How to spend three days in Memphis, Tennessee—home of the Blues, BBQ, and Rock n Roll, baby (and can’t forget about the Mighty Mississippi, now)
Written by Lauren
This post contains affiliate links.
As all good stories do, it all started with Charley Crockett.
My travel buddy BFF, Ashley, and I were in town to see the one and only Charley Crockett perform at the Grind City Music Festival. But we also wanted to really get in there, explore the city, and see what Memphis was actually all about. Firsthand. For ourselves. For journalistic purposes, of course. But mostly for curiosity’s sake. (We won’t talk about what happened to the cat.)
For the record, Memphis was a goddamn good time and I don’t know what everyone is on about.
So, if you, like us, find yourselves curious and wanting to experience the home of the Blues for yourselves, I’d be happy to make an introduction.
Here you’ll find what you need to know about traveling to Memphis (including safety information) and a little bit of Memphis history.
If you so desire, you can also skip down ahead to the three day Memphis itinerary, where in addition to sharing all the good times we got up to on our trip (and times were had, let me tell you), I’ll also give you a lay of the land, essentials to add to your Memphis itinerary, more things to do (and there is a lot more than you’d think), and where to stay. And of course, you’ll find a reading list of all things Memphis at the end.
Let’s go!
Jump right to it …
Memphis: A (brief) history
Itinerary
A lay of the land + map
Day 1: Arrive + Grind City Music Festival adventures
Day 2: Ducks, explorations, and the Blues
Day 3: All things Elvis
Memphis Cheat Sheet
Where to stay
Things to do
Memphis Essentials
Beyond Beale Street
Shopping
Music
Civil Rights
Tours
Eats and Drinks
What you need to know about traveling to Memphis
In so many ways, Memphis feels like it’s stuck in a moment in time. Which moment in time I couldn’t say exactly, but sometime in the late 20th century if I had to choose. The city felt like Latin to me—we still use it, but it’s no longer actively changing.
Now, wait. Before you get all mad at me, I don’t mean this entirely. There are obviously a lot of people there who are doing cool, artistic, innovative things. But overall, it felt stuck in the past.
Like all the lines you’ll have to stand in to do just about anything in this town—get a drink, get some BBQ, see Graceland. Have we never heard of a digital waitlist? Text me when you’re ready for me kinda thing? No? Great, I’ll just stand here in this line then.
All part of that Memphis charm, I suppose.
Overall, downtown was very clean, no litter, and we encountered maybe two homeless people the entire time we were there, and we were in deep.
I do have to say, everything was backward for us in Memphis and not what we thought.
Oh, and then there’s the Memphis Tigers.
Everywhere you look there’s a tiger—on a sign, on a coffee cup, statues on the street—with absolutely no context. Just tigers, tigers, tigers everywhere.
It’s the mascot for the University of Memphis.
Never heard of it? Us either. But now you know.
Safety
We’ve all heard the stories.
Memphis consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in America. Oftentimes topping the charts.
(So does Detroit, where I’m from, so … )
I’ve always wanted to go to Memphis—drawn by its deep historic roots as the home of the Blues and the gateway to the Mississippi Delta.
It gives Robert Johnson, dusty bare-boards smoke-filled juke joints, and midnight crossroads deals with the devil kind of vibes.
It’s only fitting then, that it was Charley Crockett who brought us there.
Before going to Memphis, anytime, anywhere, we mentioned, to anyone, that we were going to Memphis, we were both—individually and jointly—met with a pearl-clutching, “Why would you want to go there? It’s so dangerous!”
This is from people who had never actually been there.
“We’re from Detroit,” we’d both say.
“Oh.” A wave a hand. “You’ll be fine then.”
And we were fine, but not because of where we’re from. But just because we never encountered a threat.
There is a very strong and active police presence. I never felt unsafe in downtown Memphis.
But I can only speak to my own experiences.
Please, do not knowingly put yourself in unsafe situations. Be aware of your surroundings and always trust your gut.
