USA, Tennessee, Sun Studio

Getty Images/Axiom RM

Sun Studio

Top choice in 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' Wolf, BB King and Ike Turner, followed by the rockabilly dynasty of Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and, of course, the King himself (who started here in 1953). Tours last 45 minutes.

Packed tours (no children under five allowed; hourly from 10:30am to 5:30pm) through the tiny studio offer a chance to hear original tapes of historic recording sessions. Guides are full of anecdotes; you can pose for photos on the 'X' where Elvis once stood, or buy a CD of the 'Million Dollar Quartet,' Sun's spontaneous 1956 jam session between Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. The story will have music fans welling up. From here, hop on the studio's free shuttle (hourly from 10:15am), which does a loop between Sun Studio, Beale St and Graceland.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Memphis attractions

1. WC Handy House Museum

0.67 MILES

On the corner of 4th St, this shotgun shack once belonged to the composer called the 'father of the blues.' He was the first to transpose the 12 bars and…

2. Withers Collection Museum

0.7 MILES

Featuring content culled from a 1.8-million-strong photo archive, this museum and gallery pays tribute to the work of famed African American…

3. Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum

0.82 MILES

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…

4. Memphis Music Hall of Fame

0.9 MILES

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…

5. Elvis Statue

0.94 MILES

The world's first bronze Elvis statue was erected in this small plaza in 1980.

6. National Civil Rights Museum

1.18 MILES

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…

7. Blues Hall of Fame

1.22 MILES

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…

8. Mississippi River Museum

1.36 MILES

Pop in here to learn a little bit more about the cultural and natural history of the Big Muddy. Be sure to check out the scale model of the lower…