50 best-rated things + FREE attractions for TN residents
Located just west of Nashville is its music city cousin, Memphis. Known as the home of blues and the Barbecued Pork Capital of the World, Memphis is only 3 hours from Nashville.
Take a day trip or an overnight
Before we visited, we didn't know much about what Memphis had to offer. We had heard about Beale Street, but wondered if we could fill an overnight trip with other fun activities?
We've compiled this list of 50 fun things your family can do there, besides the popular Beale Street. There are quite a few things to do in Memphis with kids.
Pin this for later: 50 best-rated things to do in Memphis!
50 things to do in Memphis, besides Beale St. by ThoseCrazyNelsons.com
The places of interest marked with ■ are the activities we squeezed into our 2-day trip.
The Memphis attractions marked with □ are ones we couldn't fit in.
These are the places to have fun in Memphis!
1. ■ Ikea
2. ■ Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (closed Tuesdays)
3. ■ Graceland
4. ■ Memphis Pyramid
5. □ Lookout Restaurant
6. □ Elevator to the Lookout and scenic pictures
7. ■ Bowling and dinner at Uncle Bucks
8. □ Memphis Rock N' Soul Museum
9. ■ Memphis Zoo
10. □ Bike green way Shelby Farms
11. □ Zipline at Shelby Farms
12. □ Free outdoor fitness classes
13. □ Woodland Discovery Playground
14. □ Splash around Mud Island River Park (April-October)
15. □ Children's Museum of Memphis
16. □ Stax Museum of American Soul Music
17. □ Memphis Botanic Garden
18. □ View sunset from Tom Lee Park
19. □ Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
20. □ Mississippi River Museum
21. □ Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum
22. ■ Duck march at Peabody Hotel
23. ■ Grab a burger at Hueys
24. □ Take in a show at the historic Orpheum Theatre
25. □ Fireworks and baseball game at AutoZone Park
26. □ Visit the birthplace of Rock-n-Roll, Sun Studio
27. □ Pink Palace Family of Musuems
28. □ Read a book at Novel Memphis bookstore
29. □ Take a trolley tour
30. □ Walk the South Main Historic District
31. □ View paintings at Dixon Gallery and Gardens
32. □ Spend the night in the pyramid at Big Cypress Lodge
33. □ Take dance lessons at Rumba Room
34. □ Explore Lichterman Nature Center
35. □ Take picture in front of I Love Memphis murals
36. □ Have old-fashioned milkshakes at A.Schwab
37. □ Play epic game of hide-n-seek at Rainbow Lake Playground
38. □ Walk or bike across Mississippi River on Big River Crossing
39. □ Take river boat cruise
40. □ Lunch at Memphis' oldest cafe, The Arcade Restaurant
41. □ Taste some ribs at Central BBQ
42. □ Energize with a smoothie bowl or kombucha cocktail at City Silo Table + Pantry
43. □ Taste of downtown Memphis Food Tour
44. □ Tour historic Woodruff-Fontaine House
45. □ Pay your respects at the oldest active cemeteries in Memphis, Elmwood Cemetery
46. □ Blues lovers will enjoy a visit to the Blues Hall of Fame
47. □ Enjoy free disc golf at Libertyland
48. □ Get lost in Southern folk art and soul food at the Center for Southern Folklore
49. □ See a mummy at the University of Memphis Art Museum
50. □ Browse unique boutiques in Cooper-Young Entertainment District
50 of the best-rated things to do in Memphis, by ThoseCrazyNelsons.com
Special note for TN residents!! These attractions have FREE days just for you.
Free things to do in Memphis include:
Memphis Zoo, on Tuesdays (except in March), rules apply
Civil Rights Museum, on Mondays from 3pm until closing, must have TN state-issued ID, rules and blackout dates apply
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