Shelby Farms Park

It’s the middle of the summer in Memphis, temperature is hitting 80 degrees before 9am, but a walk around the trails at Shelby Farms Park is worth it (if you’re safe — bring water, veer towards the shade, and don’t overdo it. DUH.)
We’ve been out of town for a week, so as a treat for the pup we brought her for a walk in Shelby. I love the offleash dog park, BUT my pittie is unreliable off her leash still, so we walked the Chickasaw Trail instead.
This park makes it easy to forget you live in a big city. The plethora of lakes and ponds, abundance of trees, variety of wildlife (we spotted some deer tracks and saw lots of turtles and frogs), and trails both paved and dirt are all perfect for a day out in Memphis.
It’s free. It’s huge. We’ve played disc golf here, I’ve gone running here, we’ve brought other dogs here for the offleash park. Everything is kept well with plenty of space for groups.
If you live in Memphis this park is vital to your outdoorsy-​side. I would go stir crazy when a day hike just isn’t possible if this place wasn’t around.
Next we plan on trying out the bike and boat rentals!

Shelby Farms Park is a really nice place to spend a few hours in Memphis. They have a tandem bike for rent as well as other types, a good-​sized playground, open grassy spaces in which to play Frisbee, a disc golf course, ample parking, paddle boats, a small lake with a ziplining course (Go Ape), and places to picnic or just hang out. I went ziplining and we flew a kite – or, rather, we tried – but it was too windy that day. We also elbowed the kids out of the way for a few minutes to try the swings (tire and bouncing ones – so fun). Just so you know, we didn’t elbow the little kids, just the medium-​sized ones (But we DID kick some of their butts – politely, of course– later on the Go Ape Adventure, LOL. That is another review)! I’d recommend getting there earlier (noon) if you’re looking for the tandem bike. My friend went later in the day and it was taken (first come, first served — bummer).

Bigger than Central Park, Shelby Farms is an excellent spot to spend a day outside. Hiking, offroad cycling, and running can all be done on the numerous wooded trails (and the park also has a great 2.75-mile paved walking/​jogging trail as well). Furthermore, the park as been earmarked for a multi-​million dollar improvement in the forthcoming years. Bring the children, bring the dogs, and get outside!

We drove through the entire park (which took a while due to the size), and there is soooo much to do! We went there for the horse lessons and the staff was fantastic! Friendly, patient, educated, and very good with the horses. We would definitely return to the park, for more activities!

I love all the space and different areas for outdoor activities. The playground for kids is awesome! I particularly love the fields, plenty of room to fly my drone in

Orion Starry Nights is a drive-​thru Christmas light display hosted annually by Shelby Park Farms. The display lasts from right before Thanksgiving to a few days after Christmas, but check their website for specific dates and hours of operation every year. Don’t forget to check-​in on Unilocal to receive $ 5 off the price of admission– just show them the coupon before payment at the entrance.
Millions of twinkling lights is more than enough to capture the attention of all ages. During the holidays, I would recommend going early in December and in the early evening to avoid the hassles of waiting in long lines. The friendly, smiling staff are helpful with ticket purchases and directing you once you arrive.
We enjoyed driving through Starry Nights at our leisure, as we came early in the night and didn’t really have to wait in line to enter. I thought all the themes displayed were cute, ranging from Christmas, outer space, under the sea to fairy tale adventures. Some of my favorites included the light display of Memphis and the starry nights. Halfway through is Mistletoe Village, which was family-​friendly. The kiddos can explore the interactive activities (petting zoo) and take pics with Santa. Local vendors and concessions are available there too for your convenience.
Carefully orchestrated and colorful, twinkling Christmas lights is more than enough reason why Orion Starry Nights is an annual family-​fun destination for the holidays. Should you find yourself in Memphis around the holidays, definitely make the drive out to Shelby Park Farms and you will be pleasantly surprised. Bundle up, sip on some hot chocolate, and drive slowly to best enjoy Starry Nights!

