Things to Do in Memphis: 15 Best Attractions, Tickets & Tips (2026)

Memphis announces itself from the bluff. The Mississippi River rolls past the foot of downtown, wide and unhurried, and this is the ground where a young truck driver from Tupelo walked into a small studio on Union Avenue and changed popular music forever, where a motel balcony became the most solemn stop on the civil rights trail, and where a white mansion behind iron gates still draws pilgrims from every continent.

The good news for planners is how much of Memphis costs little or nothing. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens charges no admission at all, the Brooks Museum opens free on Saturday mornings, Shelby Farms Park spreads 4,500 free acres across the east side, and the longest public pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River charges nothing for the finest view in the city. Most museum tickets run between $12 and $25.

This guide covers the 15 best things to do in Memphis, from Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum to Sun Studio, the Stax Museum, the Memphis Zoo and the gardens of Midtown and East Memphis. Every attraction carries verified hours, current prices where published, an insider tip and an official booking button. You also get comparison and ticket tables, 1, 2 and 3 day itineraries, where to stay, halal food, mosques, transport advice, costs and the best time to visit.

Memphis at a Glance

Location	Memphis, Tennessee, on the east bank of the Mississippi River
Known For	Graceland, the National Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio and Stax Records
Best For	Music history, civil rights history, families and river scenery
Best Months to Visit	April to June and September to October
Airport	Memphis International Airport (MEM)
Currency	US Dollar (USD)
Time Zone	Central Time (CT)
Getting Around	Rental car, MATA buses, rideshare and walking

Memphis International Airport sits about 9 miles southeast of downtown. The visitor map splits into three zones: Downtown, Midtown around Overton Park and Union Avenue, and Whitehaven in the south, home of Graceland. Shelby Farms Park anchors the east side.

Top Things to Do in Memphis

The 15 stops below run from the mansion lawns of Whitehaven to the trails of Shelby Farms Park. Every entry gives the address, current hours, the ticket price where one is published, an insider tip and the official booking button.

1. Graceland

Best for: The one sight almost every visitor comes for, and the anchor of a first trip.

Graceland, at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38116, is the home Elvis Presley bought in 1957 and lived in until his death in 1977. The audio guided mansion tour moves through the living room, dining room, kitchen, basement TV and pool rooms, and the Jungle Room, green shag carpet and all. The trophy building holds gold records and stage costumes, and the tour ends in the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and family members are buried. The estate opened in 1982 and is a National Historic Landmark.

Across the street, the Elvis Presley Memphis complex adds the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, with the famous pink Cadillac, the Elvis The Entertainer Career Museum, and two airplanes, the Convair 880 Lisa Marie and a Lockheed JetStar. Most visitors choose the Elvis Experience Tour, which pairs the mansion tour with the full complex and the airplanes. Graceland opens daily at 9:00 a.m.; closing times sit on the official site. Prices vary by tour and date, so reserve on the official site before you travel.

Tip: Book the Elvis Experience Tour on the official Graceland site before you travel. The first tours of the day are the calmest inside the house.

2. National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Best for: The most important history stop in Memphis, and a leading civil rights museum.

The National Civil Rights Museum stands at 450 Mulberry Street, Memphis, TN 38103, built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on 4 April 1968. A wreath marks the balcony outside Room 306, preserved as it was that day. Inside, the galleries carry the story from slavery through the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the Montgomery bus boycott and the Memphis sanitation strike of 1968, whose workers carried the famous I Am A Man signs. The route ends at the balcony.

The museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate. It opens Monday and Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and stays closed on Tuesday. Adult tickets cost $25, children from 5 to 17 pay $22, and seniors and college students pay $23. Tickets are timed and sold online, so book ahead; most visits run 1.5 to 2 hours.

Tip: Book a timed ticket online before you go, and leave the balcony and Room 306 for the end of the route.

3. Memphis Rock n Soul Museum

Best for: The best overview of Memphis music before the studio visits.

