Explore Memphis

The birthplace of the blues. Walk it day or night — clubs have no cover charge and the music is real. B.B. King's Blues Club and Blues City Cafe are your anchors. The energy is different after dark.

Smithsonian-affiliated. Covers how Memphis shaped American music from the 1930s through the 1970s. Seven galleries, 100 songs on the audio tour. Open daily 10am–5pm. Adults $16, Youth $12.

A small, focused stop dedicated to the man who formalized the blues as a written musical form. The preserved house tells a tight story. Half an hour does it.

Honors the artists, recordings, and songs that defined the form. Ten galleries with interactive listening stations. Pairs naturally with the Civil Rights Museum one block away.

Elvis's clothier, and the outfitter for generations of Memphis musicians. Worth a stop for the history as much as the merchandise. The staff knows the stories.

Built at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. One of the most important museums in the United States. Plan two hours minimum. Closed Tuesdays. Adults $20. Free parking on site.

A small plaza on Main Street commemorating the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike, one of the defining moments of the labor and civil rights movements. Ten minutes. You will think about it longer.

A newly renovated stretch of riverfront parkland along the Mississippi. Named for Tom Lee, a Black laborer who saved 32 people from a capsizing steamboat in 1925. Good for a walk, a break, or simply to see the river up close.

A pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi connecting Memphis to West Memphis, Arkansas. Outstanding skyline views looking back toward the city. The round trip on foot takes about 30 minutes. Free.

Narrated cruises departing from the Memphis waterfront, roughly an hour on the water. A relaxed, low-effort way to see the city from the river. Good option for groups.

A 32-story glass pyramid converted into a Bass Pro megastore, hotel, bowling alley, aquarium, and rooftop observation deck with views of the Mississippi. It should not work. It absolutely works. Go even if you don't fish.

Narrated music heritage tours by bus or on foot. The most efficient way for a first-time visitor to get oriented and cover significant ground quickly. Book in advance.