Things to Do in Memphis With Kids

Things to do in Memphis with kids is a question whose answers age fast — a beloved drive-in closed last year, and a favorite museum is shut for fire repairs. So we made the list we actually use: every place below is real, open, and double-checked at the venue itself, with the exact free days and prices that matter when you're doing the math for a family of four.

It's organized the way parents think — the classics, the museums (and the days they're free), the outside stuff, the big-kid energy, and the suburbs, because the 901 doesn't stop at the city line. If free is the whole point today, our free things to do in Memphis guide goes even deeper, the museums guide has every free day in one place, and once the kids are grown out of it, things to do in Memphis is the grown-up version — and what's happening this week updates daily.

The classics every Memphis kid grows up on

Start here. These five are the core memories — and most of them cost less than you'd think if you time it right.

• Memphis ZooOverton Park

  Free every Tuesday for Tennessee residents, 9am to close — you just need a free reservation (released 9am the Wednesday before, six tickets max) and a TN photo ID for anyone 17+. Parking is $10 even on free days. Inside, the splash park is a separate ticket ($8–10), and the new Zoomazing Race zipline runs $10 a ride.

• Children's Museum of Memphis (CMOM)Midtown

  Hands-on everything, Tue–Sun 9am–5pm. Admission is $20 for everyone ages 1–100; the grand carousel is $5 extra and the H2Oh! splash park is $7 extra (open daily through Labor Day). Budget for the add-ons — they're the parts kids remember.

• The Peabody DucksDowntown

  The ducks march to the lobby fountain at 11am and back up at 5pm, every single day, to a Sousa march. No ticket needed — it happens in the hotel lobby. The Peabody suggests showing up 30 minutes early, and they mean it.

• Bass Pro Shops at the PyramidDowntown

  Walking in is free — and inside there's a cypress swamp with live alligators, giant aquariums, and a free fish-feeding show daily at 2pm. The Lookout glass elevator to the top is $8 (kids $5), and The Fishbowl bowling alley rolls under fish-tank lanes.

• Graceland's gates & Meditation GardenWhitehaven

  You don't need a tour ticket for the famous music-note gates, and the Meditation Garden is free to walk up daily, 7:30–8:30am. Full tours run $53–85 for adults with youth tickets (ages 5–10) from $30.

Museums kids actually like — and the days they're free

Memphis museums are quietly one of the best family deals in the country if you know the free-day calendar. Here it is, verified.

• Museum of Science & History (the Pink Palace)Midtown

  Dinosaurs, a planetarium, and a giant-screen theater — and general admission is free the third Thursday of every month ($5 add-ons for the planetarium and theater that day). Open 10:30am–5pm, closed Mondays. The LEGO-brick dinosaur exhibit is the current kid magnet.

• Fire Museum of MemphisDowntown

  A real 1910 firehouse turned interactive museum — kids climb on trucks and learn fire safety from actual MFD educators. Mon–Sat 9am–4:30pm; kids 3–12 are $8, and the family pack (2 adults + 2 kids) is $34.

• Stax Museum of American Soul MusicSoulsville

  The Express Yourself dance floor — with vintage Soul Train episodes playing next to it — turns a music museum into a kid favorite. Free for Shelby County residents every Tuesday, 1–5pm (bring proof of residency); kids 6 and under are always free.

• Memphis Rock 'n' Soul MuseumDowntown

  The Smithsonian-created story of Memphis music, right off Beale. Open daily 10am–5pm; free all day Tuesday for Shelby County residents (photo ID with a 901 address, up to four people). Kids 4 and under always free.

• Memphis Music Hall of FameDowntown

  Small, cheap, and genuinely fun — rare performance footage and memorabilia at Second & Beale. Adults $8, kids 5–17 just $6, or a $21 combo with Rock 'n' Soul.

• National Civil Rights MuseumDowntown

  The most important museum in Memphis, at the Lorraine Motel. Free for Tennessee residents Mondays from 3pm (state ID; covers one adult + up to five kids). The museum itself notes some exhibits can be heavy for younger kids — their family guide helps you plan; best for upper elementary and older.