Created with the Smithsonian Institution, the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum at 191 Beale Street, Memphis, TN 38103, by the FedExForum, tells the Memphis sound story in seven galleries. The route starts with sharecropper life in the 1930s and moves through the birth of rock and roll and soul at Sun, Stax and Hi Records. Costumes, instruments and jukeboxes fill the rooms, and an audio guide included with admission carries hours of interviews and songs. Do this museum first, and the studio tours that follow land with far more force.

The museum opens daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Adult admission is $16 and children from 5 to 17 pay $12. The museum stands at the edge of Beale Street, where blues musicians built the Memphis sound a century ago. In daylight, treat Beale as an open air history walk: read the brass note markers in the pavement and stroll the street in the morning or afternoon.

Tip: Take the full route here first; the overview makes Sun Studio and Stax far richer later in the trip.

4. Sun Studio

Best for: Standing in the small room where rock and roll was born.

Sun Studio, at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103, is a modest storefront with a giant claim on music history. Sam Phillips opened the Memphis Recording Service here in 1950, recorded B.B. King and Ike Turner, and in 1954 captured a young Elvis Presley on a take that helped launch rock and roll. Guided tours are the only way in: the guide leads you through the upstairs gallery of rare recordings, then down into the studio room itself, kept much as it was, with vintage microphones and the piano from the Million Dollar Quartet session of 1956, when Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins gathered around it.

Sun Studio opens every day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Guided tours leave every hour on the half hour, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and take no reservations; places go first come, first served. Adults pay $20 and children from 5 to 11 pay $15. The room still works as a recording studio after the tours end.

Tip: Sun Studio takes no reservations. Arrive early or near the last tour on weekends, when groups fill slowest.

5. Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Best for: Soul music fans, and the great partner visit to Sun Studio.

The Stax Museum stands at 926 E. McLemore Avenue, Memphis, TN 38106, on the Soulsville USA site where Stax Records cut defining soul sides in the 1960s and 1970s. A 1906 Mississippi Delta church opens the route, gospel roots first, and the galleries trace the rise of the label that gave the world Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Staple Singers and Isaac Hayes. The centerpiece is Studio A, recreated with the sloped floor of the old Capitol Theatre, beside the gold 1972 Cadillac Eldorado built for Isaac Hayes.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., stays closed on Monday, and takes last admission at 4:00 p.m. Adults pay $20, and a $16 rate covers ages 7 to 12, visitors 62 and over, military guests and AAA members; children 6 and under enter free. The Stax Music Academy trains young Memphis musicians next door.

Tip: The museum closes on Monday, so pair Stax with Sun Studio on a Tuesday to Sunday route.

6. Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum

Best for: A small, guided and deeply moving chapter of Memphis history.

Slave Haven occupies the Burkle Estate at 826 N. Second Street, Memphis, TN 38105, a modest antebellum house with an extraordinary past. Jacob Burkle, a German immigrant and stockyard owner, ran the house as a way station on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, hiding freedom seekers in a hidden cellar and behind trap doors near the river. Guided tours lead through period rooms and the cramped hiding spaces, and guides tell the story plainly and with care. The subject is heavy, but the visit adds a chapter of Memphis history the larger museums can only introduce.

The museum runs guided tours Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from September to May and to 5:00 p.m. in the summer months. Adult admission is $12, with lower rates for students, seniors and children. Tour days can change at short notice, so check the museum site before you set out.

Tip: Pair Slave Haven with the National Civil Rights Museum on the same history focused day, and confirm the tour day before you go.

7. Woodruff-Fontaine House

Best for: Victorian architecture and a quiet window into wealthy Memphis of the 1870s.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum stands at 680 Adams Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105, in the Victorian Village district, on the stretch once called Millionaires Row. Built in 1870 and 1871 for the Woodruff family and later home to the Fontaines, the French Victorian mansion rises three stories, with a tower and rooms restored to period splendor. Tours are self-guided, past antique furniture, mannequins in Victorian dress and changing exhibits. Hunt for the Door That Goes Nowhere, an upper floor door that opens onto air.