But, like I’ve always said, anything can happen to you anytime, anywhere. You can go to Memphis and be just fine, you can also go to a coffeeshop in Nashville and get shot.
Memphis: A History
In short, here’s the briefest of brief histories of Memphis.
The river town was incorporated in 1826 after the Chickasaw Indian tribe sold six million acres to the United States government.
It is named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River.
By 1829, the Bluff City had already become a major transportation and shipping thoroughfare, especially for mail.
Memphis’ two biggest markets—cotton and slaves—earned it the moniker the “Charleston of the West”. It would go on to become the largest inland cotton market in the twentieth century.
In addition to shipping and slaves, Memphis became an industrial manufacturing town, making everything from boots and shoes to doors, carriages, cottonseed oil, steam engines, and lumber.
In 1857, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad connected the Atlantic to the Mississippi further anchoring Memphis as a major southern trading and distribution center—by river and rail.
During the Civil War, Memphis was a major smuggling hub, with more than $20 million dollars worth of supplies making its way into Confederate hands after the city was under Union command.
The post-antebellum years swept Memphis with epidemics, white supremacy, and racial and civic unrest—including unabashed discrimination and lynchings in the Jim Crow era.
In 1882, Mark Twain stopped by and had nice things to say about the city, saying it was “a beautiful city” whose “streets are straight and spacious.”
Always a city of vice, ruled by the Irish and then the Italian underworld—both whom wielded a great deal of power over and in local politics—who ran prostitution and gambling dens throughout the city.
Throughout the twentieth century, Memphis continued to grow as a major cross-country transportation hub.
Ford Motor Company opened a Model T assembly plant in 1913.
Three major national chains were founded here, all of which transformed their various industries:
Piggly Wiggly opened in 1916 and was the first self-service grocery store in America.
Holiday Inn opened in 1952 and revolutionized the mid-range hospitality industry by including such services as ice machines, swimming pools, and TVs and phones in every room.
FedEx opened in 1972 and was the first mail service to offer overnight package delivery.
True to its industrious nature, Memphis was an important defense center during WWII and became home to St. Jude’s Research Hospital in 1962.
During the second half of the twentieth century, Memphis was very active in the Civil Rights Movement, perhaps most notably being known for the place where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968.
And, of course, there’s the music.
William Christopher Handy, the father of the Blues, was a bandleader who brought the blues of the Mississippi Delta to the Bluff City at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The city would go on to birth soul and rock n’ roll with such iconic studios as Sun Studios and Stax Records and artists such as Isaac Hayes, BB King, and Elvis Presley.
3 Day Memphis Itinerary Overview
Three days is a perfectly suitable amount of time for an introductory trip to Memphis.
Our goals were to:
✓ Stay at the Peabody and see the Peabody ducks
✓ See Charley Crockett at Grind City Musical Festival
✓ Eat some Memphis-style BBQ (which absolutely nobody has been able to clarify to me exactly what that means other than the fact that it is geographically barbecued in Memphis)
✓ Do some exploring and shopping
✓ Cross the Mighty Mississippi into Arkansas on foot via the Big River Crossing
✓ Hear the Blues on Beale Street
✓ Brunch hard
✓ Visit Graceland.
We managed to add a few items in just by happenstance (aka walking past them and taking the opportunity presented to us) like taking the trolley (Memphis has a trolley, who knew?) and paying our respects to MLK Jr. at the Lorraine Motel.
I also really wanted to visit Sun Studios, but alas, that’ll have to wait till my next visit. Did get a Sun Studio shirt from Stock & Belle though, so we’re halfway there.
On the itinerary:
Day 1 | Arrive + Adventures
- Check in to The Peabody
- Dinner
- Grind City Music Festival
Day 2 | Ducks, explorations, and the Blues
- Breakfast in bed
- Duck Walk starring the Peabody Ducks
- Trolley
- Sip + shop at Stock & Belle
- Lorraine Motel
- Central BBQ
- Big River Crossing
- Beale Street Blues
Day 3 | All things Elvis
- Elvis Statue
- Brunch at The Arcade
- Graceland
- Drive home
That being said, I’ve also included lists below if you want to create a more curated, themed Memphis itinerary—music, civil rights, shopping, eating, drinking—for your trip. As well as a few other notable Memphis things that could be added, especially if this isn’t your first rodeo.
