Memphis sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River in Tennessee and packs history, music, wildlife, and outdoor space into a compact, drivable city. The things to do in Memphis with family span free museums to paid wildlife parks, and most are within 15 minutes of downtown. You do not need to spend a lot to fill four or five days with genuinely good experiences.
Best Memphis Family Attractions
| Attraction | Best Age Group | Approx. Cost | Time Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Zoo | All ages | $16-$20/person | 3-4 hours |
| National Civil Rights Museum | Ages 8 and up | $20/adult, $15/child | 2-3 hours |
| Peabody Hotel Duck March | All ages | Free | 30 minutes |
| Mississippi River Park | All ages | Free | 1-2 hours |
| Pink Palace Museum | Ages 4 and up | $14.95/adult, $10.95/child | 2-3 hours |
| Shelby Farms Park | All ages | Free | 2-5 hours |
| Beale Street | All ages (daytime) | Free to walk | 1-3 hours |
| Children’s Museum of Memphis | Ages 2-12 | $13/person | 2-3 hours |
Top Things to Do in Memphis with Family
The best things to do in Memphis with family include visiting the National Civil Rights Museum, watching the Peabody Duck March, exploring the Memphis Zoo, riding at Libertyland, walking Beale Street, and taking a Mississippi River boat cruise. Most attractions cluster downtown and midtown.
1. Visit the Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo at 2000 Prentiss Place covers 70 acres in Overton Park and houses over 3,500 animals across 500 species. It opened in 1906 and remains one of the most visited attractions in Tennessee.
Key exhibits:
- China: Giant Panda exhibit – Memphis is one of only a handful of US zoos accredited to house giant pandas
- Animals of the Night – nocturnal animals in a darkened indoor exhibit
- Teton Trek – grizzly bears, wolves, and elk in a Wyoming-themed habitat
- Northwest Passage – polar bears and sea otters
- Cat Country – lions, cheetahs, and tigers
Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children aged 2-11. Parking costs $7. The zoo is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, with extended hours in summer. Memphis Zoo is consistently rated one of the top things to do in Memphis with family for full-day visits.
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2. Tour the National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum stands at 450 Mulberry Street, built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The museum opened in 1991 and underwent a $27.5 million expansion completed in 2014.
The exhibits cover the full arc of the American civil rights movement from slavery through the 1970s, using original artifacts, immersive recreations, and oral history recordings.
What families should know:
- Recommended for children aged 8 and up due to the weight of the content
- Interactive exhibits include a recreated Montgomery bus and a Greensboro lunch counter
- Self-guided tours take 2-3 hours; audio guides are available for $6
- Admission: $20 for adults, $15 for youth (5-17), free for children under 4
- Closed Tuesdays
This is one of the most significant things to do in Memphis with family for older children and teens. The museum prompts genuine conversation and stays with visitors long after the visit.
3. Watch the Peabody Duck March
The Peabody Hotel at 149 Union Avenue has marched its resident mallard ducks from their rooftop penthouse to the lobby fountain every day since 1940. The march happens at 11 AM and 5 PM daily.
The Duckmaster leads five ducks down a red carpet to John Philip Sousa’s “King Cotton March.” The event lasts about 15 minutes and draws a crowd, so arrive 20 minutes early for a good position near the fountain.
Entry to the lobby and duck march is free. The Peabody lobby also has a good cafe if you want to make a morning of it. Young children consistently name the duck march among their favourite things to do in Memphis with family.
4. Explore Shelby Farms Park
Shelby Farms Park covers 4,500 acres east of downtown Memphis, making it one of the largest urban parks in the United States. For comparison, it is five times the size of Central Park in New York.
Activities available at the park:
- Kayaking and paddleboarding on Hyde Lake (rentals available on site, starting at $15/hour)
- Horse trail rides through wooded sections ($40-$50 per person)
- 40 miles of paved and unpaved trails for walking, running, and cycling
- Bike rentals at the Shelby Farms Greenline trailhead ($12-$18/hour)
- Bison herd viewing – the park maintains a free-roaming bison herd visible from the road
- Playgrounds and open picnic areas throughout the grounds
Admission to the park is free. The Woodland Discovery Playground, built specifically for children, is one of the best in the state and suits kids aged 2-12.
