Perched atop the fourth of the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River in West Tennessee, Memphis offers one of the best cultural experiences in America. The Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll, “Bluff City” should sit at or near the top of the bucket list for any music fan, considering there are sightseeing opportunities at historical sites such as Sun and Stax studios with Beale Street's very here-and-now, very tuneful nightlife.
But Memphis’s appeal — and its cultural heritage, which stretches back from Indigenous cultures like the Mississippian mound-builders and the Chickasaw people — goes beyond entertainers Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Roy Orbison. From its significance in the Civil Rights Movement to the scenic sweep of the Big Muddy, you'll find plenty to appreciate in Memphis, and you'll need to look no further than our Memphis travel guide to get you oriented!
How to Get Around Memphis
Memphis features efficient ways to get around, from a well-run public transportation system to good old-fashioned hoofing it.
By Bus
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) maintains more than 20 bus routes throughout Bluff City, offering efficient and affordable public transportation options. Adult fares are a small fee.
In addition, the popular Memphis Hop sightseeing bus travels a hop-on, hop-off route between multiple top-tier attractions in the city, including Graceland, the STAX Museum of American Soul Music, Sun Studio, AutoZone Park, the National Civil Rights Museum and Beale Street, among others.
By Trolley
One of the best ways to sightsee your way around Downtown Memphis is via MATA’s charming vintage trolleys. One-way rides on the Main Street Rail Line (which runs every 12 minutes), the Madison Avenue Shuttle Line (about every half-hour) and the Riverfront Shuttle Line (about every 40 minutes) cost a small fee and give you easy access to Beale Street, the historic South Main Arts District, the Pinch District and other popular neighborhoods.
By Car
You don’t particularly need a car to explore the heart of Memphis, given all the other getting-around options in Downtown, Midtown and some other corners of the city. But a rental vehicle is certainly handy if you want to do some day-tripping in other parts of the metro area or beyond. Car rental companies can be found at the Memphis International Airport and downtown.
Taxi/Ride-sharing
Taxis are also available, though they can be hard to hail in a pinch away from the airport. If you need a set of wheels for a quick ride in the city, consider using a ride-hailing service via smartphone app.
By Bicycle/Scooter
Some 60 bikeshare stations are spread throughout Downtown and Midtown Memphis, with additional rentals at the Farm Road/Mullins Station Road junction close to the Shelby Farms Greenline: a seven-mile-long paved rails-to-trails multi-use path popular among cyclists as well as walkers and joggers.
You can also rent electric scooters for zipping around downtown.
On Foot
Memphis boasts multiple highly walkable neighborhoods, among them Downtown — including the high-profile Beale Street Entertainment District and the South Main Arts District — and the Overton Square Entertainment District in Midtown. It’s also worth noting that the metro area lays claim to the largest pedestrian bridge route in the country: the 5,000-foot-long Big River Crossing on the Harahan Bridge over the Mississippi, linking Downtown Memphis with Arkansas.
The aforementioned Shelby Farms Greenline is another great walking route for some fresh-air exercise on a trip to Memphis.
Best Time to Visit Memphis
Memphis is worth visiting year-round, but there are pros and cons to each season, especially from a purely weather-and-climate standpoint.
Situated in the Mississippi Embayment of the Gulf Coastal Plain (the physiographic region to which all of the Grand Division of West Tennessee belongs), the Home of the Blues experiences a four-season climate that’s technically described as humid subtropical — emphasis on “humid.” The Gulf of Mexico funnels lots of moisture Memphis’s way during the warm season, making for sultry summers. July, the toastiest month, has an average high of about 92 degrees Fahrenheit, and August is nearly as hot. Thunderstorms are frequent, though severe storms become less frequent in mid- and late summer.
Looking at the other side of the calendar, winter in Memphis is relatively mild overall, given the Mid-South latitude, but cold fronts and polar airmass incursions can still bring quite chilly conditions. Average highs from December to February hover in the upper 40s to low 50s, with lows in the 30s; the average low in January is just below freezing. Subzero winters are very rare, but not unheard of. Snowfall is light; in a typical winter, Memphis might see a couple of inches or so of the white stuff. However, as in much of the Mid-South, ice storms and freezing rain (both of which can wreak havoc on power lines and roadways) aren’t uncommon.
