2020 Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Memphis
2020's Best Places for Kids in the Memphis area!
Memphis is rich in fun events and exciting places. It was hard for our readers to select their favorites from the hundreds of choices! The venues listed below are wildly popular with kids and families in the area. But don’t miss out on ALL the other wonderful places as well! Browse through KidsOutAndAbout.com, check out our calendar, and discover lots more to do, especially Everything That's Free.
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Memphis Zoo
We are combining learning with fun by creating a classroom in the wild animal kingdom! When you take a field trip to the Zoo, you'll get up close and personal with some of the world's most exotic creatures while also applying important initiatives in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum. Book your Zoo trip today.
Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park (CLOSED FALL 2019)
Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park is the next dimension in sports, fun and fitness. SZ offers fun physical activities, games and entertainment for people of all ages, size and abilities on our patented 3-D walled playing surface. It's the ultimate "PLAY" experience for almost any age!
My Local Library
Of course, the libraries in the Memphis area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them #3 in best places to take kids this year!
Memphis Botanic Garden
Memphis Botanic Garden strives to enhance lives by connecting people with plants, increasing awareness and appreciation of our environment. Our 96-acre property includes 31 specialty gardens that families can explore together. Some of our Gardens include the 2 ½ acre My Big Backyard children’s garden, a Prehistoric Plant Trail with interactive dino features, a Butterfly Garden, a Delta Garden featuring traditional vegetables and crops, and even a working chicken coop in our Urban Home Garden.
Cedar Hill Farm
Cedar Hill Farm is located in the Community of Love, outside of Hernando, Mississippi, just minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee. ach year improvements are made to make Cedar Hill Farm one of the top Agri-Tourism businesses in the Mid-South. Take a tractor drawn hayride around our farm, out to the Easter Egg Hunt Field in the Spring, to pick Berries in the Summer, the Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maize in the Fall and to the Choose & Cut Christmas Tree Fields in the Winter.
Pump It Up - Bartlett
At Pump It Up of Bartlett every day's a party! Whether you're looking to have your kid's birthday party or just bounce house fun, we've got it all. Pump It Up's private indoor arenas are filled with gigantic inflatable bounce houses, slides, jousting arenas and more. Pump It Up offers open jump hours and preschool playtime.
The Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum has been the Mid-South home of touring Broadway productions since 1977. In addition to the Broadway Series, the theatre also hosts performances by Ballet Memphis, various concerts, and local cultural and community events such as Memphis in May and the International Blues Challenge.
YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South
Increase energy, decrease stress, prevent illness, maintain a healthy weight, find personal balance, and enjoy quality time with family and friends... at the Y! We combine spirit, mind, and body in an integrated approach to well-being that goes beyond just fitness.
Lichterman Nature Center
Located in the heart of metropolitan Memphis, the Center features exciting new exhibits, lush gardens featuring native wildflowers and trees, and a tradition of excellence in environmental education set in the midst of 65 acres of lake, meadow, and forest. Home to a wide variety of plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals, Lichterman is an urban nature center, easily accessible to the people who need it the most, the people who live in the city.
Cordova Skating Center - Memphis Skating
A family-friendly Memphis tradition for over 25 years. We combine roller skating with bright lights, great music, and games, all while exercising and getting out of the crazy Memphis weather. We also specialize in birthday parties. Come join the fun!
Chuck E.Cheese's
Family-friendly entertainment venue known for kids birthday parties, pizza, and arcade games. Located on Hickory Hill Road in Memphis.
Mud Island River Park
Experience the River on The River!! See the Mighty Mississippi River up close. Hike down our 5 block long riverwalk model and see the Mississippi in miniature. Explore the 18-gallery Mississippi River Museum including two full size boat models you can board!
The Fire Museum of Memphis
Memphis' Hottest Attraction!!! America's premier interactive fire museum is in the legendary Fire Engine House No. 1 in downtown Memphis. Step back in time to a turn-of-the-century firehouse. Fight the flames of a burning skyscraper from a snorkel basket simulator. Take a look at the horse-drawn era of firefighting from the horse's perspective! Test your ability to find an escape route to survive a fire. Feel the heat of the Fire Room. Learn about the most devastating fires in the history of Memphis. Discover the proud history of Memphis' first African-American firefighters. And many more hot attractions!
National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since 1991, millions of visitors worldwide, including more than 90,000 student visits annually. The Museum educates and serves as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. It is a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids.
Billy Hardwick's All Star Lanes
Bowling alley on S. Whitehouse Station Road with 40 Lanes total (20 Lanes on each side of the house). League Bowling every night of the week for all types of bowlers. Cosmic Bowling every night starting at 9pm.
Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Founded in 1976 by Hugo and Margaret Dixon, the Dixon Gallery and Gardens is a fine art museum and public garden distinguished by its diverse and innovative programs in the arts and horticulture.
Bobby Lanier Farm Park
Germantown's Bobby Lanier Farm Park is a 10-acre education and demonstration center for sustainable living through agriculture and stewardship, located at 2660 Cross Country. Programs and events are free and take place at the Farm Park unless otherwise noted. A centerpiece to the 10-acre working farm is the new Harvest Moon Pavilion, used for business meetings, retreats, training sessions, working lunches, weddings, receptions, banquets, social gatherings and holiday parties.
Magic Springs Theme and Water Park
Magic Springs Theme and Water Park is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about 50 miles from Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides and attractions in both parks. The park is open weekends from April through October and daily late-May through mid-August.
Wilson Blueberry Farm
A small family farm in Collierville producing delicious and naturally grown blueberries, offering U-pick and pre-picked berries. Located in Collierville Tennessee, what began over 14 years ago as a shared dream and vision between father and son has evolved into a passion for the entire family.
Strawberry Plains Audubon Center
Strawberry Plains is a nature lover's paradise: With over 2500 acres of bottomland hardwood forests, grasslands and wildflower meadows, extensive native plant gardens the 19th century antebellum home, vistors will experience a natural beauty and true American history that has become increasingly rare.
Winners in Special Categories
In the second part of our survey, we asked readers to select their favorites in six categories. Here were their choices.Favorite Place for Arts Education
Easel TownLocated in Memphis, Tennessee Easel Town provides high quality art instruction for children, meeting the artistic needs of young artists all over the Memphis area. Currently offering after-school art classes at The University of Memphis Campus School, elementary, middle school, and high school classes through Community Homeschool, and preschool classes at St. Luke's Day School.
Favorite Place for Physical/Sports Education
YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-SouthIncrease energy, decrease stress, prevent illness, maintain a healthy weight, find personal balance, and enjoy quality time with family and friends... at the Y! We combine spirit, mind, and body in an integrated approach to well-being that goes beyond just fitness.