A lay of the land
A note for the journey: If it looks like a lot, it’s because I’ve decided to go all in on this one and include my Memphis Cheat Sheet of places to eat. Just unselect that layer on Google Maps to make them go away until you need to see some good places to eat nearby!
Driving into Memphis
There is no “big reveal” in Memphis (unless you count the Memphis Pyramid—are we in Egypt? Vegas? Tennessee? Who’s to say really?) but driving into the city is easy, breezy.
Memphis is the second largest city in Tennessee by population (Nashville being the first), but compared to major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit I’d categorize it as a small city.
A city, but smol.
Day 1 | Arrive + adventures
On the itinerary:
Check in to The Peabody
Dinner
Grind City Music Festival
We drove from Nashville.
On the three hour drive, we listened to some Memphis podcasts to set the tone: Mississippi to Memphis, BB King to Elvis: Chasing the Blues, and Memphis: Elvis, Peabody Ducks and beer-drinking goats.
Check in to The Peabody
After working through the labyrinthian network of buildings and hallways from the parking garage to the lobby, we checked into our room and promptly went back down to the lobby to get some drinks and see the ducks.
We were successful in our endeavor to procure alcohol, not so much in our aspirations to see the ducks make their march up the red carpet to take the elevator back up to their penthouse palace. It was impossible to see the little waterfowl through all the peoples—the lobby was PACKED.
Drinks in hand, we marched (that is to say, gasped and struggled) up ten flights of stairs back to our room. Why, you ask? Aren’t there elevators? Indeed, there are. Three working ones for 464 rooms over eleven floors, in fact. Which, it turns out, is not enough for the good amount of said peoples mentioned above who now wanted to go back up to their rooms post-duck march. All at the same time.
But I digress.
After we were ready, we headed out to the streets to find something to eat. Right across the street from the Peabody, located down an alley, is the very well-known BBQ joint, the Rendezvous (for the record, I can never spell that word correctly on the first try. I always want to put an S right there in the middle for some reason).
We were tempted, but there was a long line and we just didn’t have the time. Places to be and such. So, naturally, we continued down the alley and around the block. It took us all of five seconds to find ourselves in the nearest Irish Pub, the Brass Door.
There was a band playing in the basement, but we opted for the bar.
From there, we caught an Uber out to Grind City Amphitheater to see the one and only Charley Crockett play the music festival.
This is why we were in Memphis, after all.
Grind City Music Festival
On arrival, we got some drinks, got some Charley merch, and wove our way through the crowd. We caught the end of Muscadine Bloodline’s set before the $10 Cowboy came on promptly at 9pm.
That’s the thing I love about Charley. He is a bonafide outlaw, but the consummate professional.
This is the second music festival I’ve attended in the south (the other one was a country music one in Charleston, South Carolina years ago), and coming from the heavily populated metro Detroit area in Michigan, it always blows my mind how not-crowded festivals are down here.
Charley, as always, put on an amazing show.
Grind City Brewing Co was a suer cool joint, and am putting it on my list to check out next time I’m in town.
“Are we southern now?”
Sometimes I—and in this case, we—don’t make the best decisions in the moment. It’s true.
For all my research and thoroughness, sometimes you gotta make a game time decision.
Like walk the one and a half miles back to the hotel. Through downtown Memphis. On foot. At eleven o’clock at night.
Sound sketchy?
Actually, it was totally fine.
We followed the crowd out from Grind City and down a weedy hill—because why walk around on the paved walkway, when you can just smash your way down a hill?—and out onto the greenway trail and through the tunnel echoing with hollers we went.
