There is nothing more memorable like time well spent with your family, and finding good places that your kids will enjoy can be tricky, sometimes even impossible. However, there are such places, and if you plan your trip in advance, and make short visits to different attractions, you can make the best of it, and make your whole family satisfied.
Memphis with Kids
Memphis, Tennessee, the birthplace of Rock “n” Roll, and the home of Blues, and the place where you can find probably the best BBQ in the whole US, is a great place where you can find insanely fun things to do with your family, from the youngest to the oldest. Yes, normally there are museums to be visited, some you cannot allow to be missed; however, there are parks, river cruises, family games like mini golf, various restaurants from the rich Memphis cuisine, the house of the King, and many many more places to visit and enjoy.
Of course, there is never enough time, or children patient, to see and visit everything, so here is a list of 10 “a must” visit places for your family:
- Graceland – the home of The King, Elvis Presley, is a place first on the list of very obvious reasons. Even if you are not a fan, of The King, or of Rock “n” Roll (what would be the chances of that, right?), still your kids should have the opportunity to find out more of the life of Elvis Presley. Take a private tour, with headsets and ipads (your kids will like it), and walk from room to room of the great mansion, and learn about how was it like to be the King of Rock n Roll, see the car collection (again, a must), private planes, see how he personally decorated the place. You will spend many hours there, so a hint, on the way to Memphis, plays some Elvis music, chances are your kids will like it, who doesn’t, right?
- National Civil Rights Museum – placed in the motel site of the murder of Martin Luther King, the National Civil Rights Museum is a place where you and your kids will learn a lot about American civil rights activists and the work of Martin Luther King. Even if your kids are not still learning American history, this could be a good point to start from. Show them the life-sized exhibits, and hear the voices of the activists who raised America’s conscience.
- The Memphis Zoo – a very popular attraction since it opened in 1906. Now based on 70 acres and houses more than 3500 animals, the Zoo offers fun time for a whole day. You can get to know more about polar bears, pandas, wild cats and many more. Your kids will be more than grateful!
- Memphis kids museum – perhaps the most fun kid’s museum in the US, at least what visitors have said. It houses a newly refurbished carousel, science exhibit, a Fed Ex plane, police cars, a real fire truck and many more. You can also visit the Pink Palace Museum which has different exhibits, like history, dinosaur and geology, and do not forget the huge planetarium!
- Mississippi River Cruise – Memphis is best seen from the Mississippi River, and you will learn many facts about the city on this cruise, because the tour includes historical commentary on the way. Mississippi River is the third longest in the world and the number one longest in the US. Fun and educational for the kids, and the best place to take some selfies with Memphis in the background.
- Shelby Farms Park – the parks holds all that a park should hold, miles of trails for walking, horseback riding, off-leash dog park, many lakes where you can boat, different events depending on the season, and of course, Go Ape, the adventure rope course meant for older kids and teenagers. Take a day off and visit the park, chances are you will go back in the days spent in Memphis at least once more.
- Sun Records Museum – again, even if not a fan of Rock n Roll, chances are your kids will be, so make them be well prepared. This iconic studio is where Elvis recorded his first song, where Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and even U2 recorded. The studio is active during night when musicians still record at that time, but during day there is a guided tour where you will find out all there is to know about how the greatest musician of our time used to craft their songs here.
- Eating in Memphis – you must visit Central BBQ in Memphis, in any of their three locations; they offer the true Memphis BBQ pork ribs with their unique taste. Kids just love it, getting their hands all messed up is fun for everyone, not just for them. Also, be sure to stop by Gus’s World famous Fried Chicken for a taste of hot spiced fried chicken like no other in the world!
- Famous Peabody Ducks at the Peabody Hotel – all kids love ducks, but these are no ordinary ducks, but marching ducks. Every day, at 11 am, a Peabody Duckmaster takes the ducks down from their penthouse at the roof in the elevator; they march down a red carpet to the fountain where they spend their day, and later, at 5 pm the Duckmaster takes them up again on the same route. It might sound wacky, but kids love it! It is a tradition lasting all the way from 1930s.
- Walk Memphis at night – walk on Beale Street at night and see all the neon lighting and all the street musicians performing there. Some clubs don’t allow kids in (again, of obvious reasons), but you can visit Clayborne Reborn, an old church turned into a music and art performance space where you can hear kids’ orchestra, gospel choir (original Memphis choir), and your kids will appreciate it for sure.
Memphis with Kids
