Tag: blues

Date Published: June 30th, 2025 | Last Updated: June 30th, 2025
Author: Abby | Category: Travel, USA
Date of travel: April 13th-14th, 2025

Memphis, TN is credited for being the birthplace of rock n’ roll and home of the blues. I’ve heard so much about this iconic city and expected it to be huge, but surprisingly it actually wasn’t all that big nor all that much to do here apart from museums and checking out live music. Overall Memphis seemed very geared toward tourists, but it’s still worth checking out to visit the historic places such as Graceland, Elvis’ home, Sun Studio where so many artists started, and Lorraine Hotel which is the site of the National Civil Rights Museum and also where MLK Jr. was fatally shot. It’s worth a visit at least once to walk through the historic places, especially if you’re a music fan!

How many days do I need?

Although you only need 2 days to see the highlights, most museums will close by 5pm and each museum takes a few hours to get through (especially Graceland where you’ll need at least half a day), so leave yourself 3 days if you want to get through all the places. I’ve highlighted the main attractions in this post with a rough amount of time you’ll need at each place to help you plan your trip.

Best time of year to travel?

Apart from Beale Street and outdoor exhibits, the main museum attractions are indoors, so the time of year isn’t all that important when visiting Memphis.

April to May will be the best season to travel before it gets too hot, but it will also be the busiest season.

June to August will have more outdoor music and festivals, but it’ll get very hot, so be prepared and have plenty of sun protection!

Budget travel times with the cheapest hotel rates: November to February – it’ll be colder and off-peak season but winters in Memphis tend to be mild compared to other states.

Where to stay?

Stay closer to the downtown area/Beale Street for better access to live music at night and you’ll be within walking distance home afterwards. Most attractions in Memphis are not within walking distance, so unless you plan on taking an Uber everywhere, try to find a hotel with reasonable parking rates or a parking garage nearby.

We stayed here:

Caption By Hyatt Beale Street Memphis
Address: 245 South Front Street, Memphis, TN 38103, United States
Website: https://www.hyatt.com/caption-by-hyatt/memcp-caption-by-hyatt-beale-street-memphis

It was a great location, clean, and a modern hotel. It cost us about $130/night in April but there are definitely cheaper options around if you’re looking for a low cost option. The valet parking here was super expensive and not worthwhile but the parking garage across the street had great rates and was easily accessible.

Getting Here and Getting Around

The closest airport is the Memphis International Airport, which is only a 20 minute drive away from downtown and less than 5 minutes away from Graceland.

Side story: We didn’t find many flights coming into Memphis from NYC that suited our schedule (most flew in the middle of the day and we like to either fly super early or super late to get the most out of our days) so we actually flew into Nashville, TN which had more flight options, stayed around for a few days to check out the country music scene, then made the 3 hour road trip to Memphis. If you’ve got time to spare, I’d highly recommend checking out Nashville!

Downtown Memphis is not very big, but most of the bigger attractions such as Graceland or Sun Studio aren’t walkable and will require some sort of transport. Driving is the best option to get around with free parking at most tourist areas, but you can also choose to use ride share such as Uber or Lyft to save on driving.

We parked here overnight:

MLGW Parking
Address: 234-238 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oNvR92fhjKV7Dh1AA

This parking garage was directly across from our hotel and is also a great location near Beale Street. The prices are reasonable and overnight parking is available.

Map of Memphis

A Word on Safety

Memphis was listed in the top 3 most dangerous cities in the US. We actually didn’t know this until we arrived on a Sunday night and immediately experienced some wild behaviour from people erratically swerving their cars, yelling on the streets, and grown ass women screaming and crying in a hotel lobby while laying on the ground all within the first 30 minutes of arriving in downtown Memphis. A quick google search highlighted the ugly side of Memphis and put us on our guard for the rest of the trip.

It turns out that the first night when we arrived there was a food festival in town and drew in all sorts of crowds that led to the insane behaviour, but for the rest of the trip we mainly felt pretty safe and just steered clear of any suspicious areas.