• Memphis Brooks Museum of ArtOverton Park

  Free every Saturday, 10am–noon. Rotating kid-friendly exhibits in Overton Park — for now. The Brooks becomes the Memphis Art Museum downtown on the riverfront in December 2026, so check the location before you go this fall.

• Lichterman Nature CenterEast Memphis

  65 acres of lake, forest, and trails with a Backyard Wildlife Center housing 50+ native animals — plus daily wildlife experiences at noon and a build-your-own-fort Discovery Forest. Wed–Sun, 10:30am–5pm.

Outside: parks, playgrounds & splash pads

The free-with-kids backbone of a Memphis summer. Splash pad note: the city runs seven free splash pads — no pass, no fee. (Every green space in one place: the Memphis parks guide.)

• Shelby Farms ParkCordova / East

  One of the biggest urban parks in America: the free Woodland Discovery Playground (opens 9am daily), a real buffalo herd, kayak and pedal-boat rentals, and the Water Play Sprayground — free one-hour sessions every Tuesday, noon–5pm, first come, first soaked. (Our full park guide covers all 4,500 acres.)

• Tom Lee ParkDowntown riverfront

  The redesigned riverfront park's Life on the River playground is the best in the city — river-themed climbers and slides with a Mississippi view. Free, open 5am–8pm daily.

• River Garden & the treehouseDowntown riverfront

  A small free park with hammock swings and an all-ages treehouse — nests big enough for grown-ups too. Dawn to dusk; the best free seat for the bridge light show.

• Overton Park's Rainbow Lake PlaygroundMidtown

  Climbing structures, a hollow-tree tunnel through the Big Green Mound, swings, and a DIY building area — free, dawn to dusk. The Overton Park Shell's free concert series returns in the fall (Sept 4–Oct 11 this year) — our Overton Park guide has the whole 342 acres.

• Memphis Botanic Garden — My Big BackyardEast Memphis

  Sixteen themed play areas — Wormville tunnels, treetop walks, fort-building — plus seasonal water play through October, all included with garden admission: adults $12, kids 2–12 $7. Summer hours 9am–6pm.

• Big River CrossingDowntown / West Memphis

  Walk or bike the longest pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi — free, open 6am–10pm daily. Crossing a mile-wide river on foot never stops being cool to a kid.

• The Mighty Lights bridge showDowntown riverfront

  The bridges light up in synchronized shows at the top and middle of every hour from sundown to the 10:30pm finale, nightly and free — watch from Tom Lee Park or River Garden.

• Wolf River GreenwayCitywide

  14 paved, car-free miles along the Wolf River — perfect for training-wheel cruising. The Epping Way trailhead (2630 Epping Way Dr) has parking, two bridges, and a 20-acre lake.

• The city's seven free splash padsCitywide

  David Carnes, Douglass, Hollywood, McFarland, Orange Mound, Peabody Park, and Whitehaven — free, open 8am–7:45pm through Aug 2 (10am start after that, through Labor Day). No pass, no fee.

• Memphis Public LibrariesCitywide

  Free weekly storytimes across the branches, STEAM events, and Read with a Pup at the Central Library — third Saturday monthly, 11am–1pm. The Children's Department at Central is a rainy-day cheat code.

Big-kid energy: rides, games & adventures

For the ages where a playground stops cutting it. One brand-new headliner leads this list.

• Baron Von Opperbean and The River of TimeMud Island

  Memphis's newest attraction (opened May 2026) — a free-roam, all-ages immersive world inside the old Mississippi River Museum. Timed entry, 60–90 minute visits, closed Tuesdays. Heads up: the pedestrian bridge is closed for construction, so drive in via the A.W. Willis Bridge — our Mud Island guide has the full 2026 picture.

• Putt-Putt Fun CenterSummer Ave

  The Summer Avenue classic: mini golf, go-karts, laser tag, batting cages, bumper boats, and a big arcade. Pay per attraction at $10 a head, or take the $50 Best Day Ever Wristband (48"+), which covers four go-kart runs plus unlimited mini golf, laser tag, and bumper boats, and $20 of arcade credit.

