The River City has so many good things going for it, and we at Memphis Parent know you are in the loop on the places that make life as a parent go a lot more smoothly. That’s why we brought back our Family Choice Awards to let everyone know who you believe are tops in the city for what Memphis-area families want to know, where to go, what to do, and where to buy. We focus on local places to support homegrown businesses. You may notice a few national chains but most are locally owned franchises. If you don’t see your favorite, no worries, we know there are others out there doing a great job. Be sure to vote next time and get your friends to do the same. Meantime, thank you for casting your vote and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners in the 2016 Family Choice Awards.
Healthcare
Looking for someone to take care of your precious little ones is not a task parents dole out easily. Whether it’s a pediatrician, orthodontist, dentist, or asthma specialist, quality care and friendly service go hand in hand, and that’s what makes this group of healthcare professionals stand out to their patients.
Best Pediatrician
☆1st - Dr. Chris Hanson • Laurelwood Pediatrics
★ 2nd - Dr. Noel Frizzell • Pediatric Consultants
★ 3rd - Dr. Charles Yukon • Yukon Clinic
Best Orthodontist
☆1st - Dr. Danny Weiss • Weiss Orthodontics
★ 2nd - Dr. Scott Werner • Memphis Orthodonic specialists
★ 3rd - Dr. Brad Wilkinson • Pediatric Dental Specialties
Best Pediatric Dentist
☆1st - Dr. Brad Wilkinson • Pediatric Dental Specialties
★ 2nd - Dr. Michael Blen • Dr. Blen Pediatric Dentistry
★ 3rd - Dr. Joshua Brink • Brink & White Pediatric Dentistry
Best Pediatric Asthma & Allergy Specialists
☆1st - Dr. Tammy McCulley • Allergy and Asthma Care
★ 2nd - Dr. Greg Hanissian • Hanissian Allergy
★ 3rd - Dr. Phillip Lieberman • Allergy and Asthma Care
Birthday Party Services
Who doesn’t love a birthday party?! From sweet treats to just the right fun activities, the winners in the following categories make planning a birthday party a fun affair that is sure to please toddlers to teens, and everyone in between.
Best Kids’ Party Destination
☆1st - Pump It Up
★ 2nd - Tie
Sky Zone & Incredible Pizza
★ 3rd - Get Air
Best Kids’ Party Entertainment
☆1st - Incredible Pizza
★ 2nd - Music for Aardvarks
★ 3rd - Sky Zone
Tasty Eats
Memphis is known for its barbecue, but there’s no shortage of serving up all sorts of good food — downtown, midtown, Germantown, and all around town. Check out the places where you can please the palate of all members of the family.
Best Restaurant with Kids
☆1st - Huey's
★ 2nd - Chick-fil-A
★ 3rd - Belly Acres
Best Restaurant for a Date without the Kids
☆1st - Flight
★ 2nd - Restaurant Iris
★ 3rd - Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen
Best Local Pizza Place
☆1st - Memphis Pizza Cafe
★ 2nd - Pyro's Pizza
★ 3rd - Aldo's Pizza Pies
Best Barbecue
☆1st - Central BBQ
★ 2nd - Corky's
★ 3rd - Germantown Commissary
Best Healthy Kids' Menu
☆1st - Panera Bread
★ 2nd - Tie
Chick-fil-A & Lyfe Kitchen
★ 3rd - Jason's Deli
Best Farm-to-Table Restaurant
☆1st - The Farmer
★ 2nd - Belly Acres
★ 3rd - Bounty on Broad
Best Prepared Meals
☆1st - Curbside Casserole
★ 2nd - Katie's Kitchen
★ 3rd - Whole Foods
Shopping
The best of where to go for locally-owned stores just for kids offers familiar places in several categories because they’re kid-tested and parent-approved. Investing in quality toys and clothes for your child at these establishments is also an investment in Memphis.
Best Locally-Owned Children's Store
☆1st - Cotton Tails
★ 2nd - Spoiled Sweet Boutique
Tie
★ 3rd - Village Toymaker & Itty Bitty Bella
Best Kids' Consignment Shop
☆1st - Once Upon a Child
★ 2nd - Summer Kids
★ 3rd - Kid's Town
Best Local Store for Baby Gifts
☆1st - Cotton Tails
★ 2nd - Itty Bitty Bella
★ 3rd - Spoiled Sweet Boutique
Best Local Place to Buy Toys
☆1st - The Village Toymaker
★ 2nd - Knowledge Tree
★ 3rd - The Booksellers at Laurelwood
Family Services
When you first bring home your bundle of joy, you soon realize the baby books don’t cover some of the areas that are vital to your existence. That’s where we’ve got you covered here, from where to go to get that first haircut to working out the stress of parenting to who to go to for capturing those adorable faces that make it all worthwhile. In fact, since there were several top choices for Best Yoga & with Best Children’s Photographer a virtual tie, we dubbed those as “Reader’s Choice.”