The house opens Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with last admission at 3:30 p.m., and stays closed on major holidays. Admission is $16 for adults, $13 for seniors 65 and over and $11 for children 6 and over. Free parking sits at the corner of Washington Avenue and Orleans Street, and a full visit takes about an hour.

Tip: Last admission is at 3:30 p.m. Ask the docents about the Door That Goes Nowhere, the quirk every visitor hunts for.

8. Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid and The Lookout

Best for: The most unusual landmark on the Memphis skyline, and the highest view in the city.

The Memphis Pyramid, at 1 Bass Pro Drive, Memphis, TN 38105, rises 321 feet over the riverfront, a steel clad giant that nods to the Egyptian city Memphis was named for. Built as a sports arena and opened in 1991, the Pyramid reopened in 2015 as a vast Bass Pro Shops store. Inside, a cypress swamp sits under the roof, with aquariums of river fish and resident alligators. At the top, a 28 story freestanding glass elevator, billed as the tallest in the world, carries visitors to The Lookout and its two glass observation decks.

Elevator access to the observation deck costs $8 for adults and $5 for children from 5 to 12, with tickets sold inside the store. The elevator and decks run from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Entry is free, so the Pyramid works as an easy add-on to a downtown day.

Tip: Deck tickets are sold in the store. Look north for the Hernando de Soto Bridge and the great steel arch that lights the skyline after dark.

9. Big River Crossing and Tom Lee Park

Best for: A free walk across the Mississippi River and the finest skyline view in Memphis.

Big River Crossing carries walkers and cyclists across the Mississippi River on a boardwalk bolted to the historic Harahan Bridge of 1916. At nearly a mile long, it is the longest public pedestrian bridge across the river, and halfway across you stand with Tennessee behind you and Arkansas ahead, barges sliding past below and trains rumbling beside you. On the Memphis side, the path starts off Channel 3 Drive near Martyrs Park. Pair the walk with Tom Lee Park, the riverfront lawn by the bluff, named for the riverman who rescued 32 people from the capsized steamer Norman in 1925. After dark, the bridges wear the Mighty Lights, an LED display best watched from the riverfront lawns.

The crossing opens daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and admission and Memphis side parking are free. A return walk with photo stops takes 1 to 2 hours.

Tip: Go in the first hour after the 6:00 a.m. opening for cool air and empty paths, or come before closing for sunset color and the Mighty Lights display.

10. Memphis Zoo

Best for: The top family day out in Memphis, inside leafy Overton Park.

The Memphis Zoo, at 2000 Prentiss Place, Memphis, TN 38112, inside Overton Park, is home to more than 3,500 animals from more than 500 species. Teton Trek recreates a Yellowstone style valley with grizzly bears, timber wolves and elk. The Zambezi River Hippo Camp brings hippos close behind glass, and Northwest Passage watches polar bears and sea lions from an underwater viewing room. Cat Country, Primate Canyon and the Animals of the Night house fill the rest of the map.

The zoo opens daily at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m. in the winter season and 6:00 p.m. in spring and summer. Ticket prices change with the season and sit on the official ticket store, so buy online before you go. Plan half a day for a full circuit.

Tip: Tennessee residents receive free general admission on Tuesdays, per the official zoo ticket store. Arrive at opening in summer, when the animals are most active.

11. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Best for: The oldest and largest art museum in Tennessee, in the heart of Overton Park.

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art stands at 1934 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104, facing the greensward of Overton Park. Founded in 1916, the Brooks is the oldest and largest fine art museum in Tennessee, with a collection from ancient pieces and European old masters to contemporary work. A marble rotunda anchors the building, and the zoo and the old forest trails of Overton Park sit minutes from the entrance.

The museum opens Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and stays closed on Monday and Tuesday. Adult admission is $18, visitors 55 and over and students with ID pay $15, and youth from 5 to 17 pay $10, with younger children free. Entry is free for everyone on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., one of the best free deals in Memphis.