5. Visit the Children’s Museum of Memphis
The Children’s Museum of Memphis at 2525 Central Avenue is built around hands-on learning for children aged 2-12. It covers 90,000 square feet across themed areas.
Key exhibits:
- Kid Grocery Store – a full-scale replica grocery where children scan, bag, and pay for items
- Skyscraper Climbing Structure – a four-story foam climbing tower
- Little City – a child-scale city with a hospital, fire station, and bank
- Arts and Crafts Studio – open-ended making and creating
- Water Play Area – outdoor water jets and splash pads, open in warm months
Admission is $13 per person for adults and children over 1. Children under 1 are free. The museum is closed Mondays. This is one of the most focused things to do in Memphis with family for parents with children under 10.
6. Walk Beale Street
Beale Street runs through downtown Memphis and is the most historically significant blues music street in the United States. W.C. Handy lived and performed here in the early 1900s, and the street shaped the development of blues, soul, and rock and roll.
Families visiting during the day will find:
- W.C. Handy Park with a bronze statue of Handy and occasional live performances
- A.Schwab general store, open since 1876, selling oddities, souvenirs, and dry goods
- Street musicians performing outside venues from midday onward
- Multiple restaurants with outdoor seating suited to families
Beale Street is free to walk. It is a good daytime destination. After 9 PM it becomes an adult entertainment district, so plan family visits before then. The street is one of the most atmospheric things to do in Memphis with family at no cost.
7. Tour Sun Studio
Sun Studio at 706 Union Avenue is where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Howlin’ Wolf all recorded. Elvis cut his first record here in 1953. The studio still functions as a working recording facility and doubles as a museum.
Guided tours run every hour from 10 AM to 6 PM daily. Tours last 45-55 minutes and include the original recording equipment, the microphone Elvis used on “That’s All Right,” and audio recordings of original sessions.
Admission is $15 for adults. Children under 5 are free. The tour is best suited to children aged 8 and up who have some familiarity with the artists. Sun Studio is compact, but it punches above its weight among the things to do in Memphis with family interested in music history.
8. Explore the Pink Palace Museum
The Pink Palace Museum at 3050 Central Avenue covers natural history, science, and regional history of the Mid-South. The facility includes a planetarium, an IMAX theater, and a full-scale replica of the first Piggly Wiggly self-service grocery store, which opened in Memphis in 1916.
Museum admission covers:
- Natural history galleries including a full-scale model of a Cretaceous-era Arkansas sea
- Cultural history exhibits on Memphis and Mid-South communities
- A reconstructed Civil War diorama
| Add-on Experience | Cost |
|---|---|
| IMAX film | $7.95/adult, $5.95/child |
| Planetarium show | $6.95/adult, $5.95/child |
| Museum only | $14.95/adult, $10.95/child |
| Combo (museum + IMAX + planetarium) | $25.95/adult, $19.95/child |
This is one of the most content-rich things to do in Memphis with family for a 3-4 hour visit.
9. Take a Mississippi River Boat Cruise
Memphis sits on the fourth-longest river in the world. Several operators run sightseeing, dinner, and excursion cruises from Mud Island River Park and Beale Street Landing.
The Memphis Queen riverboat offers sightseeing cruises of 1.5-2 hours. Tickets start at $26 for adults and $14 for children aged 4-12. Cruises run from April through October, with two to three departures daily in peak season.
The River Walk at Mud Island also has a scale model of the lower Mississippi River that children can walk along, with the actual river visible just beyond the levee. The scale model is 954 feet long and represents 1,000 miles of the river’s course.
10. Visit the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum sits at 191 Beale Street, directly across from FedExForum. It was developed by the Smithsonian Institution and opened in 2000.
The museum traces how Memphis-born music grew from cotton fields and juke joints into a global cultural force. It has over 100 biographical audio programs and more than 30 instruments and costumes on display.
Admission is $13 for adults and $10 for children. Audio tours are included in the ticket price and are designed for self-paced family visits. Children aged 10 and up engage best with the content. The museum takes 1.5-2 hours and pairs naturally with a walk down Beale Street.