Best Salon for Kids' Haircuts
☆1st - Pigtails & Crewcuts
★ 2nd - Sport Clips
★ 3rd - Supercuts
Best Spa for Mom
☆1st - Gould's
★ 2nd - Tie
Germantown Day Spa & Serenity Day Spa
★ 3rd - Pavo Salon
Best Family Fitness Center
☆1st - YMCA
★ 2nd - Lifetime Fitness
★ 3rd - Tie
Memphis Jewish Community Center & Salvation Army Kroc Center
Best Yoga or Pilates Studio
☆1st - Midtown Yoga
★ 2nd - Bikram Yoga
★ 3rd - Hot Yoga
Reader’s Choice
Evergreen Yoga & Pure Barre
Best Children’s Photographer
Reader’s Choice
Alex Ginsburg Photographics
Christen Jones
Lasting Expressions
Paige Miller
Good Golly Miss Molly
Tindall Farmer
Education
Getting a good education comes in all shapes and sizes from daycare to mother’s day out to public and private schools. It even includes pursuing an arts education to get the most out of learning as a child grows up. Fortunately, in the greater Memphis area, you can find the right fit for your child. A good place to start your search is at the locations Memphis Parent families voted as best on their list.
Best Daycare
☆1st - Roulhac's Preschool and Childcare
★ 2nd - Memphis Jewish Community Center
★ 3rd - Lindenwood Christian Church
Best Parents Day Out Program
☆1st - Mullins United Methodist
★ 2nd - St. Francis of Assisi
★ 3rd - Tie
Holy Rosary & Second Presbyterian
Best Preschool
☆1st - Woodland
★ 2nd - St. Agnes/St. Dominic School
★ 3rd - Holy Rosary
Best Public School
☆1st - White Station High
★ 2nd - Tie
Richland Elementary & Grahamwood Elementary
★ 3rd - White Station Middle
Best Private School
☆1st - Briarcrest Christian School
★ 2nd - St. Agnes Academy/St. Dominic School
★ 3rd - Woodland Presbyterian
Best Music Lessons
☆1st - School of Rock
★ 2nd - Music for Aardvarks
★ 3rd - 3-WAY Tie
Amro Music, Bellevue School of Performing Arts, & Lane Music
Best Dance Lessons
☆1st - New Ballet Ensemble
★ 2nd - Dance Dynamics
★ 3rd - Ballet Memphis
Best Theatre Programs
☆1st - Playhouse on the Square
★ 2nd - Theatre Memphis
★ 3rd - Tie
Orpheum/Halloran Centre & Stage Door Productions
Get Out There
Get out and have some fun! No need to stay cooped up in the house when there is a plethora of outdoor havens of fun and excitement, many of which you can enjoy for free or at a low cost.
Best Free Family Outing
☆1st - Shelby Farms
★ 2nd - Levitt Shell
★ 3rd - Tie
Overton Park & Memphis Zoo (Free for TN residents on Tuesdays after 2 p.m.)
Best Family Day Trip
☆1st - Memphis Zoo
★ 2nd - Shelby Farms
★ 3rd - Tie
Tennessee Safari Park (Alamo, TN) & Discovery Park of America (Union City, TN)
Best Field Trip for Kids
☆1st - Memphis Zoo
★ 2nd - Pink Palace Museum
★ 3rd - Memphis Botanic Garden
Best Overnight Summer Camp
☆1st - Camp Pinecrest (Moscow, TN)
★ 2nd - Victory Ranch (Bolivar, TN)
★ 3rd - Tie
Kamp Kiwani (Middleton, TN) & Camp Bear Track (Drasco, AR)
Best Recreational Outing for Families
☆1st - Shelby Farms
★ 2nd - Memphis Zoo
★ 3rd - Tie
Memphis Greenline & Memphis Redbirds Game
Best Annual Event for Families
(Reader’s choice)
Delta Fair
Zoo Boo
Cooper-Young Festival
Germantown Festival
Best Tourist Attraction
☆1st - Memphis Zoo
★ 2nd - Graceland
★ 3rd - Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
Best Local Blog
☆1st - I Love Memphis
★ 2nd - East Memphis Moms
★ 3rd - Choose 901