Shutterstock / Natalia Bratslavsky

Memphis

Memphis doesn't just attract tourists; it draws pilgrims. Music-lovers lose themselves to the throb of blues guitar on Beale St. Barbecue connoisseurs descend to stuff themselves silly on smoky pulled pork and dry-rubbed ribs. Elvis fanatics fly in to pay their respects at Graceland. You could spend days hopping from one museum or historic site to another, stopping only for barbecue, and leave happy.

Best Time to Visit

Things to Know

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Graceland
Memphis
If you only make one stop in Memphis, it should be here: the sublimely kitschy, gloriously bizarre home of the King of Rock and Roll. Though born in…
Sun Studio
Memphis
This dusty storefront is ground zero for American rock and roll. Starting in the early 1950s, Sun's Sam Phillips recorded blues artists such as Howlin'…
National Civil Rights Museum
Memphis
Housed partly inside the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr was fatally shot on April 4, 1968, is the gut-wrenching National Civil Rights Museum…
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Memphis
Wanna get funky? Head directly to Soulsville, USA, where this 17,000-sq-ft museum sits on the site of the old Stax recording studio. This venerable spot…
Elvis Presley's Memphis
Memphis
Graceland's new $45-million, 200,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art entertainment complex is five times the size of the old visitor center. Highlights include…
Memphis Pyramid
Memphis
Don't laugh, but the most striking building in Memphis, a 32-story pyramid completed in 1991, is now home to an enormous Bass Pro Shop. Even if you don't…
Memphis Music Hall of Fame
Memphis
It was a long time coming, but Memphis finally has a shrine to its own. This small but well-done museum, the sister gallery to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul…
Full Gospel Tabernacle Church
Memphis
On Sunday, put on your 'smell goods' and head to services in South Memphis, where soul-music legend turned reverend Al Green presides over a powerful…

View more attractions

Attractions

Top picks from our travel experts

15 free things to do in Memphis

Curated by Joe Sills

Blues Hall of Fame
Memphis
Dedicated to Blues Hall of Fame inductees, this intimate and well-done space features a rotating art gallery on the lobby level and a small but well…
Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum
Memphis
This Smithsonian museum, next to FedEx Forum, examines how African American and white music mingled in the Mississippi Delta to create the modern rock and…
National Civil Rights Museum
Memphis
Housed partly inside the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr was fatally shot on April 4, 1968, is the gut-wrenching National Civil Rights Museum…
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Memphis
Wanna get funky? Head directly to Soulsville, USA, where this 17,000-sq-ft museum sits on the site of the old Stax recording studio. This venerable spot…
Big River Crossing
Memphis
In 2016 Memphis turned its historic Mississippi-traversing Harahan Bridge, out of service since 1949, into the country’s longest active rail/bicycle…
Mud Island
Memphis
A small peninsula jutting into the Mississippi, Mud Island is downtown Memphis' best-loved green space. Walk across the bridge to the park, where you can…