Memphis Kids Activities & Things To Do with Kids

Memphis is the largest city in Tennessee on the Mississippi River, near the borders of Arkansas and Mississippi. A businessman from Tennessee who helped to establish the city in 1819 named the city Memphis after the ancient Egyptian city because of its site on the Nile-like Mississippi River, and he later went on to become President Andrew Jackson. Memphis was incorporated in 1826 and became an important Mississippi River port. Memphis has one of the country’s largest inland ports and is national headquarters for many large companies. The world-renowned Beale Street was made famous by W.C. Handy, blues composer extraordinaire who contributed greatly to the development of blues music, as well as Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.

Memphis has a diverse restaurant scene with New American and New Southern cuisine, but it is most famous for slow-smoked hand-pulled pork shoulder barbeque or ribs. Its many restaurants and pubs showcase its international eating choices as well as after-hours live music and entertainment. Memphis has something for everyone; so if you are going to visit for business or holiday, bring the whole family with you. The Children’s Museum of Memphis is a good way to spend a few hours of fun, being mainly for the younger ones with its kid-sized interactive hands-on exhibits. The little ones can climb a real fire engine, and climb through a 22-foot tall skyscraper too. Always of interest is the century-old Memphis Zoo and Aquarium, home to almost 3000 exotic and endangered animals, polar bears, sea lions and seals, and the newest attraction is a pair of delightful panda bears from China. The Memphis Pink Palace Museum offers cultural and natural history exhibits with dinosaur fossils, mineral collections, Civil War artifacts, a hand-carved miniature circus, and the Planetarium inside the museum has changing laser light shows and an IMAX theater.

The whole family can spend a day of fun at Libertyland with both daring roller coaster rides and tamer ones for the younger set along with a merry-go-round. Celebration Station has mini golf, bumper boats, over 100 arcade games for pre-teens, and provides endless outdoor fun for kids of all ages. For something a little different, you can ride the Memphis Main Street Trolley to downtown attractions such as Beale Street, the Great American Pyramid and the National Civil Rights Museum. The Pyramid is a 32-story glass enclosed civic center, sports arena and museum complex landmark on the riverfront area. You can take a tour of the world’s third largest pyramid, which is a lot closer than Egypt. Mud Island, a 52-acre park, is accessible by foot or by monorail, with lots of shops and places to eat, and the largest swimming pool in Tennessee. While there, be sure to visit the Riverwalk area with its ½ mile long scale model of the Mississippi River from the top to the delta at the Gulf of Mexico, something for the grownups to check out. Not to be missed is Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, and one of the nation’s largest tourist attractions. You can tour the mansion, see his collection of gold records, his cars, his jewelry and his stage outfits. It is uniquely entertaining for the whole family with its kitschy shops and fun restaurants. The King of Rock and Roll did indeed live in grand southern style.

As you can see, Memphis offers something for everyone, resident and tourist alike. Just remember to have the sitter and the kids wear comfy shoes when out and about in Memphis.