Memphis Outdoor Activities
Recommended Outdoor Activities by Groupon Customers
The two-hour cruise is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m., depart at 7 p.m., and return at 9 p.m., affording passengers plenty of time to successfully saturate taste buds, ear buds, and dance buds. As you set off into the sunset backdrop on the Mississippi River, the wafting aromas of a feast prepared onboard will tempt a range of palates. Select from salads, hot entrees, carving stations, and sides; choices include prime rib, roasted turkey, red beans and rice, steamed seasonal vegetables, and seasoned potatoes. Complimentary coffee, soft drinks, and tea abound, and tipplers can head to the cash bar for a classic cocktail. Panoramic windows, two enclosed decks, and two outdoor decks showcase the historic waterfront unfolding in front of you as live music invites dance muscles to twitch rhythmically under the stars.
Founded by Jack Belz (chairman and CEO of Belz Enterprises and Marilyn Belz, the Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art has displayed its collection of paintings, sculptures, textiles, and more from Asian and Judaic artisans since 1998, when it was originally called the Peabody Place Museum. Old-school art lovers can spend hours perusing Belz's collection of pieces from the Chinese Qing and other dynasties, including a 19th-century scene intricately carved in ivory tusk, or studying elaborate pottery from the Han dynasty. In addition to the four admissions, the deal also includes four collection catalogs ($6 each), so exhibition scrutinizers can study up on the museum's collections.
Most of the modern world is mapped—GPS devices capably guide people through entire road trips and atlases describe more terrain than most people could cover in an entire lifetime. While it's difficult to reawaken humanity’s sense of surprise and discovery, The Mid-South Maze is up for the challenge. Every year, the maze’s manufacturers spend months carving up their cornfield into clever patterns that, when viewed from the sky, might appear as a famed sports logo or the face of a long-departed pharaoh. On the ground, however, that pattern vanishes, leaving wanderers to use their wits to navigate the arching corn passageways.
The Mid-South Maze entertains with more than just its winding labyrinth. On Friday and Saturday nights in October, actors clad as ghostly apparitions haunt the herbaceous hallways of a spooky tractor ride. A giant jumping pillow launches kids skyward and gently cushions their falls, and a corn cannon fires ears of corn at targets up to 100 yards away. Anyone who hits a target wins a prize from one of the maze's sponsors and the right to eat nothing but popcorn balls until Thanksgiving.
What kid doesn't dream of owning his or her own playground? David Zorn grew up storming the fields of Paintball Park, falling in love with the game. In college his childhood pastime turned into a semiprofessional career that took him to cities such as Chicago and Miami, where he made his television debut on ESPN's airing of the Campaign Cup tournament. Shortly after college, David jumped at the chance to purchase his old stomping grounds, where, across 18 acres of pigment-spattered fields, shooters settle good-natured scores as a trained staff ensures safety.
Colorful projectiles tear a zipper-like sound through the air across Paintball Park’s seven paintball fields, which have varying themes. In Paintball Canyon, players hunker down alongside a gorge, stashing themselves inside log forts or under bridges. The simulated nuclear-waste site at Ground Zero provides hiding places in the form of stacks of barrels and pipes; Dodge City simulates an Old West town, complete with a saloon and animatronic tumbleweeds; and players can find tournament-style play among the inflated blue obstacles of the airball field. Between games, paintballers refuel at the snack shop or at the grill pits and picnic tables scattered in the courtyard. At annual events, the staff sets up a scenario that spans all seven fields for an all-day game, designed to re-create battles from history, video games, or the time Sun Tzu’s lunch was missing from the fridge.
At dawn, just as the sun breaks the horizon, dew slowly disappears from freshly mowed bentgrass greens at Cordova Country Club, summoning golfers of all stripes to test their skills on the tranquil links. Alongside the well-manicured fairways lie groves of mature pine, oak, and maple trees, whose majesty often inspires players to interpret their shape using all of their clubs as bionic branches.
At 6,300 yards, the course forgoes the extreme length of some courses and instead challenges golfers with an onslaught of strategically placed bunkers, creeks, and Bill Murrays.
Course at a Glance:
18-hole, par-72 course
Total length of 6,300 yards from the back tees
Four sets of tees per hole
Each 90-minute jaunt covers more than half a century of Music City magic six days a week while cruising through the heart of the entertainment district. Pulling in for pick-up, each bus, like the time-traveling Miss Clawdy, captures the spirit of classic Memphis. Your tour begins with an all-aboard call, sung in the key of enthusiasm, by your musically gifted guide. Armed to drop both beats and knowledge, each Backbeat MC brings the city's landmarks to life with a blend of comedy, history, and participatory live performance. Passengers are kindly asked to remain in their seats with provided bongos, tambourines, and shakers properly secured in 4/4 time.
