Top Fun Things to Do in Memphis with Kids

If you’ve followed my blog for long, you know travel is a big part of our life. It’s important to us to plan adventures for our kids and introduce them to different cultures, people, and destinations, and we believe travel is a vital part of their education and life experience. We recently took a family vacation to Memphis, Tennessee and we not only had so much fun and shared lots of laughs, we experienced some new family-friendly activities and made so many memories. My kids LOVED the adventure, it is a top family vacation destination for sure. I’m excited to share my Memphis family vacation guide featuring the top things to do in Memphis with kids!

This post is sponsored by Tennessee Tourism, however, all opinions are my own.

TOP THINGS TO DO IN MEMPHIS WITH KIDS

The state of Tennessee is such a great vacation destination, there are so many things to do across the state, and it’s such a beautiful area as well. In fact, you can check out the kidreviewedtn.com site to see the vast offerings available for family fun. We marked a lot of things off our list in Memphis, including the Memphis Zoo, Memphis Botanic Gardens, Memphis Fire Museum, Bass Pro Shops, and the Peabody Ducks. Read on for highlights of our trip!

MEMPHIS ZOO

Like most kids, my kids love animals, so we love it when we have an opportunity to visit a zoo. In fact, one of our goals is to visit as many zoos across the United States as we can, and we have visited a few so far and the award-winning Memphis Zoo is now one of our favorites. Home to more than 4500 animals, we saw so many things from the farm animals at the Once Upon a Farm exhibit to the Northwest Passage area featuring polar bears, black bears, Bald Eagles and Sea Lions to the Tropical Bird House which homed a myriad of colorful birds.

I think you’d need a couple of days to see every exhibit that the Memphis Zoo offers but we loved seeing the Sea Lion show and feeding the giraffes was such a special experience. My baby girl could not stop laughing at the giraffe’s long tongue. We also loved seeing the polar bear exhibit, and the panda bears. Their hippo exhibit is also amazing because you can see the hippos from underneath the water and it really gave the kids some perspective on just how large they are!

When in Memphis, you must get a selfie with a giraffe.

In addition, my LEGO loving boys were giddy at being able to view the Special Lego Sculpture attraction which is on display through early September. They had large sculptures of animals made from LEGOS!

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Another must-see location is the My Big Backyard exhibit at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. We love visiting Botanical Gardens because it introduces the kids to nature and different varietals of flowers and plants. But the Memphis Botanic Garden is not your typical garden. They have an exhibit called My Big Backyard and it is full of family-friendly fun. The kids can run free and play in their more than a dozen whimsical themed areas.

My kids ran all over and had so much fun jumping, splashing, pretending, creating, and digging all while learning and experiencing the great outdoors. We found a kid-sized castle along with costumes available, and my big boys were having a dual in no time, while the girls played King and Queen of the castle.

We then happened upon a playhouse made out of sticks, along with a nature-inspired playground. We learned about gardening, they wiggled through worm tunnels, we played nature-inspired instruments in whimsical playhouses. The kids loved feeding the fish and pretending to roast marshmallows around the campfire. We found a couple of areas with swings and slides, there are so many things to do!

MEMPHIS FIRE MUSEUM

Like most young kids, my kids are big fans of fire trucks and firefighters so a visit to the Memphis Fire Museum was a must for our vacation. The museum is housed in 2 floors of the historic Fire Station #1 and this world-class museum offers interactive displays and simulators including a Fire Room where you can feel the heat of a fire or pretend to battle the flames of a burning skyscraper from a snorkel basket.

From sliding down a fire pole to driving a simulated truck, the kids learned so much while having fun too! They loved getting to dress up in child-sized fire gear and it was such a treat to meet the local fire rescue dog who we learned had been on a countless number of life-saving missions. He was a very special and beloved dog! In addition, they have thousands of artifacts on display including fire engines from the horse-drawn era and lots of historical exhibits. We really enjoyed getting a close-up view of history as well.

BASS PRO SHOPS AT THE PYRAMID

We have been to various locations of Bass Pro Shops before, and we always have a great time. This location is special because it’s located in the iconic Pyramid in Memphis and includes 535,00 square feet of family fun and everything an outdoor enthusiast would want to see and experience. My kids loved the 28-story freestanding elevator that leads to a glass observation deck with an amazing view of Memphis, and they haven’t stopped talking about getting to catch fish and seeing the aquarium fish fed.

While we were there, we learned about waterfowl conservation in the Waterfowling Heritage Center. The kids enjoyed seeing duck calls and historic guns and decoys. They got to practice their shot in the fire pistol ranges, and they all loved seeing the wildlife like the fish and alligators.

Bass Pro Shops has a Beretta Fine Gun Center and we got a close look at their selection of boats, which is on our family wish list for the future. They also offer a Big Cypress Lodge, a 103-room wilderness themed hotel. The next time we vacation in Tennessee, we’ll have to stay there! Our last stop at the Bass Pro Shops was to pick up a home-made fudge treat, and it was worth every calorie!

PEABODY DUCKS

We had so much fun seeing the world-famous Peabody Ducks. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re missing out on an adorable tradition at the Peabody Hotel. Twice a day you can watch the Peabody Ducks march the red carpet to the lobby fountain where they swim and greet guests. The kids were tickled to watch them parade down accompanied by their dapperly dressed attendant.

I hope this Memphis family vacation guide gives you some great ideas for the top things to do in Memphis with kids. You’ll have to watch this video showcasing our trip and the other locations around Tennessee that make it such a fantastic family vacation destination. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids laugh and have fun together, and as you can see from the videos above and below, we made so many unforgettable memories.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Check out the kidreviewedtn.com site for more family-friendly destinations in Tennessee.  If you are looking for more travel guides, check out our guide for St. Louis, Disney World First Trip, Dallas, Memphis, Beaver Creek Ski Vacation, Gulf Shores, Branson, Great Wolf Lodge, Ocean Club Turks and Caicos, and my Napa Valley Weekend Itinerary.

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