This led to an overflow parking lot, where most of the crowd dispersed to their cars.
But we continued on. Mostly because we had no idea where we were going, other than that we were going in the general direction of downtown and the hotel.
As these things happen, we found ourselves in the throes of another small group, ring-led by a woman in a fur coat and cowboy boots with rhinestones adorning her eyes.
“I’m from a small town you’ve never heard of,” she said. “But I’ve been here long enough, I’m from Memphis now.”
We followed her and her group, which included her ex-husband, “A prince of a guy”, past the parking lot, around a bend in the gravel road next to a factory, which shot us out somehow into a gentrified warehouse district. They found their car. We bid them goodnight.
And then, we were on our own.
The thing about Memphis—and I found this to be true in downtown Detroit too—there’s never anyone around.
Maybe because Ashely is a marathon-runner, and probably a lot because we were pretty toasty, we put on some Cher and Abba and jogged our way back to the hotel in full country-concert music festival regalia.
For the record, I’m more of a stroller and was quite proud of myself for making it an entire mile at a light jog.
Passing by apartment buildings and empty lots, we passed a parked police car.
They slowly rolled out of their spot and up along side of us.
“You ladies okay?” They asked through the rolled down window.
“Oh, yeah,” we said, our Michigan-Minnesota roots showing at the edges.
“It’s always a good time to train,” Ashley said.
“Where you guys headed?”
“The Peabody,” I answered.
“You want to give us a lift?” Ashley said—I’m serious, she said this, to police officers, in their vehicle. At midnight, in Memphis.
They laughed. “If y’all weren’t going that way, maybe. Alright, you guys have a good night.”
For the record, I’ve never been in any city ever where police officers personally inquired as to my well-being. It was very lovely.
We made it back to the hotel, passing by even more police and several empty horse-drawn carriages on the well-lit streets.
We made it back to our room, safe and sound.
Ashley had the good sense to place an order for room service so breakfast would be delivered to our room the next morning.
And amen and goodnight.
Day 2 | Ducks, explorations, and the Blues
On the itinerary:
Breakfast in bed
Duck Walk starring the Peabody Ducks
Trolley
Sip + shop at Stock & Belle
Lorraine Motel
Central BBQ
Big River Crossing
Beale Street Blues
Peabody Adventures
We started our day with breakfast in the room, found ourselves hitching a ride on the elevator with the Duck Master himself, and the Duck March.
To get all the deets, including all things duck and duck walk, get the full report below.
Taking the Trolley
If you know me, then you know I can’t pass up a chance to ride the trolley.
So that is precisely what we did, catching the trolley at Union Ave, we rode down South Main Street to Butler Ave.
$2 pp all day pass
$1 for one way
Need exact cash or app (but hard to find)
Trolley lady was a hoot and a half, a holler, a well of local insights and information—sit by her!
Sip + Shop at Stock & Belle
Housed in a historic brick building on South Main, the lifestyle store Stock & Belle is a woman-owned boutique that is a destination in and of itself.
Pistachio-latte acquired from the in-house coffee shop, Dr. Bean’s Coffee & Tea Emporium, we spent a good hour browsing the many books, journals, candles, clothes, jewelry, accessories, and shoes to be found here.
I ended up with a super cute South Memphis Arts District tote bag, a Sun Records Studio shirt, and a Local baseball hat.
Local to where, you ask? Anywhere I happen to be at the moment. Local is a state of mind.
I’m very grateful I decided to use the bathroom here before we journeyed forth into the unknown because it was here, my skirt zipper decided it had had enough, went on protest, and promptly removed itself from my skirt with no warning.
In the bathroom stall, I looked down, zipper in hand. No longer attached. To anything.
Wait a second, I thought. That’s not right.
Followed promptly by, Uh, oh.
And then a text message to Ashley: SOS.
Why am I always sending Ashely SOS messages from a public bathroom?
(There was an incident in Vegas once involving too much sun, too many edibles, and the bathroom floor of the MGM pool. A story for another time, but needless to say, sometimes you find yourself in Vegas making poor life choices. Happens to the best of us.)