• Urban Air Adventure ParkCordova

  Trampolines, ropes course, climbing walls, and a Warrior course on Germantown Parkway. Passes run $11.99 (under 40") to $25.99, and the parent pass is about $10 if you're jumping too.

• Memphis Escape RoomsEast Memphis / Bartlett / Downtown

  Every room is automatically private to your group, kids 4 and under are free, and nothing's scary unless marked (two rooms are PG-13). From $34.99/person depending on group size — a legit rainy-day win for tweens.

• Go Ape at Shelby FarmsCordova

  Treetop ziplines and rope crossings: the full Treetop Adventure is ages 10+ ($54.95 for 10–15s), and the intro Treetop Journey takes anyone 3'3" and up ($34.95) — plus jungle-themed mini golf for the littles ($9.95).

• Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone ParkDowntown

  Minor-league baseball built for families: a free inflatables kids zone at most games, Kids Run the Bases after every Sunday game, Saturday fireworks nights, and $8 parking. Tickets are digital-only — buy before you go.

• Memphis RiverboatsDowntown riverfront

  A 90-minute Mississippi sightseeing cruise with real river commentary, departing 2:30pm daily March–October from Riverside Drive. Adults from $25; call for kids' rates. With the riverfront construction, give yourself extra time to park.

• The Main Street TrolleyDowntown

  The vintage rail trolleys are still parked, but the trolley buses run the Main Street route seven days a week — and rides are currently free under MATA's Zero Fare pilot. A whole downtown adventure for zero dollars.

• Jerry's Sno ConesBerclair + Cordova

  A Memphis rite of passage since 1967 — the famous Supreme layers soft-serve into the sno cone. Original stand on Wells Station Rd and a Cordova location; both closed Sundays.

• A. Schwab on BealeDowntown

  The only original Beale Street business left (since 1876) — free to wander three floors of oddities, then hit the old-fashioned soda fountain for a milkshake or a phosphate soda. Open daily from 11am.

• Jones OrchardMillington

  Pick-your-own peaches are in season right now (June–September) at two Millington farms, open daily 8am–6pm. Check their Facebook for what's picking today before you drive out.

The suburbs — because the 901 doesn't stop at the city line

The tourist lists end at the county line. A lot of us live out here, so ours doesn't — and we have full guides to Germantown, Collierville, and Southaven if that's your side of town.

• Bobby Lanier Farm ParkGermantown

  A free 10-acre working farm park — and the petting farm opens to the public Tuesday mornings, April through September. Park at the Cloyes soccer fields and walk in; open sunrise to sunset.

• Happy Friday at The Grove at GPACGermantown

  Free family concerts every Friday, 5–8pm, through August 28 — no tickets, sing-and-dance programming built for kids, food trucks on the lawn. Bring a blanket; leave outside drinks at home.

• Germantown Greenway's nature stationsGermantown

  Ten-plus paved miles along the Wolf River with stops built for kids: a walk-in beaver lodge at Beaver Boondocks and a turtle-watching dock with a telescope at Turtle Bayou. Free; park at Poplar Estates or Cameron Brown.

• Collierville Town SquareCollierville

  One of the prettiest historic squares in the South — kids gravitate to the 1912 Frisco steam locomotive and train cars by the depot. The free Sunset on the Square concerts run Thursdays 7–9pm through July 30 this summer.

• Suggs Park splash padCollierville

  Collierville's insider move: the big W.C. Johnson spray park needs a resident pass ($10/visit for everyone else), but the Suggs Park splash pad on E South Street is free for everyone — no pass needed. Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 1–5pm, through Labor Day.

• W.J. Freeman ParkBartlett

  Bartlett's 90-acre workhorse: a big playground, a fitness trail, lighted courts, and enough field space to burn off any amount of kid energy. Free.

• City Hall Park & Zadie Kuehl ParkLakeland

  Lakeland's playground pair — City Hall Park adds a walking trail and tee-ball field; Zadie Kuehl brings a picnic-friendly trail and a dog park for families with a four-legged kid too.

The honest answers