There are a multitude of family adventures waiting for you in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis offers everything from duck parades to Elvis Mania, with all sorts of history and nature in-between.
Museums are a good place to start. The Childrens Museum of Memphis teaches children and the-children-in-adults all about math, science, health, and art using hands-on exhibits. Be sure to check their events calendar to see if something special is going on while you are in town. The National Civil Rights Museum is located at the site of the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered. The museum opened in 1991, with exhibits covering the civil rights movement from 1600 to the present. You can also visit the Pink Palace Family of Museums. The Pink Palace Museum has exhibits that run from dinosaurs to the Civil War to the present. Included in the Pink Palace Family of Museums is the Pink Palace Mansion, originally owned by Clarence Saunders, a founder of the Piggly Wiggly grocery stores; the Mallory-Neely House, built in 1852, with most of its original furniture on display; and the Magevney Place, an example of a typical middle-class home before the Civil War. Want more? Go to the Fire Museum of Memphis with its historical firemen artifacts, old fire trucks, and Memphis first horse-driven steam fire engine.
Tired of museums? How would you like spend some time outside? Take the River Walk at the Mud Island River Park, a five block stroll of the lower Mississippi River in miniature. You can also rent paddle boats at the Island Park. Take a walk at the Lichterman Nature Center, 65 acres of wet lands and forest, featuring the plants that inhabit the Memphis area. Visit the Memphis Botanical Garden or the Memphis Zoo.
How about a few things that are a little different? Go to Liberty Land and take a ride on one of the oldest all-wood roller coasters still running in the United States. Take in a minor league baseball game with the Memphis Redbirds or a University of Memphis Tiger football or basketball game. For those who are musically inclined, take a walk down Beale Street and visit the Blues Museum. And while you are in the Beale Street area, go see the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum, located on the second floor of the Gibson Guitar Factory.
Do not forget to visit the world famous Graceland, Elvis Presleys fourteen acre estate. Elvis Presley was born in 1935 and moved to Memphis in 1948. He died at Graceland in 1977, after receiving 14 Grammy nominations, making 33 movies, and selling over a billion records. Graceland is not completely open to the public, as some of the private areas remain closed, but you can visit many rooms, including Elvis trophy building, the pool room, the jungle den, the dining room and the kitchen. You can visit his Automobile Museum, which houses his famous 1955 pink Cadillac. You can see some of his personal wardrobe, his personal jewelry, and his custom personal jets. Elvis and his parents are buried on Gracelands grounds, which is open to the public. Again, check for special events, particularly around Elvis birthday on January 8th.
And then, there is the traditional parade of ducks at the Peabody Hotel. Everyday just before 11 A.M., a red carpet is rolled out from the elevator to the fountain in the lobby of the hotel. To the sound of John Phillip Sousas King Cotton March, five ducks, one mallard and four hens, are led out onto the red carpet by the impeccably dressed Duck Master, who ceremoniously leads them to the fountain for day of frolic in the water. Then at 5 P.M., the red carpet is rolled out again, and the Duck Master leads his charges back to their special duck elevator to spend the night at the Royal Duck Palace on the roof of the hotel. A tradition for over 75 years, this is a must see for anyone visiting the area.
Memphis has many activities to keep families active for days on end. Before your trip, check the internet for any special events at the places that you would like to visit. Be prepared for an interesting trip!
Family travel destinations attractions and things to do with kids in memphis