Tip: Entry is free on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Come at opening, then cross to the zoo after lunch.

12. Museum of Science and History: The Pink Palace

Best for: Families who want Memphis history and hands-on science under one pink marble roof.

The Museum of Science and History, known to every Memphian as the Pink Palace, stands at 3050 Central Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111. The mansion went up in pink Georgia marble for Clarence Saunders, founder of Piggly Wiggly, and the city took the unfinished palace over during the Depression and turned it into a museum. A replica of that first Piggly Wiggly store anchors the history galleries, beside the Clyde Parke miniature circus, Civil War relics and more than 42,000 artifacts. The natural history side brings mastodons, giant mosasaurs and an animatronic T. rex to life.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and stays closed on Monday. Admission is $21.75 for adults, $20.75 for seniors 60 and over and $16.75 for children from 3 to 12, with planetarium shows priced separately.

Tip: Planetarium and giant screen shows cost extra, so decide at the desk before you start.

13. Memphis Botanic Garden

Best for: A calm green break in East Memphis and a top family garden.

The Memphis Botanic Garden spreads across 96 acres of Audubon Park at 750 Cherry Road, Memphis, TN 38117, with 30 specialty gardens threaded by shaded paths. The Japanese Garden of Tranquility wraps a still lake with maples, stone lanterns and a red drum bridge. Families make for My Big Backyard, a play landscape of tunnels, climbing nets and garden rooms built to child scale. Rose, iris, herb and butterfly plantings carry color from spring to fall. The garden works as the gentle half of a day that starts at the Pink Palace nearby.

The garden opens from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during daylight time and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the winter months, with last admission at 4:00 p.m., and stays closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year Day. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 62 and over and $7 for children from 2 to 12, with younger children and members free.

Tip: My Big Backyard opens the day for children, and the Japanese Garden is calmest in the first hour. Bring water in summer.

14. Dixon Gallery and Gardens

Best for: Fine art in a garden setting, completely free.

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, at 4339 Park Avenue, Memphis, TN 38117, pairs a Georgian style residence and galleries with formal gardens and woodland in East Memphis. Hugo and Margaret Dixon founded the museum in 1976, and the collection leans into French and American Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, with works by Monet, Renoir and Degas, plus rotating exhibitions. Outside, terraced gardens and shaded woodland paths make the Dixon as much a garden visit as a museum visit, and admission is free, a permanent policy the Dixon calls free for good.

The Dixon opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., stays closed on Monday, and opens late until 8:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

Tip: Admission is free for good. Sunday opening is at 1:00 p.m., so plan the Dixon for a weekday morning or a slow Sunday afternoon.

15. Shelby Farms Park

Best for: Trails, lakes and open sky at one of the largest urban parks in the United States.

Shelby Farms Park covers 4,500 acres at 6903 Great View Drive North, Memphis, TN 38112, five times the size of Central Park in New York. More than 40 miles of trails cross meadows and woodland, including the Shelby Farms Greenline, a rail trail that runs from the park gate to Midtown. Hyde Lake anchors the center, with boat rentals in season and a visitor center on the shore. A herd of American bison grazes a 50 acre pasture, and a discovery playground hides slides in the trees.

The park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset every day of the year. Entry and parking are free; rentals such as bikes and boats carry their own fees. The park pairs well with the Botanic Garden and the Dixon on an east side day.

Tip: Entry and parking are free. Rent bikes by Hyde Lake for the Greenline ride toward Midtown, and check the park calendar for free family programs.

Top Memphis Attractions Compared

Use this table to shortlist. The attraction name links to the official page for each sight.

