Memphis, Tennessee is the perfect stop for any Southern Road Trip. Other popular stops include the Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, and Hot Springs National Park. Be sure to check out this travel guide! Top things to see, best places to eat, and cool places to stay!
Where To Find It
Memphis is a city along the Mississippi River in the south of the US. It is just west of Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. This city also played an important part during the American civil rights movement and was the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 assassination. Memphis now hosts the National Civil Rights Museum. Many musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley got their start in Memphis in the 1950s and 1960s
Where To Stay
Airbnb
If you are wanting a great stay within walking distance of all the major sites. Stay here! This perfect 2 bedroom 2 (full!) bath is the best choice for your family, group, or business travels. Features private garage parking and courtyard with outdoor living and dining room overlooking gorgeous English style garden, also enjoy stunning stone fire pit area. Enjoy easy access to downtown, but a very private and cozy space.
Pyramid Hotel
A one-of-a-kind rustic retreat inspired by the great outdoors known as Big Cypress Lodge. Inside the 535,000-square-foot pyramid, this destination features 103 guest rooms, 100-foot tall trees, a swamp with live alligators and a variety of fish, the nation’s tallest freestanding elevator, numerous dining options, and many additional attractions.
Where To Eat
Gus’s Famous Fried Chicken – this World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken is a Memphis Tradition. After experimenting for several years, Na and his wife, Ms. Maggie, began selling their chicken, sandwiched between two slices of white bread. As demand grew, Na and Maggie were encouraged by local residents to build a freestanding restaurant. Generous, chicken-loving locals offered to supply them with the materials necessary to build their own restaurant. Na, a skilled carpenter, built the restaurant on a piece of land he and Ms. Maggie owned on Highway 70 in Mason. Maggie’s Short Orders opened its doors in 1973. The building still stands today and still serves Na and Maggie’s amazing fried chicken.
Recommended Dish: 2 Piece Dark with Baked Beans and Potato Salad.
Central BBQ – Smoke Is Our Sauce. Because Memphis is the hardwood capital of the world Central uses hickory and pecan woods, along with their intricate dry rub and a whole lot of patience, to craft the most tender, delicious piece of meat you’ve ever eaten— with or without the sauce. Memphians know great BBQ. And since it opened in 2002, Central BBQ has been ranked as the number-one spot for BBQ in Memphis.
Recommended Dish: Pulled Pork Plate with BBQ Beans and Mac and Cheese
Charles Vergo’s Rendevous Charcoal Ribs. Memphis is the pork barbecue mecca of the world, and there are great joints in every nook and cranny of this town. And while everyone has a favorite, few can question that the Rendezvous is a quintessential Memphis experience. For over 70 years, the Vergos family has been serving their signature dry rub ribs in a basement through a downtown alley across from the Peabody Hotel.
Recommended Dish: Pork Ribs and Brisket Combination. Comes with a side of Beans and Slaw. (Their Potato Salad is also delicious!).
A few other honorable mentions are SOB Downtown (South Of Beale) – Eat and Drink Adventurously! A great place out of the business of the main sites. Recommended Dish: Fried Grouper Sandwich with a side of fries. Or Cedar Plank Salmon with a side of fingerling potatoes.
Insomnia Cookies – Warm Cookies Delivered Crazy Late! You cannot miss this delicious stop when you are visiting Memphis. I am not kidding when I say these are the most delicious cookies ever! Recommended Cookies: Snickerdoodle, Double Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.
Climate and Best Time To Go
I highly recommend visiting Memphis during the Spring and Fall months. More specifically in April and May or October and November. The summers in Tennessee can be long and hot with temperatures climbing into the 90s and high humidity. In the winter you can experience ice storms and cold temperatures.
Bucket List Activities
Home of the Blues – Beale Street. One of the most famous attractions in Memphis is Beale Street running from the Mississippi River to East Street, approximately 1.8 miles. In the first half of the 20th century, Beale Street served as the inspiration behind many blues hits and creative works by musicians such as W.C. Handy, who wrote “Beale Street Blues.” From the 1920s to 1940s, artists such as Muddy Waters, Louis Armstrong, and B.B. King played on the street developing the legendary Memphis blues sound. Despite the closing of many sections of the storied street by the 1960s, Beale Street saw a successful revitalization. Today, it continues to be a hub for music, nightlife, dining, and the arts.
Fedex Forum. If sports are more your style, catch an NBA game at the FedEx Forum – home of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Graceland is the home and private retreat of Elvis Presley. The mansion is located on a 13.8-acre estate. Explore the beautiful mansion, walk the gardens, tour the aircraft that he traveled on from show to show, and encounter Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex for an unforgettable experience featuring legendary costumes, artifacts, and personal mementos from Elvis and his family.
Sun Studio is the Birthplace of Rock N Roll! It is the discovery location of musical legends and genres of the ’50s from B.B. King and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis; from Blues and Gospel to Country and Rock’n’roll.
Peabody Hotel – Even if you don’t get to stay in this lovely hotel, catch the famous Peabody Duck March as 3 or 4 ducks make their way from the elevator to the fountain. A tradition that started almost 90 years ago!
Instagram Worthy Spots
Stop by this gorgeous Memphis Mural, not far from downtown! It is the perfect place for those stunning Insta-shots!
Thank you for reading!
If you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to comment down below! Or you can email us!
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