Greyhound bus.
The museum complex also includes Canipe's Amusement Store, the house where the murder weapon with James Earl Ray's fingerprints was found, and the brushy lot that stood between the rooming house and the motel.
450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103, Phone: 901-521-9699, website , Map
The C.H. Nash Museum at the Prehistoric Chucalissa Archaeological Site
The C.H. Nash Museum at the Prehistoric Chucalissa Archaeological Site explores the culture of the prehistoric people who built the Chucalissa earthwork complex. The 15th-century mound and archaeological site are a National Historic Landmark that gives visitors the chance to learn more about Southeastern Indian cultures and the early history of the Mid-South. The museum features archaeology laboratory exhibits of artifacts and objects excavated from the mound, as well as interactive displays and videos about the African American community of Southwest Memphis.
1987 Indian Drive, Memphis, TN 38109, Phone: 901-785-3160, website , Map
Bass Pro Shop
The Bass Pro Shop is a premier outdoor retailer with stores across America and Canada that specializes in fishing and boating equipment, as well as equipment and gear for other outdoor activities such as hunting and camping. In addition to a vast assortment of outdoor and fishing gear, the expansive 535,000-square-foot megastore in Memphis also features a cypress swamp with 100-foot-tall trees, ponds, alligator pools, and duck aviaries; 10 aquariums with more than 1,800 fish; and an interactive National Waterfowling Heritage Center.
There is also a grand 104-room hotel with tree-house cabins and spa, a nautical-themed restaurant with a saltwater aquarium called Uncle Buck's Fishbowl and Grill, a 13-lane bowling alley amid under-water scenery and ball returns that resemble alligators and sharks, and entertainment areas including an arcade, billiard room, and pistol and archery ranges. The Lookout Restaurant and bar boasts a massive aquarium and striking glass-floored cantilevering observation deck situated at the apex of the 32-story steel Pyramid, 300 feet above the Mississippi River.
Bass Pro Shop, 1 Bass Pro Drive, Memphis, TN 38105, Phone: 901-291-8200
Lichterman Nature Center
Located in the heart of metropolitan Memphis, the Lichterman Nature Center is a beautifully maintained natural environment made up of 65 acres of meadows of native wildflowers, forests and a lake that is home to a wealth of fauna and flora. One of the city’s top environmental and educational centers, Lichterman Nature Center is a certified arboretum with exhibits that focus on metamorphosis and change in lake, meadow and forest habitats.
The center is also home to the Backyard Wildlife Center, which offers discoveries, hands-on explorations, live animals, a two-story-high boardwalk, and underwater viewing areas. There are also three miles of trails that meander their way through the Midsouth habitats of the center with convenient rest stops with benches. Visitors can also enjoy nature walks, wildlife activities, and special events throughout the year, and there is complimentary wireless Internet around the center.
Lichterman Nature Center, 5992 Quince Road, Memphis, TN 38119, Phone: 901-636-2211
Coon Creek Science Center
The Coon Creek Science Center is a science center and fossil finding site and home to one of the most important fossil sites in North America. The 232-acre property boasts the geologic Coon Creek Formation, a sedimentary sandy marl deposit that dates back to the Late Cretaceous Age, making it about 73 million years old.
The formation features many fossils, including marine shells, crabs and snails, and like vertebrate fossils like sharks and offers visitors the chance to dig for their own fossils and take them home. In addition to fossil digging, the Coon Creek Science Center provides a variety of other activities such as hiking, wildlife watching at one of five ponds, star-gazing, environmental camps, and special tours.
Coon Creek Science Center, 2983 Hardin Graveyard Rd, Adamsville, TN 38310, Phone: 901-636-2362
Shelby Farms Park
Shelby Farms Park is a 4,500-acre public park that features a variety of habitats, including natural forests, lakes, and wetlands that provide an ecosystem for a wealth of fauna and flora, including a herd of American bison. One of the largest parks in the country, Shelby Farms Park was once a privately owned property in the 19th century that still features the remains of a settlement from that time. The park was used as a penal settlement in the mid-1900s before being converted into a park for leisure activities. The park features a seven-mile biking and hiking trail connecting Shelby Farms to the heart of Midtown with access points in several locations en-route. There are also trails for horseback riding, skating, mountain biking, and running, along with playgrounds, and plenty of space to fly kites.
500 N. Pine Lake Drive, Memphis, TN 38134, Phone: 901-222-7275
