Hi! I’m Kailee, and we moved to Memphis a little over a year ago! We moved from SLC, Utah and it’s been an adventure for sure! Here’s a compilation of what I wish I would have had when I was looking for kid activities in Memphis! These are my favorite places to go to in Memphis, Tennessee when you have littles! Coming from Utah, the thing that I thought was most beneficial for that first year was buying memberships to different places. They were inexpensive and often times the membership was close to the same fee as a one day entry!

Getting the Wiggles out

Children’s Museum

The Children’s Museum of Memphis proved to be one of our best summer investments and in my opinion one of the best kid activities in Memphis rain or shine! We frequently visited, bringing a lunch and planning to spend the entire day there. The museum offers a variety of engaging attractions that keep kids entertained for hours.

For younger children aged 2-4, there’s a dedicated section with smaller playground equipment and age-appropriate toys. As a note, parents do need to stay with their little ones.

One of our favorites is the large FedEx plane. Children can climb aboard to pretend they’re pilots or stay at ground level to load packages. The thrill of sliding down from the upper deck is a hit with the kids, ensuring they have a blast.

Another highlight is the grocery store exhibit, where kids can push around carts and use functioning registers that even print receipts. There’s also a life-size firetruck and a sheriff’s motorcycle for children to explore.

The theater area is another favorite, featuring changing songs and costumes. Kids can dress up and perform on stage with lights and a green screen that adds fun effects like falling snow on the TV screen.

Included in your day pass or membership is access to a carousel and a giant block-building area. The block zone is perfect for constructing houses and slides for balls.

As a homeschooling mom, I especially appreciate the museum’s ever-changing educational room. This space is revamped monthly and offers hands-on learning experiences. Over the past year, we’ve enjoyed building-themed activities with construction outfits and tools, supervised wax molding sessions, and winter-themed areas with fabric snowballs and sock ice-skating.

After exploring the indoor exhibits, we often take a break for lunch. You can eat at tables located outside near the splash pad or inside next to the art area, which also features various themed crafts.

The splash pad, included with the membership, is a summer favorite, and the nearby sand area provides hours of entertainment if you bring sand toys. For additional fun, there’s a shaded playground with double see-saws and a zipline. On hot days, a snow cone from the snack stand adds a refreshing touch.

Overall, the Children’s Museum of Memphis offers a wealth of activities and experiences that make it a fantastic destination for family fun!

Investment

$190 for Two named adults and all children in the household
Add a nanny or caregiver for $40 each – limit of two

More Wiggles? RUN RUN all over!

Memphis Zoo

I’ve visited many zoos, but I genuinely believe that the Memphis Zoo stands out as one of the best. While the Children’s Museum is a top summer destination, I find the zoo to be an excellent choice for fall outings. Early summer visits are enjoyable before the heat and humidity become overwhelming. The zoo does have fans with misting water scattered throughout to help cool you down, but by July and August, the intense heat can make it almost unbearable in my opinion.

If you do visit the zoo during the summer, there’s a small pool where kids can wade to cool off, as well as water play areas in the Teton section. For an extra treat, there’s a stand offering Mem Pops, a local favorite, and a large splash pad that is ideal for older kids, though it incurs an additional fee. For younger children, I prefer the Children’s Museum’s splash pad, which is free and more suited to their age group. However, the zoo’s splash pad can be a fun occasional treat for older kids.

One of the great advantages of the Memphis Zoo is that a membership quickly pays for itself. The zoo is well-shaded, and having a membership means you can explore it at a leisurely pace, focusing on one section per visit without feeling rushed. Our favorite areas to visit frequently are Cat Country and Primate Canyon, where watching the gorillas during their morning feedings has been a highlight.

In the fall, the zoo offers a pleasant setting for a walk and a chance to observe and learn about a variety of animals. They also host membership nights, usually on Sundays, featuring live music and themed events that add a special touch to the visit. Overall, the Memphis Zoo provides a fantastic experience year-round, with unique benefits that make it a worthwhile investment for any family. As far as kid activities in Memphis go, I’d give the Memphis Zoo five stars!