All things considered, spring and fall bring the most pleasant weather to Bluff City, though there are some caveats. Temperatures are the friendliest of the year in April — for example, see highs in the low to mid-70s and lows in the lower 50s — while average November highs climb into the low 60s, and oppressive humidity is less of an issue than in high summer. This makes for great conditions for on-foot sightseeing and bicycling in town, plus hiking in the hinterland. These seasons are marginally rainier than the summer, but, then again, Memphis sees fairly even rainfall throughout the year.
The main caveat about spring and fall visits is that these shoulder seasons, statistically speaking, bring about the best chances for severe weather, as is the general pattern for the Mid-South. Damaging wind gusts from strong thunderstorms are most likely between April and June, while tornadoes — often associated with the amped-up, rotating thunderstorms called supercells — are most frequently reported in March, April and May. There’s a secondary peak in severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in November and December.
While travel planning, it's best to be weather-aware during the spring and, to a lesser extent, the mid- to late fall, for your Memphis vacation. Pay heed to any alerts, watches and warnings from the National Weather Service.
Although summer heat and humidity can be intense, that season is peak tourism time in Memphis, mainly on account of school vacations. Expect more crowds, higher rates and more competition over accommodations that time of year, not least during Elvis Week in August. The other seasons are generally less busy, except for particular windows, such as during the Memphis in May festival, which, admittedly, straddles the late-spring/early-summer stretch.
Speaking of Memphis in May — which includes a bevy of individual festivals (and which we’ll profile in greater depth later in this Memphis travel guide) — and Elvis Week, they’re only examples of the many annual events and seasonal activities in town that might impact your trip-planning. Winter includes a host of holiday attractions and happenings, from Zoo Lights at the Memphis Zoo, Starry Nights at Shelby Farms Park and Holiday Wonders at the Memphis Botanic Garden to Beale Street’s enthusiastic celebration of New Year’s Eve. Spring brings the Overton Square Crawfish Festival among other events, while summer ushers in the Memphis Italian Fest, the Cooper-Young Festival and the Mid-South Fair, among other celebrations. Fall visitors, meanwhile, might sync their visit to the River Arts Festival or the Memphis Music Festival.
Top Things to Do in Memphis
Traveling to Memphis? From insights into America’s civil-rights struggle to some of the country’s best-known musical landmarks, Bluff City offers a wealth of things to do, whatever time of year you can get here.
Explore the City’s Musical Heritage (Including on World-Famous Beale Street)
Music is at the center of Memphis’s tourism industry, and for good reason: Memphis is one of the most influential musical hubs in the U.S. and, indeed, the world. The so-called Home of the Blues also strongly shaped the sound and spirit of the rock-and-roll and soul genres; from Robert Johnson to Elvis Presley and local daughter Aretha Franklin, the list of legendary musicians associated with Bluff City is downright staggering.
There’s no more iconic cultural landmark in Bluff City than the 120-acre National Historic Landmark of Graceland (3717 Elvis Presley Blvd.), Elvis’s longtime estate and the second-most visited home in America (after the White House). Presley bought the property in 1957, not long after he became a genuine global superstar, and he died here 20 years later, on August 16, 1977. Tour Graceland Mansion, explore the 20,000-square-foot Elvis Presley’s Memphis museum and entertainment complex (which includes the Elvis ’68 Enhanced Exhibit, Elvis: The Entertainer Museum, the Elvis Interactive Experience and the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, among other installations), and step inside the King’s personal airplanes.
In August, Graceland hosts Elvis Week: a big nine-day bonanza of a celebration that includes concerts, candlelight tributes and special guests. Its roots stretch back to Presley’s death, and it’s become a signature Memphis event.
Elvis was only one of the stone-cold legends who recorded at Sun Studio (706 Union Ave.), whose unassuming booth also saw stars Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Roy Orbison and many others step up to the microphone. Guided tours are offered here at the “Birthplace of Rock ’n Roll” on the hour.
Just as world-shaking a musical nerve center was Stax Records, which helped define soul and R&B through releases by Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.s, the Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett and other luminaries. Open for self-guided tours, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (926 E. McLemore Ave.), on the site of the studio, includes an absolute wealth of treasures, from instruments, stage outfits and all the 1957-1975 Stax albums and singles to Isaac Hayes’ gold-trimmed Cadillac Eldorado. Other highlights include the vintage recording equipment in Studio A, a re-created 1906-era Mississippi Delta church and the “Express Yourself” dance floor.
Other must-see destinations on a musical tour of Memphis include the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame Museum (421 S. Main St.) and the Smithsonian-affiliated Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum (191 Beale St.), plus its associated Memphis Music Hall of Fame (1126 S. 2nd St.).