Best Free Things to Do in Memphis with Family
| Activity | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby Farms Park | 6903 Great View Drive N | Bison viewing, trails, playground |
| Peabody Duck March | 149 Union Avenue | 11 AM and 5 PM daily |
| Mississippi Riverfront Walk | Riverside Drive | Levee walk with river views |
| Overton Park Trails | 2080 Poplar Avenue | 126 acres of old-growth forest |
| Stax Museum exterior area | 926 E McLemore Ave | Neighborhood music history walk |
| Tom Lee Park | Riverside at Beale | Large open park along the river |
Practical Family Tips for Memphis
- Download the Memphis Travel app. It lists current events, discounts, and attraction hours in real time.
- Buy the Memphis 3-in-1 Pass. It covers the Zoo, Children’s Museum, and Pink Palace and saves families with two or more children around $20-$30.
- Visit the zoo on weekday mornings. Weekends in summer see long entry queues. Arriving at 9 AM on a Tuesday or Wednesday makes a real difference.
- Park at Mud Island for downtown days. It sits near the riverfront and gives easy access to Beale Street, Sun Studio, and the Civil Rights Museum without navigating downtown parking.
- Bring water and sunscreen for Shelby Farms. The park has limited shade on its central lake trails. Summers in Memphis regularly reach 95°F with high humidity.
- Check Stax Museum of American Soul Music. At $13 per adult, it rivals Sun Studio for music history depth and suits children 10 and up well.
Best Time to Visit Memphis with Family
| Season | Highlights | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (Mar-May) | Memphis in May festival, mild temps 65-75°F | Busy around BBQ World Championship in May |
| Summer (Jun-Aug) | All attractions fully open, outdoor events | Heat and humidity; temperatures above 90°F common |
| Fall (Sep-Nov) | Great weather, fewer crowds, lower hotel rates | Some outdoor events end after Labor Day |
| Winter (Dec-Feb) | Holiday events, cheapest hotel rates | Zoo and some outdoor activities have reduced hours |
Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for things to do in Memphis with family that involve outdoor time. May brings the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which is a genuine family event at Tom Lee Park.
FAQs: Things to Do in Memphis with Family
How many days do you need for the top things to do in Memphis with family?
Three to four days covers the Memphis Zoo, National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street, Shelby Farms, and one music museum comfortably. A fifth day adds a boat cruise or day trip to Graceland. Trying to fit everything into two days feels rushed.
Is Memphis safe for families visiting as tourists?
Downtown Memphis, Midtown, and the East Memphis areas where most attractions sit are considered safe for daytime family visits. Stick to the main tourist corridors. Check current travel advisories before visiting and avoid walking in unfamiliar areas after dark.
What are the best things to do in Memphis with family on a rainy day?
The Children’s Museum of Memphis, Pink Palace Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, and Sun Studio all work perfectly in wet weather. The Peabody Duck March also runs daily regardless of weather and keeps young children entertained.
Is Graceland worth visiting with children?
Graceland suits children aged 10 and up who know Elvis Presley’s music. Younger children often find the house tour slow. The ticket price of $42-$95 per adult makes it a significant expense. Combine it with the car museum on site if you do go, as that engages younger visitors better.
What are the cheapest things to do in Memphis with family?
Shelby Farms Park, the Peabody Duck March, Beale Street by day, Tom Lee Park, and the Mississippi Riverfront Walk are all free. A full family day exploring these costs nothing beyond food. The Memphis 3-in-1 Pass cuts paid attraction costs significantly for families visiting multiple museums.
How far is Memphis from Nashville for a family road trip combination?
Memphis is 212 miles from Nashville via Interstate 40. The drive takes about 3 hours without stops. Many families split a Tennessee trip across both cities, spending 3 nights in Memphis and 3 in Nashville. Both cities offer strong and very different things to do in Memphis with family and Nashville respectively.
Conclusion
Memphis rewards families who mix history, music, and outdoor time. The things to do in Memphis with family cover every budget, from free park days and the Peabody duck march to full-day zoo visits and museum tickets. Plan three to four days, anchor your accommodation near downtown or Midtown, and you will leave with more to come back for than you had time to see.
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