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Family-Friendly Summer Fun in Memphis, TN

Memphis skyline view from a park
A view of the skyline of Memphis Tennessee looking north from the Mississippi River.


Summer brings longer days, brighter moods, and more opportunities to spend time with the people you love. For families visiting loved ones at Kirby Pines, it’s also the perfect season to explore all the family friendly things to do in Memphis, TN – from outdoor parks to interactive museums and live music under the stars.

Whether you’re traveling with toddlers, teens, or grandparents, you’ll find no shortage of fun things to do in Memphis that everyone can enjoy. Here are a few ways to make the most of your summer visit.

Make Kirby Pines Part of the Experience

Start your outing right here on our campus. At Kirby Pines, family visits become memorable moments. Enjoy a morning stroll through the gardens, grab lunch at the Bistro, or attend one of our many seasonal events together.

With so many ways to connect, relax, and celebrate everyday life, our campus is a destination in itself. Explore the Kirby Pines lifestyle and discover why families love visiting again and again.

Discover the Outdoors at Shelby Farms Park

One of the top family friendly things to do in Memphis, Shelby Farms Park is a must-visit. As one of the largest urban parks in the country, it’s just a short drive from Kirby Pines and offers something for everyone: paddle boating, biking trails, wide-open picnic areas, and the kid-favorite Woodland Discovery Playground.

With no entry fee, it’s also one of the most popular free things to do in Memphis, ideal for spontaneous summer fun.

Explore the Lichterman Nature Center

Nestled within East Memphis, the Lichterman Nature Center offers a peaceful escape for families who enjoy exploring nature together. From its scenic lake and wildlife observation decks to hands-on exhibits in the visitor center, it’s the perfect mix of education and adventure.

This 65-acre wildlife sanctuary invites guests of all ages to experience the beauty of native flora and fauna, whether you’re walking the trails or watching turtles sunbathe from the boardwalk. It’s a great addition to your list of family friendly things to do in Memphis that blends outdoor fun with meaningful time together.

Spend the Day at the Memphis Zoo

Looking for classic family things to do in Memphis? The Memphis Zoo is a crowd-pleaser for all ages. With over 3,500 animals and engaging exhibits like the Zambezi River Hippo Camp and the Teton Trek, the zoo blends entertainment with education.

It’s also easily walkable and accessible, with wide, paved paths and shaded rest areas that make it comfortable for visitors of all ages, whether you’re pushing a stroller or guiding a wheelchair. With interactive exhibits, engaging animal encounters, and plenty of spots to rest and recharge, the Memphis Zoo is perfect for multigenerational family outings.

Learn and Play at Local Museums

For indoor discovery, few places compare to the Children’s Museum of Memphis and the Museum of Science & History (formerly the Pink Palace). These are two of the best family friendly things to do in Memphis, TN for curious minds and playful spirits.

The Children’s Museum offers hands-on learning for younger children, while the Museum of Science & History has fossils, cultural exhibits, and even a planetarium for the whole family to enjoy. Both locations are also near local restaurants for lunch with your loved one from Kirby Pines.

Enjoy the Music of Memphis

Music lovers of all ages can enjoy the vibrant local scene that makes Memphis famous. From outdoor shows at Overton Park Shell to community festivals like Cooper-Young, there are endless family friendly things to do in Memphis that celebrate the rhythm of summer.

Want to keep the fun going? Kirby Pines regularly hosts lifestyle enrichment opportunities like live entertainment and social events, giving your visit a festive encore.

Come Home to Kirby Pines

After exploring the many fun things to do in Memphis, there’s no better place to unwind than Kirby Pines. Share stories over dinner, take a quiet walk through the grounds, or enjoy an evening concert right here in our community.

Every visit becomes a shared celebration of the season, of family, and of time well spent together.

Schedule Your Summer Visit to Kirby Pines

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Let it Snow!

See what Kirby Pines residents have to say about how our community handled Memphis’ recent snow, ice, and water challenges. Check out our video to see how Kirby Pines weathered the storm.

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Kirby Pines Voted #1 Retirement Community 17 Consecutive Years!

Kirby Pines has been voted Best Retirement Community for 17 consecutive years by the Commercial Appeal’s Memphis Most. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we want to say thank you to the Kirby Pines residents and staff. Schedule a tour today to see why Kirby Pines is the best retirement community in the Memphis market. Thank you, Memphis!

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Live the Life You’ve Earned at Kirby Pines!

If you think your best days are behind you, you’ve obviously never been to Kirby Pines! With our 60-acre campus, renovated luxury apartments, wonderful food and more, you can see how life, living and community can make you feel right at home. Check out our video and see why Kirby Pines makes you part of a family.

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10,000th Game of Pool

The Billiards Group at Kirby Pines recently played their 10,000th game. Watch the video below!

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Midsouth Woodturner Guild’s Oldest Member & Kirby Pines Resident John Johnson Celebrates 101 Years!

John in the Hobby shop on his 101st birthday

On May 22nd of this year John R. Johnson, one of our founding members, celebrated his 101st Birthday. About two years ago he stopped woodturning but stays active making Zentangle diagrams (repetitive figures often involving only straight lines) and other detailed pen and ink drawings. John’s philosophy holds that to enjoy life one needs a goal every day. If you stand outside and knock on John’s window (he is currently restricted to his assisted living room at Kirby Pines) you will most often find him working there where the light is strong. He’ll look up, smile and be delighted with a ‘socially-distanced’ visit and raise the window for a chat. 

John was born in Martinez, CA but grew up on a farm in Cleveland, Georgia. Completing his few years of formal schooling (finished 4th grade) and ‘put to the plow behind a mule’ he soon learned farming was not for him. Early radios were often just a galena crystal, a “cats whisker” and a pair of earphones, but John moved on to building and operating a ham radio station which involved diodes, capacitors, resistors and learning the Morse code. At the beginning of WWII this served to get him into the Army Air Force (bypassing boot camp), wherein he was flown over much of the African continent setting up radios at local airports in case the military needed them. In 1946 John took flying lessons and much later built and flew two ultralight planes. He joined the Civil Air Patrol and retired as supervisor of the Memphis unit. Through self-study and various organized courses he became a licensed professional engineer. He is widely read, with an enormous vocabulary and an insatiable curiosity, and has travelled over the entire US and much of Europe in his later years. There are few topics which John does not know something about. Currently he is hindered by defective hearing and frequently has to search for the correct word. Because he recalls a great deal of the Bible he sometimes is asked to stay quiet or leave religious classes because he raises so many questions. For his 91st birthday he wanted to fly one more time, rented a plane with an instructor (who never touched the controls) and greatly enjoyed it. 

After retirement, John and his wife spent many winters living in an RV near Phoenix, Arizona where he set up a small shop, turned and sold items. He has turned hundreds of stair bannisters, thousands of clock case finials, numerous bowls, weed pots, and offset items during his 65 years at the lathe, never using a sharpening system! He was a master at making adapters, wooden chucks, and special jigs to hold his work. At one time John got into miniature turning and did many objects within objects, often using a jewelers lathe. His large bowl lathe was a converted horizontal milling machine. His favorite lathe for many years was a Delta rescued from the Lazarov Scrap Yard by his friend John Williams. 

In the mid-nineties John moved the small, cramped Hobby Shop at Kirby Pines to a new, larger location and set about outfitting it with a wide variety of machine tools for both flat and turned work. He served as the supervisor of the shop until 4 years ago; this included deciding which residents were qualified to use it safely. 

Written by Ray Tanner, Kirby Pines Resident