Attraction	Best For	Cost	Time Needed
Graceland	Elvis fans and first visits	Paid; varies by tour	Half day to full day
National Civil Rights Museum	History and civil rights	$25 adults	2 to 3 hours
Memphis Rock n Soul Museum	Music history overview	$16 adults	1.5 to 2 hours
Sun Studio	Rock and roll origins	$20 adults	1 hour
Stax Museum	Soul music fans	$20 adults	1.5 to 2 hours
Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum	African American history	$12 adults	1 hour
Woodruff-Fontaine House	Victorian architecture	$16 adults	1 hour
Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid	Skyline views	Free entry; deck $8	1 to 2 hours
Big River Crossing	Walkers and cyclists	Free	1 to 2 hours
Memphis Zoo	Families	Paid; live prices online	Half day
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art	Art in Overton Park	$18 adults	1.5 to 2 hours
Museum of Science and History	Families and science	$21.75 adults	2 to 3 hours
Memphis Botanic Garden	Gardens and families	$12 adults	2 hours
Dixon Gallery and Gardens	Free art and gardens	Free	1.5 to 2 hours
Shelby Farms Park	Trails and open space	Free	Half day

Suggested Memphis Itineraries

Trip Length	Plan
1 Day	Graceland in the morning, then the National Civil Rights Museum, the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum and a daylight walk on Beale Street.
2 Days	Day 1 as the one day plan. Day 2: Sun Studio, the Stax Museum, the Memphis Zoo and the Brooks Museum in Overton Park.
3 Days	Days 1 and 2, plus the Pink Palace museum, the Memphis Botanic Garden, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Shelby Farms Park and the Big River Crossing.

Book Your Memphis Tickets Online

Skip the ticket lines and book in advance. Every link below goes to the official ticket page for that attraction.

Attraction	Book Tickets
Graceland	Book Tickets for Graceland
National Civil Rights Museum	National Civil Rights Museum Tickets
Sun Studio	Sun Studio Tour Information
Stax Museum of American Soul Music	Stax Museum Tickets
Memphis Rock n Soul Museum	Memphis Rock n Soul Museum Tickets
Memphis Zoo	Memphis Zoo Tickets
Museum of Science and History	Pink Palace Museum Tickets
Memphis Botanic Garden	Memphis Botanic Garden Tickets
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art	Brooks Museum Tickets
Woodruff-Fontaine House	Woodruff-Fontaine House Tickets
The Lookout at the Pyramid	Pyramid Observation Deck Tickets

Where to Stay in Memphis

Downtown puts the riverfront and the big museums on foot, Midtown suits visitors who want the zoo, the parks and local dining, and Whitehaven exists for one reason: Graceland at dawn, before the tour groups land.

Area	Best For	Vibe
Downtown and the Riverfront	First-time visitors	Historic hotels, museums and river views
Midtown and Overton Square	Zoo, parks and local dining	Leafy, artsy and local
Whitehaven and Graceland	Elvis focused stays	Quiet and suburban, built around Graceland
East Memphis	Families and road trippers	Spacious, handy for the gardens and Shelby Farms

• The Peabody Memphis, a downtown landmark at 149 Union Avenue, in business since 1869 and famous for the ducks that march to the lobby fountain at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily.
• The Guest House at Graceland, at 3600 Elvis Presley Boulevard, a resort hotel steps from the mansion gates, with a theater and Graceland tour packages.
• The Memphian, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, at 21 South Cooper Street in Overton Square, a 106 room boutique base in the heart of Midtown.

Stay downtown for a first trip, Midtown for the zoo and gardens, and Whitehaven when Graceland is the point of the trip and an early start matters most.

What to Eat in Memphis

Memphis cooking runs on smoke, spice and soul food tradition, and eating well is half the trip; the link between food and travel runs deep here, a theme explored in our look at how food tourism is shaping modern travel. The city feeds visitors fried chicken with a quiet heat, river catfish, soul food sides cooked low and slow, and pies that end every proper meal. Muslim travelers are served by a solid set of halal kitchens across Midtown and East Memphis.