To be on the safe side, I’d recommend exploring during the day and stick to the touristy areas and not venture too far off on your own, especially at night. Park your car in reliable parking garages with good security, and stay in hotels closer to the main attractions. Just be on your guard, stay clear of any drama, and avoid sketchy areas and you’ll be fine.

Things to Do:

The top 2 attractions in Memphis are Sun Studio and Graceland. There’s just so much to talk about that I’ve made a separate post for each of them, see below for the links:

Sun Studio

Graceland

Memphis Pyramid: Bass Pro Megastore + Observation Deck

Address: 1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105
Website: https://stores.basspro.com/us/tn/memphis/1-bass-pro-dr.html
Hours: 9am-9pm most days (check the website for updated information)
Cost: Free entry into the pyramid, it’s $8 to go up the elevator to the observation deck

The Memphis Pyramid was built in 1991 and was originally used as a sports arena/entertainment venue. The pyramid shape was to pay homage to the city’s namesake to an ancient city in Egypt that was known for its pyramids. It was closed for some time in the early 2000’s but then re-opened in 2015 as a Bass Pro Shops megastore.

This is the largest Bass Pro Shop and like most Bass Pros, the inside is decked out to look like a wilderness scene, but this is to the next level. They’ve got alligators, a large indoor body of water with large fish, restaurants, and even a hotel on the upper level where you can rent rooms with balconies overlooking the store or even rent an entire small cabin! So if you’re REALLY into Bass Pro, or just a fan of pyramid-shaped buildings, here’s your chance to live in one. 😉 If you’re not into either, there’s an elevator in the middle of the pyramid that takes you to the top for views of Memphis and the waterfront.

Bus Tour of Memphis

For an overview of Memphis, we took a musical bus tour with Back Beat Tours. It was a great tour that drove around the city and pointed out historical sites such as the small apartment where Elvis and his parents lived before he made it big and the Overton Park Shell – THE outdoor performance stage where so many have started their careers. The tour guide was a musician and would sing famous songs that was significant to the area as he talked us through the Memphis music history. There’s an option to get dropped off at Sun Studio at the end of the tour if you haven’t visited yet.

Apart from the bus tour, there’s also an option of a walking tour to get more of an overall history of Memphis rather than a focus on music. We had a great time and I’d highly recommend checking them out!

National Civil Rights Museum

Address: 450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103
Website: https://civilrightsmuseum.org/
Hours: 9am-5pm, closed on Tuesdays (check website for updated hours before going)
Cost: $20/adult

Although there are many civil rights museums around the US, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is considered one of the best ones. You’ll need at least 2 hours to get through most of it here, but set aside 3 hours if you want to read everything (there’s a lot to read!).

If you’re visiting internationally and don’t know much about American history, a VERY basic summary that you should know before visiting is that the American civil war was a significant war from 1861-1865 between the Northern and the Southern states over slavery. The Southern states heavily relied on slaves for cheap labor on their industry such as cotton plantations, whereas the Northern states wanted to abolish slavery and make slavery illegal. Spoiler: the North won and slavery was abolished, however as significant as this win was, racism continued and the struggle for black rights continued for decades to come. This museum is a comprehensive coverage through time of the complicated past and the fight for equality. The exhibits starts off with how slavery came to be in America and ends with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting significant events along the way and important figures.

The museum is actually located at the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was fatally shot, outside of his hotel room at the Lorraine Hotel. The Lorraine Hotel has since closed down but the outside of the hotel has been preserved, as well as his hotel room. The inside of the hotel is renovated into the museum and it’s actually a pretty cool-looking building from the outside – even if you don’t have time to go to the museum, it’s worth checking out the outside of the building and seeing the site and memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – it’s free for everyone.

