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Tennessee · the United States
Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home, Beale Street and the blues, Sun Studio, Stax soul music, and the National Civil Rights Museum.
In the photo: Hernando de Soto Bridge over the Mississippi River, in Memphis
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Memphis, on the banks of the Mississippi River in western Tennessee, played a central role in 20th-century American music. Delta blues arrived on Beale Street in the early 1900s, rock and roll was born in recordings made at Sun Studio in the 1950s, and the Stax label created the sound of Memphis soul in the 1960s.
Elvis Presley lived in the city from his teenage years, and Graceland, the mansion he bought in 1957, is one of the most visited houses in the country, with museums about the singer’s career. Beale Street has bars and blues clubs, and Sun Studio still operates as a recording studio.
The National Civil Rights Museum, located in the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968, tells the story of the struggle against racial segregation in the country. The Mississippi riverfront has parks and the Hernando de Soto Bridge, illuminated at night.
This destination brings together 1 city: Memphis.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau / geoBoundaries (public domain). Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Memphis International Airport (MEM), in Memphis · 15 km to Memphis
Memphis International Airport (MEM) is about 15 km from downtown. Memphis Central station serves the long-distance train between Chicago and New Orleans. From Nashville it’s about 340 km via I-40. Entry requirements depend on nationality: check the requirements before traveling.
The local experience
The mansion where Elvis Presley lived from 1957 to 1977, with the Jungle Room, the Meditation Garden, and a complex of museums about the singer’s career.
The small studio where Sam Phillips recorded the first records of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, with guided tours during the day.
Museum housed in the motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in 1968, about the struggle for civil rights in the United States.
The blues street in Memphis, with music venues, neon signs and bars; closed to cars at night and on weekends.
Museum on the site of Stax Records, which released Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes, with a relocated delta church and the reconstructed Studio A.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
From April to June and from September to October the weather is usually more pleasant. Summers are hot and humid; winters are cold, with some frosty days. In May the city hosts a music festival and a barbecue competition on the riverfront.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Two days: the first devoted to Elvis, between the mansion and the studio where he recorded; the second for soul music, civil rights history, and the blues at night.
Downtown is close to Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the riverfront. Midtown, with the Cooper-Young neighborhood, has restaurants and is just minutes away. Near Graceland there are options for those who want to stay by Elvis’s house, away from downtown.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
By MEM airport, about 15 km from downtown; by the train connecting Chicago to New Orleans; or via I-40 from Nashville.
Two days allow you to see Graceland, the studios, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Beale Street.
From April to June and from September to October, outside the hottest part of summer.
It helps, because Graceland and Stax are far from downtown. There are shuttle buses linking Graceland, Sun Studio, and downtown, and taxis and ride-hailing apps.
Yes; the two are about 340 km apart via I-40, and many people visit both on the same trip.
UTC−6 in Central Time, which shifts to UTC−5 from March to November with daylight saving time.
