While speaking on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. You can relive history here by visiting the balcony and Dr. King's room, restored as it was when he was here to support the sanitation workers' strike. Through interactive multimedia exhibits you participate in the civil rights movement and learn its history from the 1600s through Rosa Parks and the freedom riders until today.
The Dixons were a childless couple who collected art, both fine and decorative and left it all to the city when they died. The travelling exhibits, are often spectacular and have included Faberge eggs, glassworks by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly, and an explosion of color from Raoul Dufy. The 17-acre (7-hectare) garden is usually open for strolling, except during outdoor concerts, picnics, or theater productions. The museum shop often has items from Memphis' Great Wonders exhibits! The museum is free for everyone on every Saturday between 10 am to noon.
The 2800 animals from over 400 species here have cared for in environments as close to their native habitats as possible. From African veldt to Asian temple ruins, Peruvian rain forests or Jamaican caverns, the animals roam free. Young children will enjoy the "Once Upon a Farm" exhibit and the amusement rides. The whole family will love watching the apes and monkeys in Primate Canyon. Do not miss the lions and tigers in Cat Country. Trams make getting around the park easy; wheelchairs and strollers can be rented.
Memphis Botanic Garden is a collection of gardens that covers over 96 acres (39 hectares) in East Memphis. The lovely Japanese garden, with its bridges, ponds and goldfish is a favorite with visitors, who come for the candlelight evening tours in the summer. In the spring, the Ketchum Iris Garden glows with a myriad of colors, while the Municipal Rose Garden is at its best in May, June, and September. There is even a Sensory Garden that is designed to appeal to all five senses.
Liberty Bowl Stadium is a massive football stadium that can seat up to 58,325 spectators. In 1965, the Liberty Bowl College Football Classic shifted from Philadelphia to Memphis, and that is how this stadium got its new name. It has witnessed some of the most remarkable college football games over the years. It also plays host to rock concerts.
This tiny house stands as a reminder of both a dark period in American history and the efforts of many to remedy the wrongs of slavery. A merchant named Jacob Burkle, who ran a stockyard before the American Civil War, provided a haven for many runaway slaves on their journey through the Underground Railroad. Here you can see where they waited for the instructions that helped them find their way across the Mississippi River to freedom.
While speaking on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. You can relive history here by visiting the balcony and Dr. King's room, restored as it was when he was here to support the sanitation workers' strike. Through interactive multimedia exhibits you participate in the civil rights movement and learn its history from the 1600s through Rosa Parks and the freedom riders until today.
Spread across an area of 15 hectares (6 acres), Tiger Lane is a large event space. It is located adjacent to the popular Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. They offer space to host events like music concerts, fairs, racing events, festivals and a lot more. It features a number of clean restrooms which are set in Tiger Lane Towers. They offer several packages that includes ticketing facilities, parking, rental and more. Owing to its premium location, this large events venue is the ideal spot to hold your next event.
The Dixons were a childless couple who collected art, both fine and decorative and left it all to the city when they died. The travelling exhibits, are often spectacular and have included Faberge eggs, glassworks by Seattle artist Dale Chihuly, and an explosion of color from Raoul Dufy. The 17-acre (7-hectare) garden is usually open for strolling, except during outdoor concerts, picnics, or theater productions. The museum shop often has items from Memphis' Great Wonders exhibits! The museum is free for everyone on every Saturday between 10 am to noon.
Overton Park is the home of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis College of Art, and the Overton Park Municipal Golf Course. The park by itself is a lovely place to visit. There are trails for hiking and biking, tennis courts, a playground, picnic area, and huge, shady trees to relax under.The rainbow-painted amphitheater, once the location of concerts by Elvis Presley and ZZ Top, is now seldom used, but still a good place to sit and ponder the glories of music gone by.
Shelby Farms Park is one of the largest in the country, spanning 4500 acres (1821 hectares). Come here to experience tranquility mingled with awe as you explore the great outdoors. The park is home to a herd of bison and many other species of animals. Though once a working farm, now it serves as a favorite recreational spot to many. So go ahead and ride, bike, hike, fish or row!
Lacing the meandering Mississippi River, this verdant park is indeed a naturalist's dream, cut through by winding trails, swamps and forests cloaked in hardwood and cypress. Here, the soaring Chickasaw Bluffs are adorned with carpets of oak and beech, and are traversed by a melange of mammals like deer, bobcats, foxes and beavers. A stunning amalgam of nature and biodiversity, the park shelters an array of lakes like the Poplar Tree Lake and Lake Piersol, which are deeply contrasted by dense woods and winding pathways. In addition, the park also houses a disc-golf course, an archery range and a nature center with exhibits demonstrating local wildlife. The park is also home to a beautiful, seasonally-open butterfly garden, as well as the Meeman Museum and Nature Center, a tribute to conservationist Edward J. Meeman.