Things to do · Memphis · United States
18 best things to do in Memphis
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Antony-22, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Memphis are Graceland, National Civil Rights Museum and Beale Street. Of the 18 picks below, 6 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Graceland
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- National Civil Rights Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graceland | Whitehaven | Half a day | Expensive |
| National Civil Rights Museum | South Main Arts District | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Beale Street | Downtown and Beale Street | An evening | Free |
| Sun Studio | Union Avenue | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Stax Museum of American Soul Music | Soulsville | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Peabody Ducks | Downtown and Beale Street | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum | Downtown and Beale Street | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Blues Hall of Fame Museum | South Main Arts District | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Big River Crossing | Riverfront | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Tom Lee Park | Riverfront | 1 hour | Free |
| Memphis Zoo | Midtown and Overton Square | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Overton Park and the Levitt Shell | Midtown and Overton Square | 2 hours | Free |
| Dixon Gallery and Gardens | East Memphis | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Metal Museum | South Memphis bluff | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid | Pinch District | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Shelby Farms Park | East Memphis | 2–4 hours | Free |
| Memphis Botanic Garden | East Memphis | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Children's Museum of Memphis | Midtown | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 18 best things to do
Historic site · Whitehaven
1.Graceland
Elvis Presley's home from 1957 until his death in 1977 is preserved much as he left it, from the TV Room with three televisions to the shag-carpeted Jungle Room. He is buried in the Meditation Garden behind the house. Across the boulevard, the Elvis Presley's Memphis complex displays his cars, stage costumes, gold records and his two private jets.
Start with the mansion tour early in the day, then explore the exhibition complex; allow at least four hours in total.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Buy timed mansion tickets online in advance, especially in summer, around Elvis's birthday in January and during Elvis Week in August.
- Iconic
- History
Museum · South Main Arts District
2.National Civil Rights Museum
Built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on 4 April 1968, the museum traces the struggle for civil rights from slavery through the Montgomery bus boycott and the sit-ins to the Memphis sanitation workers' strike. The tour ends at Room 306, preserved as it was, and continues across the street in the building where the shot was fired.
Allow at least three hours, and leave time for the exhibits across the street in the Legacy Building, which many visitors rush.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
Street · Downtown and Beale Street
3.Beale Street
Three blocks of neon-lit clubs, bars and shops mark the street where W.C. Handy, B.B. King and other musicians shaped the Memphis blues. At night it becomes a pedestrian zone with live music pouring out of clubs. A. Schwab, a general store trading since the 19th century, and the W.C. Handy House Museum are daytime stops.
Walk the full length early in the evening and step into the clubs with live bands; weeknights are calmer and often have no cover charge.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Free
- History
Historic site · Union Avenue
4.Sun Studio
In this small studio on Union Avenue, Sam Phillips recorded 'Rocket 88' in 1951, Elvis Presley's first single in 1954 and the famous 'Million Dollar Quartet' session with Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in 1956. Guided tours end in the original recording room, which still operates as a studio.
Stand on the marked spot where Elvis recorded and hold the microphone; the guides tell stories that bring the room to life.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Soulsville
5.Stax Museum of American Soul Music
On the site of Stax Records, home of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Staple Singers, this museum covers soul music from gospel roots to the 1970s. Highlights include Isaac Hayes' gold-trimmed 1972 Cadillac Eldorado and a dance floor playing classic Soul Train footage.
Drive or take a rideshare to Soulsville and combine the museum with a soul-food lunch nearby.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Experience · Downtown and Beale Street
6.The Peabody Ducks
Twice a day at the historic Peabody hotel, a small flock of mallards marches along a red carpet to a John Philip Sousa tune, from their rooftop palace to the lobby's marble fountain and back again, led by the Duckmaster. The tradition dates back to the 1930s.
Arrive at least 30 minutes early to get a good spot around the fountain or on the mezzanine; the morning march is usually less crowded.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Iconic
Museum · Downtown and Beale Street
7.Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum
Developed with the Smithsonian Institution, this museum tells how sharecroppers' music from the Delta became rock 'n' roll and soul, using audio guides that let you listen to more than a hundred songs along the way. It sits by the FedExForum plaza at the end of Beale Street.
Use the audio guide to listen to the full tracks; it is a good primer before Sun Studio and Stax.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · South Main Arts District
8.Blues Hall of Fame Museum
Run by the Blues Foundation, this museum honours inductees of the Blues Hall of Fame with galleries of instruments, records, stage clothing and interactive displays, a block from the National Civil Rights Museum.
Combine it with the National Civil Rights Museum across the street on South Main.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Landmark · Riverfront
1.Big River Crossing
A walking and cycling path along the Harahan Bridge, Big River Crossing stretches about 1.6 km across the Mississippi to Arkansas, with views of the river, the downtown skyline and passing barges. After dark, the bridge is lit by an LED light display.
