Travel Guide to Memphis, Tennessee

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General Information about Memphis

Memphis is one of the most famous and popular music cities in the US: it is considered the birthplace and the blues capital of the US but is also famous for its rock and roll, and its main fame is being the city of Elvis Presley, whose estate located in the city has become a pilgrimage site for his many fans and the number one tourist site in the city.

 

 

Memphis, located in the southwest of Tennessee, is the second-largest city in terms of population in the state (after Nashville) with about 650,000 residents. It is located at the edge of the widest part of the Mississippi River. It is a city with a typical southern atmosphere and has much to see and do in addition to music.

Martin Luther King Jr., the most famous fighter for African-American rights in the United States, arrived in Memphis in 1968 to participate in a protest by African-American sanitation workers and was murdered at a motel in the city. The motel where he was murdered has become an important and fascinating museum dedicated to the struggle for freedom and equal rights for African-Americans.

Another hallmark of the city is BBQ. The most popular dish served in many restaurants in the city is slow-cooked ribs in barbecue sauce.

The first self-service supermarket in the entire world, The Piggly Wiggly, was established in Memphis as early as 1916. Memphis was also known for the cotton and hardwood flooring industries that flourished in the city.

Memphis is also known for its many well-maintained gardens stretching over an area of more than 1,700 acres. The most unique park is found on Mud Island, located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The city also has a zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, and recommended botanical gardens.

 

Did you know? Memphis is named after an Egyptian city on the Nile which served as the ancient cultural capital until Alexandria took its place in 320 BC.

 

Memphis has many nicknames: it is called The Bluff City because it sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Mark Twain called Memphis the "Good Samaritan City of the Mississippi," it is also called "Hollywood South" because many movies have been filmed there over the years, but its most common nickname is "The Home of the Blues."

Booking guided tours in Memphis from GetYourGuide.com:

 

Memphis is mentioned in more than four hundred songs, more than any other city in the world; these songs are sung in the many blues clubs of historic Beale Street, which is the most famous street in the city, full of clubs but also street performances, and where the Memphis Walk of Fame is located—inspired by Hollywood's Walk of Fame—honoring musicians, singers, writers, and composers from the city. The careers of many musicians began on this street, including B.B. King, whose club is the most famous and popular in the city. W. C. Handy, considered the "Father of the Blues," wrote his first songs on this street as early as 1912. The street is also full of restaurants and cafes.

 

 

 

Did you know? FedEx, the largest shipping company in the US, was founded in Memphis in 1971, and to this day, Memphis is the company's main distribution center and the location of its headquarters, making Memphis International Airport the busiest in the world for cargo flights.

The city is known for the many music events and festivals held there every year. The most famous and popular are the Beale Street Music Festival held annually in May, the "King of Rock and Roll" festival in memory of Elvis held in August, and the Memphis Music Festival which includes music in various styles from blues and jazz to country and rock, held in September.

 

 

♦ Recommended Hotels in Memphis

♦ It is advisable to live near Elvis's estate and not in the Downtown area, which is less sympathetic. The Guest House at Graceland

A 4-star hotel located adjacent to Elvis's "Graceland" estate (less than a 5-minute walk). The hotel has a swimming pool, gym, theater, music shows, restaurant, cafe, and bar. The hotel offers free shuttles to Memphis Airport and paid shuttles to Beale Street. Internet and parking for an additional fee.

♦ Holiday Inn Express & Suites Memphis Arpt Elvis Presley Blvd

A 3-star hotel 1.3 km from Graceland. The hotel has spacious rooms and suites designed for up to 6 people. The hotel features a swimming pool (guitar-shaped) and a gym. The hotel offers free shuttles to Memphis Airport, and free internet and parking.

♦ Big Cypress Lodge

A 5-star hotel located inside Memphis's iconic pyramid. Rooms are spacious and overlook Downtown Memphis or the Mississippi River. The hotel has 2 restaurants, a gym, and a spa. Free internet. Parking for an additional fee.

