Retiring in Memphis, TN

The Memphis metro has a thriving pickleball scene anchored by Bluff City Pickleball (2809 Bartlett Blvd, 8 indoor courts) and Pickleball 901 (4610 Merchant Park Circle, 8 indoor courts), along with numerous free outdoor courts at parks in Bartlett, Germantown, and Collierville. For adults 50 and older, The Linda Kerley Center in Collierville offers dedicated open-play sessions and beginner lessons at reduced fees.

The Aging Commission of the Mid-South (ACMS), operating through Shelby County at 2670 Union Ave Extended, is the designated Area Agency on Aging for the Memphis region and coordinates OPTIONS for Community Living, elder abuse prevention, and caregiver support services. Memphis Parks operates dedicated senior centers, and the Kroc Center in Midtown at 800 E Parkway South offers drop-in fitness, pickleball, and senior programming.

The Orpheum Theatre at 203 S Main St, open since 1890 and rebuilt in the 1920s, hosts Broadway touring productions and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, while the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and Stax Museum of American Soul Music anchor the city's wider cultural landscape. The Memphis Botanic Garden at 750 Cherry Rd adds a 96-acre horticultural destination with rotating exhibitions.

The Wolf River Wildlife Management Area and Ghost River State Natural Area, about 50 miles northeast of Memphis, offer remote flatwater fishing on the lower Wolf River backwaters. Tennessee resident annual fishing licenses run $34 and are sold through the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency; the Mississippi River also provides catfish and striper fishing from several public access points along the Memphis waterfront.

Shelby Farms Park, one of the largest urban parks in the US at roughly 4,500 acres, holds more than 40 miles of multi-use trails for walking, running, and cycling east of downtown. The Wolf River Greenway extends another 22 miles of mostly paved trail through undeveloped bottoms and suburban corridors toward Germantown.

Mud Island River Park at the tip of the downtown peninsula provides a public launch area and seasonal kayak programming with views of the Mississippi; the Big River Crossing pedestrian bridge links Mud Island to the Arkansas side and is a popular walking route along the river. Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park about 15 miles north has a public boat ramp on the Chickasaw Lake.

Memphis Parks operates seven public golf courses under the Memphis Public Links brand, including the 18-hole Links at Galloway at 3815 Walnut Grove Rd where senior rates (age 62 and older) run $18 for 18 holes on weekdays and $35 on weekends. Children under 18 play free at all city courses, and PGA Hope clinics for veterans operate at no cost.

Dixon Gallery and Gardens at 4339 Park Ave is a free-admission art museum and public garden that hosts Creative Aging studio courses for adults 65 and older and seasonal horticultural programs. The Memphis Area Master Gardeners, affiliated with the University of Tennessee Extension, holds its annual Spring Fling Garden Show and Plant Sale at the Agricenter's Big Red Barn each April.