Stax Record Company – Museum of American Soul Music

Address: 926 E. McLemore Ave, Memphis, TN 38106
Opening Hours: Tues to Sun 10am – 5pm (tours stop at 4pm), closed Mondays (double check the website for the most updated information)
Website: https://staxmuseum.org/
Admission: $20/adult, $16 for children and seniors

Founded in 1957 by two siblings, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, Stax Record Company (named by combining their last names) became a powerhouse for soul music. They’re known for blending rhythm and blues styles and influential in creating the “Southern Soul” or “Memphis Soul” sound. They are one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time and launched the careers of legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, among numerous others. You can read more about their history here: https://staxmuseum.org/1957-1968/

Although the original recording studio no longer exists, you can visit the Stax Museum and learn all about the history of soul music in Memphis. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to fit this into our itinerary but it was highly recommended by our music tour guide.

The Peabody Duck March at The Peabody Hotel

Address: 149 Union Avenue, Memphis TN 38103
Website: https://www.peabodymemphis.com/
Time: daily at 11am and 5pm, it is recommended to come 30 minutes prior
Cost: Free

Alright, this isn’t a “must do”, but it’s mentioned time and time again by internet reviews so I thought I’d include it for the people that want the “full” Memphis experience.

The Peabody Hotel is a luxury hotel in downtown Memphis that was originally built in 1869 at a location 1 block away from the current location. It housed several historic figures including presidents and generals back in the day. It closed down and re-opened in 1925 one block away and has retained its historical status. Apart from it being a fancy hotel, there’s a long-standing tradition since the 1930s of marching the resident ducks that live on the roof top of the hotel to the fountain in the lobby, called the ‘Peabody duck march’. It’s a 1 minute “show” where people line up along a red carpet and watch these ducks get ushered from out the elevator and to the fountain. I’m told it gets pretty busy, but you can sit at the bar for a better view if you buy a drink. Honestly, it’s not the most exciting, but it’s something different!

Toby didn’t actually tell me about this when he planned this trip because he didn’t think it was that exciting, but I got curious when the tour guide was talking about it and looked it up myself. Here’s a POV youtube video that someone filmed of the march in case anyone’s interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCLMZ_6DSpg. He was right, it didn’t seem that exciting, especially since we had limited time in Memphis.

If you’re REALLY into ducks, for $434, you can book a “Ducky Day” package that includes a 1 night stay and duck-themed souvenirs 😂.

Beale Street

Beale Street is a historic street in downtown Memphis known for live music, restaurants, and shops and is considered the heart of Memphis. If you came to Memphis for some live music, this is the place to go. The entertainment part of Beale Street only runs two blocks between S. 2nd St. and S. 4th St. (highlighted in pink in the map above) with about a dozen restaurant/bar/live music venues scattered between the many souvenir gift shops.

Take a stroll down during the day and check out the shops and restaurants. Read the historic information plaques, check out a statue of Elvis’, get an old school milkshake at A. Schwab, or take a walking tour to learn more about this historic street.

Come in the evening for the iconic experience when the neon lights are lit up and the live music pours out of these venues. We’ve asked multiple locals on what their favourite place is for live music, but it really depends on who’s playing that night and what kind of music you’re into. Some musicians will be seasoned pros, whereas others may just be starting out. Instead of seeking out a specific place, I’d recommend just taking a stroll down Beale Street with open ears and see which artists you enjoy. Although Beale Street is known as the “Home of the Blues”, we not only heard different styles of Jazz, but country music and even a mini orchestra band while walking down!

On our last night in Memphis we settled in at Rum Boogie Cafe and listened to Baunie & Soul perform for a few hours before returning home.

Although a very touristy area, be a bit cautious when walking around downtown Memphis at night. When we arrived on a weekend night, there were some rowdy crowds around with a few suspicious characters, but during the weekday it was a bit quieter and we felt completely safe.

Food

Arcade Restaurant – Memphis’ Oldest Cafe

Address: 540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 7am – 3pm daily
Website: http://arcaderestaurant.com

Arcade Restaurant is Memphis’ oldest cafe, open since 1919! Back in the heyday when Memphis was a bumpin’ place to be, the Arcade was open 24/7, catering to the many resident musicians at the time, including Elvis Presley! It is known that Elvis was a regular at the Arcade and would always order a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich at his preferred booth beside the back door in case he ever needed to make a quick escape from crazy fans! You can actually sit at ‘the Elvis booth’ if you’re lucky enough for it to be free when you’re there!

