Memphis walking tour & city guide

Beale Street and the music landmarks

Beale Street is the heart of Memphis nightlife, with neon signs, blues clubs and live music spilling out every evening. Sun Studio, where Elvis, Johnny Cash and B.B. King recorded, offers tours, as does the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Graceland, Elvis's mansion, is south of downtown and is one of the most visited homes in America.

The National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Its exhibits trace the struggle for civil rights in America and are among the most powerful in the country.

A classic downtown walk

Start at the National Civil Rights Museum and walk north through the South Main Arts District, with its galleries and vintage trolleys. Continue to Beale Street, past the statues of Elvis and W.C. Handy, the father of the blues.

Then head west to the riverfront and Tom Lee Park on the Mississippi, and walk north along the river to the Big River Crossing, a pedestrian bridge that lights up at night. The walk is about 4 kilometers.

Visiting tips

Spring and autumn are the best times. In May, the Memphis in May festival includes a famous barbecue cooking contest. The Peabody Hotel is famous for its ducks, which march to the lobby fountain every morning at 11.