Memphis offers several historic rock 'n' roll-themed sites for children to visit. Sun Studio (sunstudio.com) is the recording studio where rock 'n' roll legends such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash recorded some of their earliest albums. This landmark allows children ages 5 to 11 to take a guided tour of the studio facilities for free. Graceland Mansion (elvis.com/graceland), home of the late Elvis Presley, allows children to tour the house of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." This site offers scavenger hunts during school field trips, an activity that provides historical facts about Graceland and Presley for children. A complimentary shuttle is available between Graceland and Sun Studio.
Located on the Mississippi River and downtown Memphis, Mud Island River Park (mudisland.com) is home to the Riverwalk, a paved riverfront boardwalk where children can have picnics and see miniature models of the Mississippi River. Mud Island's Adventure Center provides kayak and bicycle rentals; one- and two-person kayaks are available. Further up the Mississippi River is Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, a 13,400-acre recreation area with a campground and boating facilities on the river. Children under 16 do not need a fishing permit for the park. Wildlife exhibits are at the Memphis Zoo (memphiszoo.org), a 70-acre park with approximately 2,800 animals. The zoo provides summer camps for children in kindergarten to seventh grade.
Two professional sports organizations in Memphis are the Memphis Grizzlies (nba.com/grizzlies), a National Basketball Association franchise, and the Memphis Redbirds (memphis.redbirds.milb.com), a Triple A minor league baseball team. Both teams play in downtown Memphis; the Grizzlies reside at the FedEx Forum, while the Redbirds host games at AutoZone Park. The Grizzlies offers youth basketball camps for children under 16 years old and the Redbirds have the Rockey's Kids Club. This club allows members to lead the "Running of the Bases," a tradition where children run around the bases after a Sunday game. AutoZone Park also hosts "Baby Races," where infants participate in a crawling race; all infants must be six months to one year old.
The 40-acre Golf and Games Family Park (golfandgamesmemphis.com) is in eastern Memphis, less than five minutes from the intersection of Sam Cooper Boulevard and Interstate 40. This amusement park features the Maxflight Virtual Rollercoaster, Lasertron -- a laser tag arena -- 18-hole miniature golf course and bumper boats. Children may also have picnics at the Golf and Games picnic area, which has open air pavilions with tables and barbecue grills. Memphis also has a Laserquest (laserquest.com) franchise, located in the Poplar Plaza Shopping Center. This laser tag arena is open for birthday parties on Monday and Tuesday.