Investment

$175 for a Family Membership

Botanical Garden

There is a large play area called “My Big Backyard“, and it has SO many fun activities. I will start this section by saying that the garden as a whole is HUGE, and if you have time, they do have a guide on a golf cart that can take you around the entire thing. HOWEVER, the kid section is entirely walkable! Here are some of our favorite kid activities in the Memphis Botanical Gardens!

1. A long ramp leading up to a massive treehouse where you can cross a rope bridge and go down a slide.
2. A sand and water area with shaded areas and picnic tables. We will often bring a lunch and if we get here this is a nice area to take a break and get some empty tummies filled with food!
3. An area with lots of plants and a chrysalis swing! This area also has benches and tables and so we will take snack breaks here as well!
4. A music house with lots of different ways to create music (think pots and pans:) Not anything super fancy, but very fun for more toddler aged children.
5. “Tunnels” going through some hills in the area that they can crawl through.
6. A large “house” area with a house built from sticks (like the three little pigs!), a laundry line, a chicken coop (no live chickens though!), and a house with a little table.
7. A Castle (has a sword in a stone that Chloe loves)
8. A water area to learn about rainfall and play in a “creek”.
9. A tic-tac-toe/building our of large wooden piece (like giant Lincoln Logs)
10. They also have a small greenhouse near the entrance if you want something quick!

There are so many other places, but these have been our favorites! I discovered this one quite a bit later than the Memphis Zoo and Children’s Museum, but it’s definitely a hidden gem!

Investment

$100 for a Family Membership

For your Sanity

YMCA Olive Branch

During the SUMMER, the Olive Branch location has the BEST shallow pool I’ve ever seen. I believe it’s 2’6″ and It’s a lot bigger than any other shallow pool I’ve ever seen, and it’s definitely meant to entertain the littles. Here are some perks to the outdoor pool during the warm months:

1. There are lifejackets and paddle jumpers for kiddos to borrow.
2. The kids are all wearing a wristband indicating their swim level. If it’s red, they don’t know how to swim. So really everyone can kind of watch out for those kids. HOWEVER,
3. There are usually three lifeguards on duty watching all the kiddos. Which is the greatest peace of mind.
4. There are a couple larger water “toys” that the younger kids can go under to get a little wet (the one that looks like a mushroom, and the one is shaped like an arch and sprays small spurts of water!)
5. For those with kids that CAN swim and are a little older, there is a smaller waterslide! I feel like I just watch the kids go down and then get back in line:)

As for the GYM part, I’ve never been someone who goes to the gym… unless you count my college years where everyone goes to the gym. But outside of those years, I’ve tried SO. MANY. In home workout programs, and I just don’t have the motivation to work out at home. I discovered the YMCA when we moved here and it has been my saving grace.

1. They have childcare. Up to 2 hours/day. In the morning it’s open until noon, so I usually book a spot from 10-12 and exercise for however long I can and then if I’m having a hard time with mom life, I just take the remainder of the time and read a book, finish some work, or just sit there and listen to music. I feel like going to gym used to feel like a chore, but now it’s my break! I love it, and Chloe loves it! She has so much fun and always comes home with lots of coloring pages or crafts!
2. They have classes and I haven’t really gotten too into that yet, but I’m looking forward to participating more in those this coming year!

This was a lot of information, and honestly just a few of the activities that we’ve loved! This is the first of many blog posts featuring our favorite things to do, and I hope that some of them can become some of your favorite kid activities in Memphis too!

As a Memphis Photographer specializing in Family photography- specifically Newborns though school aged children, I would absolutely love to capture your family photos for the year! For more details, and to see my work, head here!

My heart is in capturing young families and Motherhood. Check out this blog post called “The Joy of Motherhood” to hear more about my story and to see some beautiful photos of some cute babies!