Need something fun for the kids to do in bad weather in Memphis? Creation Station at Bellevue provides tons of fun in a safe and free environment!
Creation Station at Bellevue Baptist Church is a completely free play place for kids 5 ft and under. And this is not just any play structure! If you are in the Memphis area and looking for things to do with kids, this should be on your list.
Rain or shine, super cold or blistering heat, this indoor structure will entertain and wear the kids out all for FREE!
Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.
Creation Station At Bellevue Baptist Church
We love Creation Station. Here are all the ins and outs that you need to know before you go.
More Kid Fun in Memphis:
The Art Project – art “free play” experience
7 Insider Tips to the Children’s Museum of Memphis
Where is Creation Station?
Creation Station is inside Bellevue Baptist Church. The church is located at 2000 Appling Rd in Cordova, TN. It is in a suburb of Memphis and if you are not from Memphis, you still can’t miss it. Right at your interstate exit at Appling, you will see 3 huge crosses which will show you where to turn!
Getting there is not your only chore. Once you arrive on campus, you will realize that the church is HUGE (just like their new play place). Even though it is a big facility, they have great signage to help you get to the right spot.
Follow the signs to the East Entrance. There is plenty of parking so grab a spot and then enter through the doors under the East Entrance sign. When you walk through these doors you will be in Creation Station.
How to Sign Up?
When you enter, there should be an employee or volunteer at the front door. They have digital sign in if you have been there before. You simply enter your information and select the children that are with you.
If you have not been there before, they have a short information card for you to complete. It is basic information: your phone number, names and ages of your kids and they ask if you have a church home.
Wondering what they will do with your info? One of the Bellevue ministers did contact me a few days after the first visit. He called while I was at work and I couldn’t talk for long. He was very respectful of my time and not overbearing at all. He asked about our visit and invited my family to their church services.
I mention this because they may reach out but don’t be afraid that they will call you 300 times. They won’t! I love that they are ministering to Memphis in this great, family friendly environment. It is wonderful! And if you just want to go to play and nothing else, they are ok with that.
How Much Does It Cost?
Nothing! Nada! Zip! Yes, you read that right. Visiting the Creation Station at Bellevue Baptist Church is absolutely free. Once you fill out your info card, your kids are ready to go play!
This is such an awesome ministry for the city of Memphis and surrounding areas!
Playing At Creation Station
The play space is broken up into two separate areas that are divided by ages. The large area when you first walk in is geared towards kids 4 and up and the separate toddler room is meant for kids 3 and under.
Main Play Structure
The play structure is set up wonderfully because the seating area for parents is right in the middle of the structure and the playground surrounds that area. Why is that awesome? Because you can easily keep an eye on your kids!
The play structure offers lots of things to do. My daughter has sweet talked me into going up there with her a few times so I have seen it first hand! There are lots of stairs and ledges to climb up to get to the top structure. Once you are up there, you will find punching bags to weave through, a short zip line, tunnels and of course slides.
And let me tell you, that slide is FAST. I have never been on a playground slide that goes as fast as these do. The kids love it.
Toddler Play Area
My 1 year old loves this area so much. It has a really fun built in play structure where they can climb up, play with a few punching bags and a steering wheel.
I love that everything is made of a soft material and well covered on any of the higher parts with a strong net to help prevent falls or injuries. My one year old climbs all over the place, so it is a great outlet to allow him to play safely.
Also in this room are things like oversize soft building blocks, small slides, soft see saw rocker and more.
Since I am typically there with both of my kids, my 5 year old often joins us in this room. It does say on the rules for three and under but we have never had any issue with the 5 year old being in the room. She is very sweet to the younger kids and understands not to act wild (and lets be honest my 1 year old is much wilder than she is)!
Security
And since we are talking about ages and rules, that brings me to security.
The church does have employees or volunteers to monitor the kids. I did observe in one of our visits them telling a child that if they could not behave in the toddler room (probably about 4-5 years old) that they would have to go out to the large area.
I like that there is someone to report any serious issues to in order to keep kids safe and having fun.
I have also observed actual security guards in the area from time to time. The church has security for their services and it is nice to know that there are security personnel if it was to be needed.
It is important to note that in my experience I have always felt 100% safe and comfortable. I just like to give the info above to let you know the environment.
Creation Station Cafe
I have not actually used the cafe, yet. However, I love that it is available! There is nothing like having a hungry and thirsty kid and mama forgot the snacks! Have you been there? I know I have.
The cafe offers all kinds of yummy concession stand type options and more. They have breakfast sandwiches in the morning hours. And then lunch and dinner switches to kid favorites like chicken nuggets, pizza and hot dogs. They also have a variety of cookies, cakes and ice cream.
For your drink selections, there are refillable fountain drinks, milk, juices, and coffee for those tired mamas! Aside from the convenience of having the cafe on site, I also love the prices. A sausage and biscuit is $1. A Four Piece Chicken nuggets are $1.50. They really make it affordable for a family.
Tips to Know Before You Go
Before visiting somewhere new, I always love getting the inside scoop on what I need to know! We have visited the Creation Station at Bellevue Baptist Church many times since it opened in January 2019 and I will share with you my success tips!
- If you are visiting during a school holiday, it will be busy. Try going right when it opens or around lunch time. We went on President’s Day and it was busier than I had ever seen it. But right around 11:45, it cleared out and we had a lot more space and less crowds.
- Wear socks. They don’t require socks but they do ask you to remove your shoes. The space is one of the cleanest play spaces I have ever seen but I’m a weirdo and like socks on my kid’s feet. Also, you will go faster on that big slide with socks on your feet!
- The cafe takes credit/debit cards but you have to spend $3. Normally that would not be an issue pretty much anywhere but with those super low prices at the cafe it is worth mentioning.
- The employees/volunteers are there to help! They also typically have someone from their children’s ministry staff onsite as well. If you need something, just ask.
- Bathrooms. You can’t take young kids anywhere without knowing about bathrooms. There is a set right around the corner from the play area so if you need to take a kid, it is close and easily accessible (and clean!). There are also changing tables and private places to nurse.
- Check the Facebook page for hours and closings. This is a church and when they have special events or conferences, they will sometimes shut down the play space. They also have limited hours on Fridays (afternoon only) due to deep cleaning of the structure. And they are closed the last Friday of the month for the entire day for Deep Deep cleaning. I told ya’ll, the place is clean! Just check the page to make sure you don’t drive over on a day that it is closed.
We just love Creation Station. I hope this guide helps you and your kids have the best time at the play place. We love to use this space on rainy days or really cold days and as the hot Memphis summer nears, I’m sure we will use it a ton to beat the heat!
If you are looking for other fun places to visit in Memphis with kids check out the Art Project Memphis and The Children’s Museum!
Leave a Reply