Halal Food in Memphis

Verified halal options cluster in Midtown and East Memphis. At Casablanca Restaurant, a Moroccan and Mediterranean kitchen at 1707 Madison Avenue in Midtown, with a second room at 5030 Poplar Avenue, the menu runs to lamb and beef shawarma, shish kebab, hummus, falafel and a mint tea locals praise as the best in the city; the halal standing of the restaurant is confirmed by the Muslim owners in the Zabihah directory. On Union Avenue, Halal Boyz at 1550 Union Avenue serves halal street food in the New York style: gyro and chicken over rice, lamb plates and masala fries, fast and generous. Luula Halal Somali Restaurant at 2439 Summer Avenue plates sambusa, marinated chicken, spiced salmon and mango juice. As always, ask the team about certification on the day if you need full detail before you order.

Local Dishes to Try

• Memphis style fried chicken: crisp, golden and carrying a gentle cayenne warmth, the downtown plate that locals defend with pride.
• Fried catfish: cornmeal crusted river fish with hushpuppies and slaw, a Mississippi River staple on soul food menus across the city.
• Chess pie and sweet potato pie: the classic Southern finishes, one dense and buttery, the other spiced and smooth, with a glass of sweet tea beside them.

Mosques and Prayer Facilities in Memphis

Visitors find prayer space within easy reach of the main sightseeing zones. Masjid Al-Noor, run by the Islamic Association of Greater Memphis, stands at 3529 Mynders Avenue, Memphis, TN 38111, beside the University of Memphis. Established in 1997, the masjid holds the five daily prayers and Friday prayer, a short drive from Midtown sights such as the zoo and Overton Park. On the east side, the Memphis Islamic Center serves Cordova from a 55 acre campus at 10299 Humphrey Road, Cordova, TN 38018, with daily and Friday prayers, family facilities and community programs. Prayer times shift with the season, so check the masjid sites before you plan a Friday stop, and allow extra time for parking at Friday prayer.

Getting Around Memphis

Memphis spreads across a wide map, and most visitors rent a car. Downtown and Midtown sights cluster tightly, and the Memphis Area Transit Authority bus network links the districts cheaply.

Option	Best For	Typical Cost
Rental Car	Graceland, Midtown and Shelby Farms in one trip	Daily rental rates plus paid parking downtown
MATA Bus	Downtown and Midtown routes on a budget	Free under the zero fare pilot; standard fare $1
Rideshare and Taxis	Short hops between sights	Metered and app based fares
Walking	Downtown core and the riverfront	Free

A rental car earns its keep in Memphis. Graceland sits about 9 miles south of downtown, Shelby Farms Park anchors the east side, and the gardens cluster in between.

MATA runs the city bus network, and at the time of writing the agency runs a zero fare pilot begun in November 2025, so bus rides may cost nothing during your visit; the standard fare before the pilot was $1 per ride. Check the MATA site before you travel. One caution: the vintage Main Street trolley cars are paused for a safety restoration program, so do not build a downtown plan around the trolley; buses cover the same ground. Rideshare fills the gaps well, and the downtown core walks comfortably.

How Much Does a Trip to Memphis Cost?

Use these day ranges for planning. Hotel rates rise during the big Graceland weeks in January and August and on festival weekends; the Memphis Tourism site tracks seasonal offers.

Item	Typical Cost
Hotel per night	$120 to $220
Budget hotel per night	$75 to $120
Meals per day	$35 to $60
Main attraction tickets per day	$40 to $75
Local transport per day	$15 to $45

Two adults can cover the headline museums, a good hotel and full meals for roughly $220 to $380 per day. Free anchors such as the Dixon, Big River Crossing and Shelby Farms Park pull the total down fast.

Best Time to Visit Memphis

Spring and fall bring the best Memphis weather, mild air for the riverfront and the gardens. Summer turns hot and humid, and winter stays quiet, with Graceland drawing fans for the birthday celebrations each January.

Season	Months	What to Expect
Spring	March to May	Mild days, highs of 60 to 82°F, gardens in bloom and some heavy rain days
Summer	June to August	Hot and humid, highs of 85 to 93°F; plan museums for midday and parks for morning
Fall	September to November	Highs of 58 to 84°F, drier air and the easiest walking weather of the year
Winter	December to February	Cool days, highs of 40 to 57°F, thin crowds and lower hotel rates

April, May, September and October are the sweet spots. In summer, start outdoor sights at opening, move indoors by noon and save Big River Crossing for the last hour before closing.