Museum-going is most definitely not the only way to appreciate Memphis’s musical pedigree. No visit to the city is complete without some quality time spent on Beale Street, of course — host to a celebrated lineup of blues clubs that you most definitely want to experience.
The National Civil Rights Museum
Among the most important and poignant museums in the country, the National Civil Rights Museum (450 Mulberry St.) encompasses the site of the former Lorraine Motel, where, on April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony outside his room while in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. The historic motel sign and the balcony remain as a testament to this pivotal event in American history.
Exhibits and special exhibitions tell the story not only of King’s life and activism but also the sweeping history of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and related efforts all around the world. Besides the interactive, self-guided museum displays, which include such permanent exhibits as A Culture of Resistance: Slavery in America 1619-1861 and The Year They Walked: Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955-1956 — this Smithsonian Affiliate institution offers a rich program of lectures, forums and other events that expand and deepen visitors’ understanding of civil-rights topics.
The Memphis in May International Festival
Just about the biggest party in town, the Memphis in May International Festival “brings the world to Memphis and Memphis to the world,” to slightly paraphrase its official tagline. This monthlong soiree includes multiple events, among them the Beale Street Music Festival, a three-day concert blowout that’s brought everyone from John Lee Hooker and Bob Dylan to the Alabama Shakes and Snoop Dogg to the stage.
Another anchor of the festival — and one of the country’s standout culinary competitions — is the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, the globe's biggest pork-barbecue cooking contest. Started in 1978, it’s a four-day affair that covers multiple categories, encompassing Ribs and Whole Hog to Hot Wings, and crowns the Memphis in May World Champion each year.
The Memphis in May International Festival also sees the 5k/10k/half-marathon Great American River Run, circuiting from the Mississippi riverfront to Downtown Memphis. The festival also celebrates a different country or culture each year through its International Salute.
Shelby Farms Park
Memphis boasts one of the largest urban green spaces in the world in the form of 4,500-acre Shelby Farms Park (6903 Great View Dr. N.), a rolling mosaic of meadows, woods, lakes and wetlands in the Wolf River watershed that’s more than five times the area of Manhattan’s Central Park. Bisected by Walnut Grove Road, Shelby Farms Park is a recreational paradise: a place to enjoy more than 40 miles of trails — like the Shelby Farms Greenline we mentioned earlier, which links the park to Midtown Memphis, among them — as well as opportunities for picnicking, playing disc golf or paintball, fishing (more than 20 bodies of water), horseback riding, enjoying an off-leash dog park and more.
Another highlight of Shelby Farms Park is the wildlife. Along with such critters as white-tailed deer, cottontails and coyotes, the property harbors a small herd of American bison. This native behemoth, hunted out of West Tennessee centuries ago, again grazes Bluff City grasses on the nearly 50-acre Shelby Farms “buffalo range.”
Sports in Memphis
Music (and barbecue) may take center stage in Memphis, but this happens to be a fantastic sports city as well. From October through April, the Memphis Grizzlies bring NBA action to FedExForum (191 Beale St.). Nothing like following up some top-class Grizz hoops with Beale Street club-hopping mere steps away!
Bluff City also plays host to Minor League Baseball courtesy of the Memphis Redbirds, the Class-AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Catch the Redbirds on their home diamond April through September at AutoZone Park (200 Union Ave).
And don’t forget about all the Tigers athletics experiences at the University of Memphis!
Where to Stay in Memphis
Explore our AAA Trip Canvas recommendations for places to stay in Memphis. For the best experience, book a AAA Diamond hotel to find accommodations that are not only clean and well-maintained but also meet your level of needs and expectations.
The Peabody Memphis
- Address: 149 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
- Diamond-designation: Four Diamond
- Best For: History, luxury, spectacle (aka the “Peabody Ducks”)
First welcoming guests back in 1869, The Peabody is one of Memphis’s best-known and most historic hotels. The 464 units range from guest rooms to swanky suites and place you steps from multiple eateries and lounges, including Chez Philippe and the Capriccio Grill, as well as luxury amenities such as the Feathers Spa. The magnificent lobby, host to a fine bar, puts on a quintessential Memphis tradition twice a day: the waddling march of the “Peabody Ducks” — real live mallards — to the lobby fountain, a procession that’s gone down since 1933.
