Rarely does a one-night “stop over” leave an impression on my kids like Memphis did – and not only because, as my daughter calls it, “the shiny pyramid” place. In less than 24 hours in Memphis, we did a bunch!
The Memphis Zoo
Our late morning and midday was spent at the Memphis Zoo, a short drive from downtown which took our family near the University of Memphis (my kids thought that was cool to see in passing).
The Zoo is expansive so bring your water and walking shoes! There were tram-like shuttles to take less mobile guests from place to place.
The best part of the Zoo for us were the pandas – the centerpiece of the park’s Asian themed section near the back of the park. My kids stayed and gawked at the two pandas for at least thirty minutes.
If you’re worried about the summer heat while at the Zoo, there were options for kids to play in a splash pad but we did not purchase tickets during our visit. If you are visiting, note that parking is $10/vehicle at a lot near the main entrance to the Zoo.
All-in-all, I would contend that the Memphis Zoo was as expected for us – not the best Zoo we’d ever attended, but certainly a solid use of two to three hours for the little kids. And, those pandas….
Beale Street – can/should kids go?
I had read several conflicting reviews of Memphis’ main area of nightlife and culture – Beale Street – prior to our visit. As such, my wife and I decided to hit the street in the early evening. My kids loved it!
Beale Street has a not-quite-but-kinda-Nashville type of vibe.
There is live music everywhere, bars and restaurants galore, and little shops that kids can pop in and out of for souvenirs. We ate dinner at Planet Hollywood (solid, a bit pricey as you’d expect), grabbed an Insomnia Cookie, and headed out before nightfall.
I can imagine that after dark, the little ones might want to stay away from Beale Street, but during the day I’d give it a thumb’s up for families.
The Bass Pro Shop Pyramid
I kept telling my kids that they were wrong as they pointed at the giant, silver pyramid in downtown Memphis.
“Guys, that is not a Bass Pro Shop, it is a basketball arena,” I’d insist.
I was, no surprise, wrong! The pyramid IS ACTUALLY a massive Bass Pro Shop! My oldest kids loved shopping in the air conditioning, and checking out the glass elevators take customers (for $10/each) to the top of for a gorgeous view of the entire city and Mississippi River.
On the way: a Birmingham, Alabama stop
Traveling northwest from our home in Florida, we elected to quickly stop in downtown Birmingham, Alabama on the way to our destination in Memphis. Wow, had I underestimated the amount of black history in this great southern city.
If you have the time, please take our children to the area near the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of a terrible bombing by the KKK in 1963. Whether you walk around the adjacent part with tributes to the brave souls that stood up for civil rights or checked out the monuments maintained by the National Park Service, this area has so many opportunities for learning for our kids.
We’ll Be Back!
Our family squeezed as much as we could out of a day in Memphis, Tennessee – and our route to get there, too.
We came away impressed and thinking about what we’d likely missed. I guess it is decided, then, we’ll have to come back!