Even without the Elvis popularity, the Food Network listed the fried PB sandwich on their top 100 sandwiches in the US. We came here early in the morning for breakfast before our day at Graceland to experience this retro-style arcade and to ‘eat like The King’. We got to sit at the Elvis booth! The fried PB and banana sandwich tasted exactly as it sounds – two slices of bread with peanut butter and sliced banana in the middle, then pan-fried on the outside until golden. It was a fine sandwich, but not mind-blowing, something you could easily make at home. They had some pretty good sweet potato pancakes though and the smoked turkey and brie sandwich wasn’t half bad either!

Blues City Cafe (on Beale Street)

Address: 138 Beale St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-1am most night, open until 3am on Fri and Sat nights
Website: https://bluescitycafe.com/menu/our-menu/

This restaurant was recommended by our tour guide for some good classic southern food. It is conveniently located right on Beale Street, perfect for grabbing dinner then strolling down the street for some live jazz music.

Being our first time in the South, we wanted to try a bit of everything. Their gumbo cheese fries and BBQ ribs were just okay, the fried catfish was beautifully fried and super fresh, the collard greens were pretty good, but my all time favourite was the gumbo. I originally got a small cup but it was so good that I immediately ordered a full size bowl 😅. They will usually have live music in the back, but we must have just missed them when we were there 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

Address: 310 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-9pm most days, until 10pm on Fri and Sat night
Website: http://gusfriedchicken.com/downtown-memphis-tennessee-location/#menu

We arrived in Memphis pretty late in the evening and many restaurants were already closed, but we found Gus’s that was only a 2 minute walk from our hotel with a ton of positive Google reviews so off we went, excited to try our first fried chicken in the South!

This joint was indeed busy and as usual, we ordered a bit of the most popular items to try it out. Apart from the fried green tomatoes, sadly the rest of the food was very underwhelming. The spicy fried chicken that so many people online rave about was just okay. It was cooked well, but the flavours were lacking. We really wanted to like it 💔.

Memphis BBQ

We’ve heard so much about Memphis BBQ, but unfortunately most of the popular BBQ spots weren’t open on the days we were there so we never got to experience true Memphis BBQ, apart from the okay ribs at Blues City Cafe. Memphis BBQ is predominantly pork-based, although some restaurants also serve beef cuts. From what I can tell, Memphis-style BBQ offers pork ribs that are served either “wet” (with a sauce covering) or “dry” (cooked with a dry rub).

Here’s a list of popular Memphis BBQ places we’ve come across in our research incase we ever head back to Memphis again or if anyone is planning a trip (as you can see, most are closed Sunday & Monday, the only 2 days we were in Memphis 😭):

Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous
Address: 52 S 2nd St, Memphis, TN 38103
Hours: 11am-9pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://hogsfly.com/

Cozy Corner Restaurant
Address: 735 North Pkwy, Memphis, TN 38105
Hours: 11am-8pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://cozycornerbbq.com/menu/

The Bar-B-Q Shop
Address: 1782 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Hours: 11am-8:30pm most days, closed Sun & Mon
Website: https://thebar-b-qshop.com/

Central BBQ
Address: 147 E Butler Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 (2 locations)
Hours: 11am-9pm daily
Website: https://eatcbq.com/pages/downtown

Some final thoughts…

• Memphis is very touristy, especially Beale Street
• Be cautious of safety and suspicious characters
• Graceland and Sun Studios are the two main attractions in Memphis
• Don’t visit on a Sunday or Monday if you want to have good Memphis BBQ
• Civil rights museum is worth visiting for its historical significance
• Check out the bigass Bass Pro Pyramid, if not for the shop, then for the observation deck at the top
• If you like ducks, head to The Peabody