Moxy Memphis Downtown
- Address: 40 N. Front St., Memphis, TN 38103
- Diamond-designation: Three Diamond
- Best For: Location, value
Take advantage of accommodations convenient to top Bluff City attractions such as the Orpheum Theatre, AutoZone Park and the FedExForum at Moxy Memphis Downtown. The smart, modern guest rooms include thoughtful features like motion-activated LED guidelights. On-site amenities include a fitness center and Bar Moxy.
The Guest House at Graceland
- Address: 3600 Elvis Presley Blvd., Memphis, TN 38116
- Diamond-designation: Four Diamond
- Best For: Location, distinctiveness
The Guest House at Graceland offers resort accommodations right on the grounds of Elvis Presley’s historic estate and features designs approved under the supervision of Priscilla Presley. A stone’s throw from Graceland Mansion, the Guest House’s 450 units include both rooms and suites. Along with an outdoor pool and other on-site amenities, the hotel harbors multiple eateries, Delta’s Kitchen and EP’s Bar & Grill among them, with some of the King’s favorite dishes on the menu.
Hotel Napoleon
- Address: 179 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
- Diamond-designation: Three Diamond
- Best For: History, glamor, location
Well-situated in Downtown Memphis, Hotel Napoleon offers stylishly restored boutique accommodations within what once was a printing press: the 1902-built Scimitar Building, on the National Register of Historic Places, showcases an impressive Beaux-Arts and Romanesque Revival-inflected stone veneer exterior. On-site, you’ll enjoy modern comforts in one of the 58 rooms or suites — some of the corner accommodations include big bay windows with great views — and all-day dining at The Archives Bar & Bistro.
Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis
- Address: 33 Beale St., Memphis, TN 38103
- Diamond-designation: Four Diamond
- Best For: Location, views
Oversized windows in many of the rooms and suites at Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis serve up inspiring sightlines out to the Mississippi River or across Downtown Memphis. It’s hard to beat overnighting right on always-happening Beale Street, which is what this upscale boutique hotel’s 227 units offer. On-site establishments include the CIMA Restaurant and Lobby Lounge as well as the Beck & Call Rooftop Lounge, where you can sip and snack while you gaze at the Big Muddy and the Memphis skyline.
Where to Eat in Memphis
Memphis is one of the great American cities for great restaurants, and the following establishments are well-known AAA Diamond restaurants, which will enhance any trip to Memphis.
Catherine & Mary’s
- Address: 272 S. Main St., Memphis, TN 38103
- Diamond-designation: Three Diamond
- Cuisine: Italian-American/Italian
- Reservations: Suggested
A pair of Memphis-born, James Beard Award-nominated chefs with proud Italian-American heritage, Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, have created a wonderful menu at Catherine & Mary’s, one that’s strongly influenced by traditional downhome, family-style Tuscan and Sicilian cookery. House-made pastas and a massive wine list are at the heart of things here, but don’t skip the fried-mozzarella appetizer.
Big Bill’s Bar-Be-Que
- Address: 2857 Kirby Rd Unit, Suite 119, Memphis, TN 38119
- Diamond-designation: Diamond Approved
- Cuisine: Barbecue
- Reservations: Suggested for brunch
There’s no cuisine more associated with Bluff City than barbecue, and Big Bill’s Bar-Be-Que in East Memphis is a fine place to sample its deliciousness. From ribs, pulled-pork sandwiches and chicken nachos to scrumptious sides such as coleslaw and baked beans, the menu here is a crowd-pleasing one.
Restaurant Iris
- Address: 4550 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38104
- Diamond-designation: Three Diamond
- Cuisine: Creole
- Reservations: Suggested
Renowned Chef Kelly English brings New Orleans-style Creole cuisine to East Memphis at Restaurant Iris. From pan-seared flounder with succotash to honey-glazed pork belly, crab au gratin and the eatery’s signature cheesecake, you simply can’t go wrong here.
The Beauty Shop
- Address: 966 S. Cooper St., Memphis, TN 38104
- Diamond-designation: Diamond Approved
- Cuisine: American
- Reservations: Suggested
Easily the most unique ambience of any restaurant in Memphis can be had at The Beauty Shop in the Cooper-Young Entertainment District. Formerly an honest-to-goodness beauty salon — one frequented by none other than Priscilla Presley — the eatery seats its diners beneath Belvedere hair-dryer hoods. But the appeal of this place goes beyond the funky décor: From small plates such as crispy dumplings and mussels and frites to “knife-and-fork salads” and espresso-honey lamb chops, the food’s great — as are the cocktails.