Day Trips from Memphis

Tupelo, Mississippi: Elvis Presley Birthplace

Complete the Elvis story where it began, about 110 miles southeast of Memphis. The Elvis Presley Birthplace at 306 Elvis Presley Drive, Tupelo, MS 38804, preserves the tiny two room house where Elvis was born in 1935, set in a 15 acre park with a museum, a chapel and the Assembly of God church the Presley family attended, filled with a multimedia service from the era. The statue of Elvis at 13, guitar in hand, stands on the walk to the overlook. The buildings open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.; tickets are sold at the Welcome Center desk, with adult packages running roughly $12 to $25 depending on how many buildings you tour, while the grounds stay free.

Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee

About a 2 hour drive east of Memphis, Shiloh National Military Park preserves the battlefield where nearly 110,000 troops clashed in April 1862, in one of the great battles of the Civil War. The visitor center at 1055 Pittsburg Landing Road, Shiloh, TN 38376, opens daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., shows the film Shiloh: Fiery Trial every hour, and anchors a driving tour across fields, orchards and the national cemetery above the Tennessee River. Entry to the battlefield is free. Closed days are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year Day. Start early; services near the park are few.

Practical Tips for Visiting Memphis

Good to Know

• Group sights by zone: Downtown, Midtown around Overton Park, Whitehaven for Graceland and the east side for the gardens and Shelby Farms.
• Book Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum online before you travel; both run on timed entry and sell out in busy weeks.
• Free anchors balance the budget: the Dixon, Big River Crossing, Shelby Farms Park and Saturday mornings at the Brooks all cost nothing.
• Summer heat is serious. Carry water and plan indoor museums for midday.
• Masjid Al-Noor sits near the Midtown sights, and the Memphis Islamic Center serves the east side from Cordova.
• Most sights outside downtown park free or cheaply; downtown garages near Union Avenue are the easy paid option.

Good to Avoid

• Do not plan around the vintage downtown trolley; service is paused for a safety restoration, and buses cover the routes.
• Do not leave Graceland for a late afternoon; the full visit needs half a day.
• Avoid crossing the whole city at rush hour; the run between Whitehaven and Shelby Farms can stretch past an hour.
• Do not count on walk-in space at Sun Studio on busy weekends; tour groups form early and the room is small.
• Avoid the midday summer sun at Shelby Farms Park and the Botanic Garden; both reward an early start.

Final Thoughts

Memphis rewards travelers who slow down. Stand on the bluff at sunrise, walk the balcony at the Lorraine Motel in respectful quiet, take Sun Studio and the rebuilt Studio A at Stax in one day, and let Graceland close the story. Then balance the weight with gardens, a free gallery, a giant park and a walk across the Mississippi River into another state. Few cities give a trip this much soul per dollar. Book the timed tickets, group the map by zone, and Memphis will do the rest.

Graceland, Beale Street, and the National Civil Rights Museum make the essential circuit, and Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Zoo, Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid, the Mississippi River, and Mud Island River Park fill the days around them. The two day plan in this guide pairs Beale Street with the Civil Rights Museum on day one and Graceland with Sun Studio on day two.

Spring brings mild days and the first festival season, autumn brings colours and comfortable walking weather, and summer brings hot and humid days suited to museums and evening music. Walk Beale Street and downtown for the clubs, the museum, and the river, and use the trolley for the downtown loop at 1 dollar per ride. Book Graceland and Sun Studio tours ahead, since both sell out on weekends in every season.

Downtown suits almost every itinerary, with Beale Street, the Civil Rights Museum, and the river within walking distance, while the Beale Street hotels suit travellers who want the music at the door. The Memphis Islamic Center holds daily prayers and the Friday prayer, and visitors are welcome. A fourth day rewards a slower pace, with the Stax Museum, the Memphis Zoo, and the Pyramid each deserving a full morning.

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