Shelby Farms is massive in size, considering that this park is 4,500 acres in size. During Christmas they host the Starry Nights, which costs $ 20 per car (they have a $ 5 discount for Unilocal users when checking in, so the cost is just $ 15. I recommend coming about 30 – 45 minutes early as the line gets very long). The Park has a very nice playground for kids, it is enormous. Just checkout the pictures.
There is something to do here for everyone. If you love the outdoors, I’d highly recommend checking out Shelby Farms Park, this place is 5x the size of Central Park in NYC.
Review #360] (6^th Review of 2016)

Dropped by today for Starry Nights. Tonight the hours were from 6−9PM. We got there around 6:30PM and a line had already formed to get in. So I suggest getting there probably right at 6 and purchasing tickets online. It took us about 20 minutes to reach the entrance. Once inside, you were greeted by plentiful amounts of Christmas lights. I have to say my favorite was the Memphis one spelled out of a conglomerate of what defines this city.
Mistletoe Village is another place to visit here at Starry Nights. Children can come visit and take pictures with Santa. Other attractions here included a petting zoo, camel rides, concessions and local merchants.
It took us about 1.5 hours from start to finish. Definitely put Starry Nights on your list of to-​dos in December. Next year, I would come earlier in December rather than later.

Starry nights this year was not worth the $ 20 and the hour and a half wait to go through. There were cool displays sponsored by landmark areas in Memphis. Other than that… I would have skipped it.

Shelby Farms is one of those cases where you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I know if I ever leave Memphis, there’s a short list of things that I wish I spent more time at, and Shelby Farms Park is one of them.
We checked out the 2015 version of their starry nights exhibit last night and it’s impressive how far it has come. From relatively humble beginnings, the exhibit has grown into a world class light show. From the local themed start, through the underwater, outer space, and other themed sections… This is a great entertainment value.
For the first time, we checked out the mistletoe village which features Santa photo op, a small stage, lots of vendors, camel rides, and what my niece called «THE BEST PETTING ZOO EVER». Nice little stop over at the midpoint of the show.
With a large group, don’t forget to look into the carriage and hayride options. Nice work guys!

I love what I’ve seen of this park. I’ve lived in Memphis for it quite two months so I’ve only been twice. However, the play area for the kiddos is fantastic and safe with soft ground. The design is unique and there are several fun things to do. There’s a zip line adventure that I cannot endorse it seems quite interesting, I think you should call ahead and it is costly. The Spooky Nights is absolutely a blast for all ages!

Shelby farms is not only a wide open park but it’s one of the only places in Memphis to feel one with nature. You can come here to enjoy bike riding, take a walk, have a picnic, play disc golf, go fishing, have family time or even goApe! Shelby farms is currently getting renovated to be much bigger than it is. The lakes were being drained and rebuilt for most likely a bigger and better experience for the next summer.
Many events take place here for the family to enjoy or if your just wanting to be cute with your significant other.
Spooky nights is upcoming for the fall and they have already set up a few Halloween themed accessories and props to give you a spook for night.
Pros:
+Always something to do
+Events to keep you coming back
+Free (Some cost money such as goApe)
Cons:
–Needs a separate trail for bikers. («On the left!» Gets annoying after the first 10 bikes pass you”.
–Sections are blocked off due to renovations.
–Only one restroom station and it’s at the Visitor Center.

My first time visiting this place. It’s a pretty big park with lots of different stuff to do and see. I can see why everyone likes to go here. Might be one of the biggest parks I’ve been to in western Tennessee.

What’s not to love here?! «4,500 acres of green space»…that offers mostly FREE activities to enjoy!
Walk, run or ride the scenic trails
Watch your kids (not others — that’s creepy) play on the playground
Play Disc Golf, a game of paintball or laser tag
Rent a paddle boat
Ride a horse
Do the zip line
Take your dogs to the amazing dog park and let them run wild!
Subscribe to their email newsletter so you are in the know of all of the other activities they host like Zombie 5k, Workouts @ the park, Walking clubs, Starry Nights… and SO much more!
Even under construction the park is still amazing and I cannot wait to see it when it’s finished!

I’ve always loved Shelby Farms Park. And I still kinda do. But yesterday, I had an experience that made me question wether I would come back at all.
I was walking along Chickasaw Trail, just minding my own business, and this lizard jumped out of the bushes, tackled me, and started cursing my family and proceeded to call me a «booty-​face banana– forehead lookin ass.» I pulled out my phone and just as I was starting to record, the lizard was silent and acting all innocent and shit. I have footage of the lizard running away into the bushes AFTER the incident occurred, but that’s about it. I just really hope someone can take action and stop rude animals from hanging out at this park.