Walk over at sunset, then stay for the light show; bring water in summer, as there is little shade.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- After dark
- Active
Park · Riverfront
2.Tom Lee Park
Reopened in 2023 after a major redesign, this long riverside park below the downtown bluff has playgrounds, shaded pavilions, sports courts and lawns facing the Mississippi. It is named after Tom Lee, who rescued 32 people from a sinking steamboat in 1925.
Visit in the early evening, when the heat breaks and families gather on the lawns to watch the sunset over the river.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Views
Zoo · Midtown and Overton Square
3.Memphis Zoo
Behind an Egyptian-style gateway in Overton Park, the zoo has themed areas such as Teton Trek with grizzly bears and the Zambezi River Hippo Camp, along with big cats and an aquarium. It is one of the city's main family attractions.
Arrive at opening in summer to see the animals before the midday heat, and pack water.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Park · Midtown and Overton Square
4.Overton Park and the Levitt Shell
Midtown's large park includes the Old Forest, a tract of old-growth woodland, and the Levitt Shell, an outdoor bandshell where Elvis Presley played his first paid concert in 1954. The shell now hosts free concerts most weeks in spring and autumn.
Bring a picnic blanket to a free Levitt Shell concert on a warm evening, and walk the Old Forest trails beforehand.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- After dark
- History
- Kids
Gallery · East Memphis
5.Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Set in a former private estate, the Dixon displays French and American Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including works by Monet, Renoir and Degas, plus a large collection of decorative porcelain. Formal and woodland gardens surround the house.
Leave time to walk the gardens, especially in spring when azaleas and dogwoods are in bloom.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · South Memphis bluff
6.Metal Museum
On a quiet bluff overlooking the Mississippi, the Metal Museum is devoted to fine metalwork, with galleries, sculpture gardens and a working foundry and smithy where you may see artists at work. Its grounds are a peaceful place to watch barges on the river.
Visit late in the afternoon for the river view, and check whether metalworking demonstrations are scheduled.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Views
- Off the beaten path
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Landmark · Pinch District
7.Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid
The 32-storey Memphis Pyramid, built as an arena in 1991, now houses a huge outdoor-gear store with an indoor cypress swamp, aquariums, a hotel and bowling. A glass lift rises through the centre to The Lookout, an observation deck at the top with views over the river and downtown.
Take the lift to The Lookout at sunset for the best river view in the city.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Park · East Memphis
8.Shelby Farms Park
One of the largest urban parks in the United States, Shelby Farms covers about 1,800 hectares of lakes, forest and meadows, with a small bison herd, kayak and paddleboat rentals, playgrounds and many kilometres of trails. The Shelby Farms Greenline connects it to Midtown by bike.
Rent a bike or a paddleboat at Patriot Lake, and look for the bison in the pasture near the main road.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
- Nature
Garden · East Memphis
9.Memphis Botanic Garden
In Audubon Park, the botanic garden has themed gardens including a Japanese garden with a pond and bridges, a rose garden, an iris collection and My Big Backyard, a natural play area designed for children.
Visit in April, when the iris and azalea gardens are at their best, and let children explore My Big Backyard.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
Museum · Midtown
10.Children's Museum of Memphis
Hands-on exhibits for younger children include a pretend city, a cockpit and play areas, and the museum also houses a restored 1909 Dentzel carousel. A splash park operates outside in summer.
Ride the historic carousel and, in summer, bring swimwear for the splash park.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | National Civil Rights Museum, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and Blues Hall of Fame Museum |
| History | Graceland, National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street and Sun Studio |
| Views | Big River Crossing, Tom Lee Park, Metal Museum and Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid |
| Outdoors and nature | Big River Crossing, Tom Lee Park, Memphis Zoo and Overton Park and the Levitt Shell |
| After dark | Beale Street, Big River Crossing and Overton Park and the Levitt Shell |
| With children | The Peabody Ducks, Tom Lee Park, Memphis Zoo and Overton Park and the Levitt Shell |
| On a rainy day | National Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum |
What to book ahead
- Graceland: Buy timed mansion tickets online in advance, especially in summer, around Elvis's birthday in January and during Elvis Week in August.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Memphis?
Graceland. Elvis Presley's home from 1957 until his death in 1977 is preserved much as he left it, from the TV Room with three televisions to the shag-carpeted Jungle Room.
+What can you do for free in Memphis?
Beale Street, The Peabody Ducks, Big River Crossing, Tom Lee Park and Overton Park and the Levitt Shell. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Memphis when it rains?
Head indoors to National Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studio, Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum.
+What is there to do in Memphis at night?
Beale Street, Big River Crossing and Overton Park and the Levitt Shell are best after dark.