Memphis Photo Spots
Up your selfie game during your Bluff City vacation at one or more of the following destinations!
- Big River Crossing (Harahan Bridge): Connecting the Downtown Memphis waterfront with Arkansas, the biggest pedestrian bridge in the country delivers whopping views of the Mississippi River — a premier photo op.
- I-40 Welcome Center: Along with views of the Mississippi and Mud Island, the I-40 Welcome Center includes a pair of hulking bronze statues depicting two Memphis legends: Elvis Presley and B.B. King (wielding his beloved electric guitar “Lucille”).
- Shelby Farms Park: Much of Memphis’s sprawling urban park is photogenic, but it’s hard to top snaps of the resident bison herd.
- The Memphis Pyramid: A tongue-in-cheek sort of landmark, nodding to Memphis’s namesake ancient city in Egypt, the Memphis Pyramid — more than 300 feet tall and with basal sides close to 600 feet long — makes the perfect downtown backdrop.
Memphis Day Trips
From nature preserves to other shining touchstones of American music and history, Memphis sets you up auspiciously for some amazing day trips — if you want to roam and check out some nearby destinations.
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
- Distance From Memphis: 16 miles
Close to 13,000 acres in extent, this state park just a stone’s throw from Memphis, protects splendid bald cypress-tupelo swamp in the Mississippi River bottomlands and mixed-hardwood forests of the Chickasaw Bluffs. Go fishing on Poplar Tree Lake or lace up your hiking boots to enjoy more than 20 miles of trails.
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge (Arkansas)
- Distance From Memphis: 25 miles
The wetlands and bottomland habitat of Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge, a few miles from the Mississippi River, are a bird-watching hotspot, serving as a critical migration stopover on the Mississippi Flyway and a major wintering ground for waterfowl. The old-growth bald cypress swamp flanking Wapanocca Lake is its own ecological attraction.
Dyess, Arkansas
- Distance From Memphis: 50 miles
Fans of the Man in Black who’ll surely enjoy visiting Sun Studio in Downtown Memphis will also want to consider a day trip to the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home at the Historic Dyess Colony, an Arkansas State University Heritage Site.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
- Distance From Memphis: 76 miles
Clarksdale is synonymous with American blues music — and, most enigmatically, home to the crossroads where, the legend goes, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil to acquire virtuosity on the six-string guitar.
Oxford, Mississippi
- Distance From Memphis: 80 miles
Enjoy some Ole Miss athletics on the University of Mississippi campus and check out writer William Faulkner’s home at Rowan Oak.
Tupelo, Mississippi
- Distance From Memphis: 115 miles
Complement your Graceland explorations with a journey to the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo, also the headquarters for the National Park Service-overseen Natchez Trace Parkway.
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
- Distance From Memphis: 150 miles
Just as iconic as Sun and Stax in Memphis, the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios — another must-see for music aficionados — welcomed everybody from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones.
Visiting Memphis on a Budget
A trip to Memphis doesn’t need to be über-expensive by any means. Let's round out our guide to Memphis with some tips for saving money while you're at this great Southern destination.
- Enjoy Free Attractions: Encompassing the University of Memphis Art Museum, the Memorial Park Crystal Shrine Grotto, Shelby Farms Park and Elmwood Cemetery as well as the twice-daily Peabody Ducks routine — some wonderful attractions in the city don’t cost a red cent.
- Take Advantage of Free Admission Days: Many Memphis museums offer free or discounted admission days, so check websites or call ahead. Some of these deals are only open to Tennessee (or Shelby County) residents, but others apply to anyone.
- Visit During the Offseason: Visiting outside of the busy summer season is a good way to secure reasonable rates on accommodations, airfare and the like.
- Choose Your Accommodations Strategically: A centrally located hotel, as one along Beale Street or elsewhere in downtown, gives you walking-distance access to many top Memphis attractions, from blues clubs to sports venues and museums.
- Use Public Transportation: The MATA buses and trolleys offer highly affordable transportation across much of Memphis.
- Join AAA: You can save big on your Memphis getaway with your AAA membership, which translates to discounts on everything from hotel rooms to attraction tickets to car rentals.
Plan Your Trip to Memphis With AAA!
Join the over a million people who are AAA members and start planning your trip to Memphis today. Dream up the perfect trip with our Trip Canvas research tool and use your membership to get the best discounts on hotels, rental cars and entertainment tickets.