Location and Transportation

Memphis is located in the southwest of Tennessee, with Arkansas to its west and Mississippi to its south. Memphis has an international airport, Memphis International Airport (code: MEM), with flights from many US destinations (over 30 cities) served by most American airlines, from major carriers to low-cost ones. There are international flights mainly from Canada.

Memphis has a convenient public transportation system called MATA, which includes buses and trolleys, but it is most convenient to get around in a rental car, especially if you combine your visit with other destinations.

Memphis integrates perfectly into a trip for music lovers between Nashville, Tennessee which is located about 340 km east of Memphis (about three and a half hours drive).

 

Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville:

 

 New Orleans, Louisiana which is located about 640 km, a 5:30 hour drive south of Memphis.

 

The closest large city to Memphis, only a two-hour drive (220 km) west, is Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, Bill Clinton's city.

 

Weather and When to Visit

Summer is hot and humid, with an average maximum temperature of 30-31 degrees Celsius, though it can be much hotter on some days. Winter is cool with average temperatures ranging between 0-10 degrees Celsius in the coldest month, January.

The most pleasant months to visit Memphis are in the spring and autumn when temperatures are comfortable and humidity is not high. Highly recommended in April-May and from late September to late October. May is the month when the most festivals and events are held in the city. Average temperatures in May range between 17-28 degrees.

Devoted Elvis Presley fans arrive in the city in January, his birth month, or in August, the month he passed away, when many dress in typical "King" outfits.

Rain falls throughout the year, with an annual average of about 1000 mm. The wettest month is December, and the driest are August-September. Every winter there are also a few days when snow falls.

Leading Tourist Sites in the City

Graceland

 

Elvis Presley's legendary estate where tours are held through most of the estate rooms and the meditation gardens, where the "King's" grave is also located.

 

 

The place has become a pilgrimage site for his fans. This is the number one attraction in the city. It is the most visited private home in the US after the White House.

Elvis purchased the estate in 1957, built in an impressive Colonial style, including 23 rooms and stretching over 14 acres, and he designed some of the rooms in a grandiose manner.

 

 

Among the impressive rooms, you can visit the Jungle Room with its Polynesian design, the Billiard Room, and even the basement.

 

 

 

In the "Trophy" building, many exhibits from his personal life are displayed, including Priscilla's wedding dress, his glittering suits, jewelry, awards, and other souvenirs from different stations in his life.

 

 

 

Across the road in a separate building, the "King's" vehicles are displayed: including Elvis's pink Cadillac from 1955, his purple Cadillac from 1956, the bus in which he traveled on his tours across the country, and his two private planes.

 

Sun Studio

The studios where Elvis recorded his first songs. Considered the "Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll" as recording began there in the early 1950s. Many popular singers recorded their first songs in these historic studios, including BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash. To this day, the studio is active and new songs are recorded there.

There is a free shuttle service between the studios, "Graceland," and the "Rock 'n' Soul" museum.

Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum

A museum established by the Smithsonian Institution (responsible for important museums and cultural sites throughout the US and especially in Washington DC) in honor of music pioneers in the US from 1930 to the 1970s. In the museum are seven galleries where a digital audio tour including 100 songs can be conducted. Other displays include singers' and players' costumes, more than 30 musical instruments, and other musical items. The emphasis is on the musicians who grew and developed in Memphis, Sun Studio recordings, soul music, rock 'n' roll, and up to disco. The museum is located on the famous Beale Street in Downtown.

