Memphis is a great family destination filled with activities for all ages from small toddlers to adults. We took our one-year-old with us, and this details all of the places we visited throughout our trip from kid-friendly activities to drool-worthy restaurants. The city was very easy to navigate and everything we did was within a 15 minute drive of our hotel. Additionally, there are now direct, daily flights from Memphis to Austin on American Airlines making traveling to the city a breeze. We hope you will visit Memphis and soak up all of the wonderful beauty and culture this diverse city has to offer!
Where to Stay:
The Memphian in Overton Square – This beautiful Marriott Hotel is fairly new and is located in a great, family-friendly location in Memphis. It is walkable to nearby shops, restaurants and activities such as The Art Project, and also a short drive to many other activities in the loop. Rooms are very spacious, and they provide pack n plays for little ones to sleep in. There is a downstairs restaurant Complicated Pilgrim that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and an upstairs bar, Tiger and Peacock, with upscale cocktails and snacks.
Where to Eat:
Railgarten – This spot doubles as a bar/restaurant and a play area for kiddos. Parents can relax with a local craft beer, while their toddlers play in the sand pit or in the playground. They offer an array of delicious bar-style food like nachos, chicken sandwiches, fried chicken and more!
Central BBQ – Everyone must try barbecue while in Memphis. The city is known for their barbecue style, which is unique from other regions, with a focus on delicious pork, slow-smoked in a pit with a dry rub of 40 different spices. Central Barbecue is a great option with several locations all over Memphis, including the original location located downtown.
Hog and Hominy – One of my favorite meals from our trip was our brunch at Hog & Hominy. The restaurant is focused on Italian cooking with southern roots, and they had the best woodfired pizzas. Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman have been nominated several times by the James Beard Foundation for top chefs in the southeast. They also own and operate Catherine & Mary’s in downtown Memphis.
The Liquor Store – Another fantastic option for brunch is The Liquor Store, a retro diner located on Broad Avenue. The menu features southern food with a Cuban flare. They have a large selection of breakfast options and you can add their cuban pork onto almost any dish as a protein. Although my personal favorite thing we ordered was the biscuit beignets.
Arcade Restaurant – This is the longest standing cafe/restaurant in Memphis with over 100+ years of history. The restaurant first opened in 1919 and was a regular hangout spot for Elvis Presley back in the 1950s and 1960s. Several movies were also filmed inside the restaurant including: Great Balls of Fire, Walk the Line and Mystery Train.
Second Line – This Cajun restaurant has a rustic feel and was located right across from the Memphian Hotel (where we stayed) in Overton Square. A casual, but delicious setting with a menu featuring New Orleans favorites like PoBoys, Gumbos, redfish atchafalaya, fried catfish and more!
The Beauty Shop – This trendy restaurant is located in the Cooper Young Art’s District of Midtown, and inside of Priscilla Presley’s former curl and dye spot. The restaurant has kept an ode to the former salon with their tagline “Look good. Eat good.” I loved the vintage style plates, decor and the Watermelon and Wings plate was delicious!
Toddler Friendly Activities:
The Art Project – This space is perfect for kids of all ages (in fact, I even saw adults making artwork). Think free-play art that is community driven. I loved that they take donations for recycled materials to use to make artwork. Kids can paint, play with chalk, color with markers or crayons, and even play with magnetic toys or playdough. A very fun spot to get creative! It is only $18 for an hour and a half.
The Memphis Zoo – My personal favorite experience to share with our toddler. We had so much fun visiting the zoo, feeding the giraffes and riding the motorized scooters around. The zoo features 3,500+ animals and 500 different species with exhibits ranging from African Veldt to Aquarium to Cat Country. We also loved learning about their conservation efforts expanding across the globe.
Memphis Botanic Garden – The Memphis Botanic Garden features 96 acres of ground to explore with 23 specialty gardens. The My Big Backyard garden is designed specifically with kids in mind featuring sixteen different themed areas where children can jump, splash, dig, daydream and make music!
Peabody Ducks at the Peabody Hotel – Another historic tradition that you should immediately add to your bucket list is the Peabody Hotel Duck March. The tradition began in the 1930s when then General Manager, Frank Schutt, put ducks in the hotel lobby’s fountain. The ducks now march daily at 11am and 5pm, and put on a show for hotel guests and tourists who come from all over the world.
– A fun and easy way to explore Downtown Memphis is by hopping on the Main Street Trolley. The cost is only $1 per ride, and the trolley runs every 20 minutes.
Other Things to See & Do:
Tiger & Peacock Cocktail Bar at The Memphian – This swanky cocktail bar is located at the top of The Memphian Hotel with an array of artfully crafted, $15 cocktails. They do have a strict dress code and the door, so make sure to dress in your Sunday’s best.
Visit Graceland – Elvis fans will not want to miss visiting Graceland, where you can see Elvis Presley’s 13.8 acre estate, his plane and all of his cars. Prepare to carve out a half a day to experience everything Graceland has to offer. There are several tiers of tickets starting from $50 to $215 per person.
Local Festivals – Spring is prime time for festivals and there were two happening the weekend we visited in late April. The Overton Crawfish Festival and the Shell Daze Festival in Overton Park Shell which featured headliner, Trampled by Turtles. The Crawfish festival was free to attend with local vendors lining the streets, live music and crawfish for purchase at $25 a bag.
Take Photos at the Memphis Murals – There are iconic murals scattered throughout the city that you can drive by and take pictures of throughout your trip. The ‘With Love from Memphis, Tennessee” mural photo opp is a must for tourists.
For more on what to do in Memphis visit memphistravel.com!
