Nashville or Memphis

[rramsr]

For a family of four, 2 adults, 2 kids (13,9). Would like some free stuff for kids to do. Great food that we can't get in MA. DH and I love country music. Thinking of July or early August

Trying to decide which would be better

 

[AquamarineSteph]

What kinds of activities do you like to do? What are you hoping to see while you are in either place? How long will you be there & at what time of year?

 

[rramsr]

Sorry, I know I was kind of vague. Got a call.

We love country music. Some free stuff for kids. Good food. Memphis seems to have a lot and the zoo doesn't seem to expensive. Will be there for a week, no more. Thinking July or beginning of August

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Sorry, I know I was kind of vague. Got a call.

We love country music. Some free stuff for kids. Good food. Memphis seems to have a lot and the zoo doesn't seem to expensive. Will be there for a week, no more. Thinking July or beginning of August

Why not a few days at both? It’s only a 3.5 hour drive in between

 

[rramsr]

I was thinking that, do three days at one and three at the other

 

[Owl X]

...
We love country music. Some free stuff for kids. Good food. Memphis seems to have a lot and the zoo doesn't seem to expensive. Will be there for a week, no more. Thinking July or beginning of August.
...

Tennessee has a lot of state parks that you could visit:
http://tnstateparks.com/

I recommend spending nights in different cities (Nashville, Memphis, Jackson).

Are you driving down or flying into one of the 2 cities?

 

[rramsr]

We will be driving from MA. We will leave on a Saturday and get there Sunday and then the same on the return

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Why not a few days at both? It’s only a 3.5 hour drive in between

This is what I would do.

 

[morgan98]

I am currently in Memphis as we speak for work and visit often enough. I am not sure about a whole week here, but could easily see the time split between Memphis and Nashville.

 

[RangerPooh]

We're in Memphis and I'd probably split my stay between here and Nashville. If you want music then you'll need to do some research regarding venues and what's playing where. Free things might be limited, but here's a few things to do locally. Albeit some require admission:

• Memphis Zoo. Reasonable cost. If you have an AZA accredited zoo membership back home it might be accepted here for little or no cost. Arrive early as parking fills fast.
• Overton Park (adjacent tot he zoo). Free admission. Trails to walk or have a picnic. Nice playgrounds. Arrive early as parking fills fast. Can park at the zoo and then spend the rest of the day at the park.
• Shelby Farms Park. Free entry. Trails to hike. Nice playground. Horseback riding/kayaking/zip lining available at additional cost.
• Pink Palace Museum. Admission required.
• Civil Rights Museum. Admission required.
• Mud Island River Park- if you park across the street and walk in it's free to enter. Parking at the park costs. The museum requires admission.
• Nearby State Parks (free admission): Fort Pillow, Meeman Shelby Forest. Plenty of hiking and camping at both.
• Redbirds baseball game. Admission required.
• Watch the ducks at the Peabody Hotel (free). Follow this with baseball since the Redbirds stadium is across the street.

 

[Owl X]

We will be driving from MA. We will leave on a Saturday and get there Sunday and then the same on the return

There are numerous state parks in Virginia near I-81 and in Tennessee near I-40 if you take that route.

If I was taking a road trip that long, I would stay at a different location every night.
You could drive 3-4 hours, visit a state park then sleep and repeat the next day.
You might want to visit one of the parks with Caves in Tennessee during the trip (such as Bristol Caverns).

Links to some Memphis attractions below.

Memphis Zoo:

• Tickets: https://www.memphiszoo.org/tickets

Pink Palace Museum Links:

• Exhibits: http://www.memphismuseums.org/pink-palace-museum/exhibits/
• 3D IMAX Theater: http://www.memphismuseums.org/cti-giant-theater/show-schedule/
• Planetarium: http://www.memphismuseums.org/planetarium/show-schedule/
• Tickets: http://www.memphismuseums.org/pink-palace-museum/visitor-info/

Shelby Farms Park:

• http://www.shelbyfarmspark.org

Note: I have lived near Memphis for the last 22 years. Prior to that I lived in East Tennessee for 12 years. I have made dozens of road trips to East Tennessee since I moved to visit relatives and friends. We usually break the trip up to do tourist activities either coming or going (sometimes both).

 

[BrianL]

I live in Memphis and my vote is for neither. I mean, it can be okay for those passing through, but there's not much here. There's Graceland for Elvis fans. Nashville isn't too interesting either if you don't like country music. I dunno, that's just my take. If you are coming to TN the Smokies are much nicer (though quite far from Memphis).

 

[asta]

I live near Nashville. There are always lots of places for live music but you would have to check about policies for children. Some of the downtown honky tonks might be ok for children before a certain time. There is also the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Nashville has a zoo but it is not as big as the one in Memphis. Nashville has a good children’s museum. For history you could visit The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson. I think you will be too early for this but Gaylord Opryland Hotel is opening a big water park next year. There are many great food options in Nashville. It has become a foodie town. Both Memphis and Nashville have great barbecue but I think Memphis has the edge on that.