National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel

The museum is located at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968. The museum displays the history of the human rights movement in the US over the years. The balcony of the room where the murder was committed is permanently decorated with a white wreath. The museum features photos, documents, and exhibits showing the difficult history of the struggle for equal rights in the state of Tennessee. In the museum is a life-size model of the bus destroyed by the white supremacy movement during the "Freedom Rides." Some of the displays are interactive and there are also recordings of the activists who fought for justice and equality. Some are not easy to hear.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

A museum dedicated entirely to soul music located in a building that is a replica of the Stax studios. In the museum are displays on the genre's stars including original singers' clothes, musical instruments, and various historical exhibits. On site is also a Mississippi Delta church presenting the roots of the music in Gospel Music, as well as a dance floor named: Soul Train TV show dance floor.

 

 

Shelby Farms Park

A huge park full of options and attractions, five times the size of Central Park in New York. For children, there is a lovely playground with wooden structures named Woodland Discovery Playground and a refreshing Water Play Sprayground. For older children, there is a Treetop Adventure park, "Tarzan swing," and ziplines. On-site there is also laser tag and paintball as well as an 18-hole disc golf course. The park has 20 small lakes, in some of which you can rent kayaks or paddleboats. The park has over 60 km of trails, many of them paved, so it is a paradise for bicycle enthusiasts. It is also an attractive destination for horseback riding. The park has plenty of picnic tables, a good restaurant, and a variety of "food trucks."

 

The Memphis Pyramid

A 91-meter high pyramid considered one of the iconic symbols of the state of Tennessee. During daylight hours its steel walls glisten in the sunlight from every angle, and at night the pyramid is lit with colorful LED lights that can be seen from afar. The pyramid served in the past as a venue for concerts and sports events but was turned a few years ago into a huge shopping center full of shops, boutiques, and restaurants, and houses a hotel named BIG CYPRESS LODGE. The largest store in the structure, which is also the main sponsor, is Bass Pro Shop , a huge fishing equipment store that also organizes archery lessons and various activities in the pyramid. Inside the pyramid, there is also an indoor "alligator swamp" and an impressive view of the city which you ascend to via an external elevator, the tallest in the US, The Lookout at the Pyramid.

The Peabody Ducks

In Memphis, there is a long-standing 5-star hotel named The Peabody . In 1932, the hotel manager decided to entertain his guests by bringing five live ducks and putting them in the lobby fountain. The guests loved the ducks so much that until today there are ducks in the hotel, considered the most pampered ducks in the world. They live in a $200,000 "penthouse" in the hotel, and every day at 11 am they are accompanied by a hotel employee dressed in formal attire to the Italian marble fountain in the lobby for six hours of swimming.

 

Attractions for Children and Youth

In Memphis there are also plenty of attractions for children and youth from its zoo Memphis Zoo considered one of the most recommended zoos in the US with over 3,500 animals in hundreds of different habitats, through a recommended children's museum Children’s Museum of Memphis with a classic carousel, and up to an attractive "zip line" among the treetops Go Ape Zip Line and Treetop Adventure and an attractive family golf and entertainment center Golf and Games Family Park full of amusements and family sports facilities such as: laser tag, ropes course, bumper boats, mini golf, and electronic games.

Recommended Tours in Memphis

● Mojo Music Bus Tour - A recommended guided tour following music among the city's main sites where you will also play and sing along with the guide who is a professional musician. A unique Memphis experience that will get you well into the city's blues atmosphere and teach you much about its culture.

 

● Segway Memphis Downtown Tours - A one or two-hour Segway tour among the main attractions of the city center or a two-hour Segway tour following the ghosts in the city.

 

 

● Taste of Downtown Memphis Food Tour – A food tour of about 3 hours passing between 6 restaurants ranging from family-owned ones known only to locals to award-winning ones, including 7 typical and varied southern dishes and also lots of fascinating stories and information-rich tales about the city's culture and history.

Recommended Bars and Clubs in Memphis

A night out in Memphis is not complete without visiting at least one of its bars or clubs. The most famous and popular club in the city, on Beale Street, with lots of music and atmosphere is B.B. King's Blues Club

High-quality bar-restaurant - Flight Restaurant & Wine Bar – Memphis

A blues bar serving good food accompanied by music Blues City Café

 

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