Shelby Farms Park is simply a gem of nature and activities in Memphis. I was happy to read about this place via the I Love Memphis Blog (follow @ilovememphis on Twitter if you’re not already), and the 5-​Star Unilocal reviews back it up– this is one of the best places in Memphis.
My son and I came here to do some fishing back in April 2015 on our Spring Break trip to Memphis. We talked to the staff here who recommended Pine Lake, because it had recently been stocked for a kid’s fishing derby. It yielded my son a few small bass (catch ‘n’ release). As did our fishing at beautiful Butler Lake. We fished the big pier there, but had more success from the hiking lane over to the right. You can get a fishing license at Bass Pro Shops or at nearby Walmart. (Note: kids 13+ need a license to fish Shelby Farms Park).
There’s a nice kids’ playground here, hiking/​running trails, kayak, canoe and paddle boat rentals, mountain biking, horseback riding, Buffalo viewing, and the GoApe Treetop Adventure Course & zoom lines. My son and I didn’t feel quite confident enough to tackle the GoApe Course just yet, but read the I Love Memphis Blog for a rundown–
The Park was getting so much action the day we were there, it seems like Memphians are enjoying it and putting it to good use. There was construction happening on a huge new man-​made Lake when we were there, and I could see this place being used for a variety of running races, concert festivals, and events.
This was one of our favorite things to do on our trip to Memphis, and a place we’ll certainly revisit when returning.

How? How have I not written a review of this magical kingdom?
They have boat rentals. BOAT RENTALS. Canoes, single kayaks, and double kayaks. Closed on Mondays though. Tuesday-​Friday 1 pm-​last boat rented at 5:30 pm. Saturday noon-​last boat rented at 5:30 pm and Sunday 1 pm to last boat rented at 5:30 pm
They also have horse stables (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). It is $ 30 per person, cash only. The hour long rides leave at 9:45 am, 11 am, 12:15 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:45 pm. Reservations are recommended.
And bike rentals!
And a zip line/​tree top adventures course!
And paintball/​lasertag!
And trails! And a playground! And a dog park!
Have I sold you on how awesome this place is yet?

This park is a Memphis MUST VISIT park year round for all. For Spring, summer fun this park is packed with ponds, buffalos, deer and recreational swings/​slides for kids and all the walking trails you can handle. In Winter there are Festival of lights event that you can drive through and enjoy (Christmas). Shelby Farms by far is my favorite park hands down! If you like fishing, you are in the right place, biking. no problem, wooded trails… check! The park is so big that no way will you be crowding out any person/​group. :)

I love Shelby Farms. The trails are wonderful and it is absolutely beautiful. There is plenty to do for everyone. The horseback riding is great. My canine babies love the dog park, though I’d say don’t take your dog off the leash unless you’re 100% sure that they won’t dart (my kids always stay on the leash). I’ve seen missing dog flyers numerous times, and it always makes me sad. In addition to all of the wonderful things that are always offered, the events that take place there (like Spooky Nights and Starry Nights) are always a blast.

Shelby Farms has become my happy place where I go to enjoy alone time, exercise, and escape the stress of everything else in Memphis. Its large enough that, although many people visit, I don’t feel like it’s crowded.
I enjoy the wildlife and the scenery. It’s worth it to bring your camera on one of the trails.
They have something for everyone… horseback riding, wooded trails, bike trails, paved walking trails, kayaking, frisbee golf, and plenty of activities.

This was by far the most beautiful piece of property I’ve seen in a good, long while. During my work stay in Tunica, MS, my friend who lives in Memphis picked me up and upon hearing that my girlfriend and I wanted to do outdoor activities, hike, take a walk, his first suggestion was Shelby Farms! I looked it up online and knew this was where I wanted to go! We drove in and although it was storming (lightening and thunder) we thought it’s only raining — let’s give it a try — and I’m SO glad we did!
We took the greenway hike around lakes and more. The views were stunning and it’s nice not to hear car traffic nearby. It was quiet and serene. Many people were biking, taking walks or runs themselves. You didn’t feel like you were alone but it was very nice to see how vast and large the property was. You can really tell that they keep up with all the lawn mowing, maintenance, etc. There are plenty of benches to take breaks and enjoy the scenery as well. We didn’t get a chance to do it, but you can see that there are places to rent and do kayaks, fields to fly kites, a beautiful large (and new) playground for children, and horses! If you and your family are looking for a place to enjoy yourselves for free with a tremendous view on a sunny day — Shelby Farms is the place for you! So glad I visited!