If you’re looking for some fun and exciting things to do in Memphis, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a tourist or a long-term resident looking for someplace to have fun, we’ve got you covered. In this video, we’re going to take a look at some of the best attractions Memphis, Tennessee, has to offer. We’ve saved the best for last, so make sure to watch till the end. Here are the best things to do in Memphis
With that being said, let’s dive right in.
Memphis Botanic Garden
Starting off the list, we have the Memphis Botanic Garden located east of downtown. The Memphis Botanic Garden is home to 30 specialty garden areas spread over 96 acres of some of the most beautiful land you’ll ever visit. If you’re a fan of plants, you’re in for a treat as the Memphis Botanic Garden showcases Daffodil Hill, a hilltop straight out of heaven with over 300,000 daffodils located on it.
There’s also the Asian Garden featuring native Asian plants from countries including China, Japan, and Taiwan. It is a breathtaking sight with all the different flowers and their contrasting colors all around you.
If you’re looking for a lovely, quiet morning, this place is a great option. The Memphis Botanic Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for children ages 2 to 12.
Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum
If you’re into history, Memphis has a surprise for you. The Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum is part of an unforgettable slice of American history. The Museum, also called the Burkle estate because of its original owner Jacob Burkle, was an integral part of the anti-slavery movement during the pre-civil war era and offered a haven to slaves trying to escape their abusive masters.
If you’re looking to learn more and get a hands-on experience, we’d recommend you book a tour. The Museum is full of artifacts, and you can even check out the trap doors and secret passageways used during the time.
The Burkle Estate is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from September to May and from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. from June to August. Tickets are 12 dollars for adults and 11 dollars for kids ages 4 to 17. As for parking, there’s plenty of space, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Memphis Zoo
Who doesn’t love the zoo? Exotic animals, nostalgic childhood memories, and a classic day out. What’s not to like? The Memphis Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country and houses over 4500 animals, including giant pandas. It is one of the only four zoos in all of the USA that holds these endangered species. The two giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le, are sort of celebrities in the zoologist world, and seeing that your chances of ever seeing another giant panda are slim to none, we’d highly recommend you visit the exhibit.
Located at 2000 Prentiss Place, the Memphis Zoo offers free admission to Tennessee residents while non-resident adults need to pay 21 dollars for a ticket, with Children’s tickets costing 16 dollars. Parking is an additional 5 dollars, so do keep that in mind.
Mighty Lights
Looking for the best views of the Mississippi in town? Well, head on over to Tom Lee Park, downtown Memphis. It gets even better if you go at night since you’ll be able to see the Hernando De Sota bridge light up too. Both the Hernando De Sota and the Harahan Bridge have state-of-the-art LED lighting systems installed and light up daily starting from sundown until 10 p.m., every hour at the top of the hour.
The Top of the Memphis Pyramid is also a great place to catch the light show. There’s a glass elevator there that takes you up for 10 dollars, and for the experience you get, those 10 dollars are well worth it.
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Moving on, let’s take a look at all the other places Memphis has to offer
Beale Street
The heart of Memphis is Beale Street, and if you’re looking to dive into Memphis culture and its people, taking a walk on Beale Street is the best way to do so. During the day, you can visit music stores and restaurants, both equally filled with musical memorabilia, although the latter does offer better Bar B Q. Beale Street is where the music of Memphis was born, and everything here is a tribute to that sacred art. Musicians like Issac Hayes, B.B King, and Alberta Hunter got their start in Beale Street, and Memphis will do its best to make sure you don’t forget that.
Don’t worry, though. Old souvenirs and long stories aren’t the only things Beale Street offers to music fans. During the night, the street lights up, and the doors of various music clubs open up, welcoming music fans inside. Beale Street is full of life, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a livelier crowd in all of Memphis. Fair warning if you’re not into crowds, Beale Street can get a bit overwhelming at times. If crowds are an issue, visit it during the day.
Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
It should come as no surprise that one of the birthplaces of modern Rock N Roll, Memphis, has a museum dedicated to how it helped Music progress and get to the point where it is today. The Memphis Rock n Soul Museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and offers visitors a chance to see just how it all happened. Everything is covered, from the rural fields of the 1930s to the emergence of big-name studios like Stax, Sun, and Hi Records. Travelers are also provided with an audio guide which they can use to explore seven galleries featuring more than 30 instruments, 40 costumes, and 100 songs. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
As a bonus, the Museum is located on Beale Street, so you might be able to knock out two destinations in one go off of your Memphis travel list by visiting the Beale Street attractions afterward.
Shelby Farms Park
If you’ve never seen one of those super surreal out-of-a-fairytale sunsets, Shelby Farms Park is the perfect place for you to do so. The park features over 4500 acres of green space and more than 20 water bodies. You don’t have to worry about getting bored at this park. The Shelby Family Park offers more activities than you could ever get tired of. From a 4000 sq foot waterplay sprayground filled with water pumps, spray jets, and geysers to over 40 miles to trails built for hiking and biking. If you’re coming with kids, you’d be happy to know that there’s a Woodland Discovery Playground designed especially for kids by kids.
The park is free to enter, although you will have to pay for extras like Zip lining and horseback riding. If you’re looking for an affordable option to spend some family time with the kids or explore nature yourself, this is your best option.
Graceland
Visit the house of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Graceland is one of Memphis’s main attractions. It’s a bit more pricey than the other places on this list, but then again, those other places aren’t where a music legend used to live.
The tour costs a minimum of 47 dollars, with prices going up as you get fancier. Graceland is open every day except the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you can visit it all year around. August especially is overcrowded due to the annual Elvis festival. To get the most out of your trip, try getting there early. You’ll be given an iPad and a pair of headphones to guide you from room to room while filling you in about the historical significance of the place. The Graceland grounds also include Elvis and his family’s graves, so make sure not to miss out on those.
Sun Studio
As music lovers like to call Sun Studio “The Birthplace of Rock n Roll,” it is located in downtown Memphis. It’s the studio from where names like Johnny Cash, Elvis Pressley, and B.B King launched themselves into the music industry. The experience at Sun Studio is said to be better than what you get at Graceland; however, you will have to book a spot in advance unless you want to wait for hours for your turn.
The tour includes goodies like exclusive stories about the legends that recorded there, getting to chance to listen to unreleased music – and their are even souvenirs at the end of the trip. Tickets cost 15 dollars for adults and 11 dollars for children above 5. Children below five aren’t allowed, so if you’re coming in with a kid, we’d suggest that you get a nanny.
National Civil Rights Museum
Taking first place as the best place to visit in Memphis, we have the National Civil Rights Museum. The National Civil Rights Museum is a place where history was made. Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr spent his final hours here before his assassination.
The Museum offers a guided tour that includes 260 artifacts, more than 40 films, oral histories, interactive media, and external listening posts. With the help of all this and more, visitors are taken through 5 centuries of American history in a matter of hours. If you decide to visit one place when you’re in Memphis, let it be this one.
Tickets cost $17 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and students, $14 for kids between 5 and 17, and free for children four and younger.
So what do you plan on visiting first? The Museum or Graceland?
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