 

[RangerPooh]

In Nashville there's the Tennessee State Museum, admission is free. We visited it last summer and enjoyed it.

Graceland is ok, but will cost. Our kids thought that it was neat but really have much exposure to Elvis. They preferred his car museum over the mansion.

I agree with others, visit multiple sites in TN, this way you can visit the Smokie Mountains, caverns, etc. Memphis and Nashville can be part of your road trip, but not the focal points. There's not a ton of free things to do in Memphis, at least IMO other than local parks. DHs work pays for our zoo membership and we purchased a Pink Palace membership so the "free" day/times for locals is irrelevant to us.

Something to think about in Memphis, the schools here start back the first week (or two) of August, so crowd levels at some free/low cost attractions might be smaller as local youth groups in attendance will be reduced. Meaning zoo and Pink Palace crowds will be slightly smaller.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

For a family of four, 2 adults, 2 kids (13,9). Would like some free stuff for kids to do. Great food that we can't get in MA. DH and I love country music. Thinking of July or early August

Trying to decide which would be better

Considering you love country music, Nashville. Note that Davidson County (Nashville) Rutherford County and Sumner county all went to school August 7 this year, Williamson County the 10th, Wilson County the 2nd, Robertson and Cheatham are smaller population counties. It's good to go when school is back in but..... the first couple of days can be chaotic in school zones. Also note that I 440 may be undergoing major construction along its entire length. Scheduled to begin sometime next year. It needs it. It is currently heavily damaged. But that is going to affect 40, 24, and 65 in that area in a major way.

Things like the Hermitage, the Parthenon and the like aren't free but they're fairly low cost. Same goes for various civil war era homes and the like. The Zoo is well.... It should be free but isn't. They should be embarrassed to charge for that. HAHA. Obviously you don't want to take the kids to the bars. But the music scene is probably what draws a lot to both cities. Food. Memphis you can get bbq anything. BBQ balogna? they got it. BBQ pizza? They invented it. At an Italian place no less!!! BBQ spaghetti? Yup. BBQ nachos? Got that too. But when in memphis you have to get some dry rubbed ribs. Nashville doesn't really have a distinct offering they are known for except hot chicken which most Nashvillians didn't even know about until KFC decided to try and clone it. If you want it, head over to one of the places that have been doing it for 30-50 years. Nashville also does have some fine non chain places (but they can be pricey to very pricey) and despite not offering any distinct regional BBQ variant, do have some good bbq places.

If you like nature, fall Creek falls state park is a long day trip from Nashville. Burgess falls is a short day trip from Nashville. Plus there are the smokies which probably would require staying over rather than a day trip. Radnor lake is a sport where people like to take walks and the like.

 

[rramsr]

Thank you all for your input. Will have to do a lot of researching to decide

 

[amberpi]

What other posters have said - see a bunch of TN. I love Nashville, but I'm not sure there's tons to do with kids, again outside of what's been mentioned. I also don't have kids nor do I interact with many children other than my 2.5 year old darling nephew. There is one place no one has mentioned that is affordable outside of Nashville. https://explorethedc.org/ that might be enjoyable.

Now if you want Nash food/bar recommendations for adults - I'd be happy to help. Prince's Hot Chicken is my favorite and it's in my neighborhood - kinda. Some people said they thought that area of town of sketchy. It's awesome; tons of great restaurants. If you want a really fantastic fancy place for a date night with your spouse, try to get a reservation at https://www.thecatbirdseatrestaurant.com/. Anthony Bourdain was even impressed and covered it on his "Parts Unknown." That episode definitely got at the heart of Nashville. He covered a place called Pinewood Social which is a weird, but awesome and super unique place that includes a bowling alley. I wouldn't necessarily recommend taking kids there though. It's kinda sceney (I'm making up words now because I don't know how to describe the vibe) and a little meat markety, but again, I can't speak for the kids thing. I've been there often (mostly for brunch, weekend nights I'm not going) and don't think I've ever seen a child.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Why not a few days at both? It’s only a 3.5 hour drive in between

On further review, add some time at Chattanooga while you’re at it

 

[amberpi]

On further review, add some time at Chattanooga while you’re at it

The aquarium in Chattanooga is really fantastic.

 

[Wendy31]

In addition to the aquarium, Chattanooga (& the surrounding area) has also a children's Creative Discovery Museum, the TN Railroad Museum, the Chickamauga Battlefield, Rock City, Ruby Falls, the River Park, a nice little zoo, & lots of different hiking & walking opportunities.

Chattanooga's restaurant scene has really improved over the past 5 years or so as well - lots of different dining opportunities.

In July or August, you'd be able to catch a Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game too.

The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, TN is about an hour or so away, & Fall Creek Falls State Park (free admission) is about 2 hours away.

A little warning, though - in July & August, Chattanooga, Memphis, & Nashville will most likely be hot & humid!