Thankfully, since we were in a clothing store, she was able to acquire several safety pins and fasten my skirt back together.
“Do you need to go back to the room and change?” She asked.
“Nope,” I said. “I’m good to go.”
Or so I thought.
Lorraine Motel + Civil Rights Museum
Sometimes you’re hungry and on your way to find some Memphis-style BBQ when you find yourself standing in front of Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, the assassination spot of Martin Luther King Jr.
I don’t know how we manage to continue to stumble upon such historically-profound and psychically-imprinted places, but alas, it wouldn’t be a trip with us if we didn’t.
From the white 1959 Dodge Royal and 1968 Cadillac parked out front to the aqua painted motel room doors—it’s another snapshot, a piece of the city and history frozen in time. The only thing signaling the passage of time the wreath hanging from the balcony and the memorial plaque in his honor.
The psychic imprint really hits you when you’re there—like Omaha beach all over again.
“You can kill the dreamer. But you can’t kill the dream.”
Even now, as I write this, several months and 200 miles away, thinking about it still makes me emotional.
The Lorraine Motel is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum. Admission does give you access to see inside the room, just as he left it, along with 400 years of African American history including the bus Rosa Parks took her stand by staying seated in and the Freedom Riders Greyhound Bus.
Even if you don’t have time to go inside and take the full tour, I definitely recommend stopping by to pay your respects and experiencing such a profoundly important part of American history.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Lunch at Central BBQ
Located kitty corner from the Lorraine Motel and Civil Rights Museum
Be prepared to wait in line. It took us 50 minutes to get to the counter to order mid-afternoon on a Saturday.
But, after that, it was smooth sailing. We got seats at the bar and the food was excellent.
What exactly is Memphis BBQ?
Because no one could actually answer me, I had to do some internet sleuthing. Here’s what I found:
The centerpiece of Memphis BBQ is pork—namely ribs and pulled pork—paired with a signature spice rub. Each Memphis pit-master has their own spice rub formula, but some hallmarks are: salt, black pepper, brown sugar, paprika, and garlic.
Here’s where the paths diverge.
One camp claims the pork is slathered in bbq sauce while it cooks. The other camp claims that the meat is cooked low and slow, for as long as possible, with no sauce or glaze, but served with sauce on the side.
One thing they can both agree on is: the bbq sauce is always a tangy-sweet tomato-based concoction.So there you have it: Memphis style bbq!
On top of all the miles we’d traversed through town the night before and the many, many flights of steps we went up and down at the Peabody, we decided to walk the mile to the Big River Crossing from Central BBQ.
Perhaps this is where we went wrong.
Cross the Mississippi River into Arkansas on the Big River Crossing
Walk to Arkansas, they said.
It’ll be fun, they said.
Length: 1 mile (or forever)
The Big River Crossing runs adjacent to a railroad line. Not only is the Mighty Mississippi wider than I thought (a mile and a quarter in Memphis), but the bridge also has to go further on both sides to gradually lower and connect to the road on either side. Which, duh.
But when you’re walking it and walking it and walking it with no beginning nor end in sight, despair and panic and exhaustion can start to set in.
“Did we die? Are we in purgatory now?” I asked Ashley.
Purgatory is a never-ending bridge you must continue to walk on.
Once we finally made it to the other side—hello, Arkansas—we descended the metal pathways to reach solid ground at the foot of the bridge.
On the Arkansas side of the Mississippi is a very large park.
Hot and exhausted, our conversation looked something like …
Why no water?
Why no bathrooms?
Why no civilization?
Arkansas, what the hell?
???????
(Apparently, there are port-a-potties hidden behind a quarry-like block of rocks at the trailhead in the parking lot.)
Sitting on a concrete block in the trailhead parking lot, we ordered (Hailed? Summoned?) an Uber—because walking back was absolutely out of the question and beyond our capabilities at this point—and waited, contemplating the ways of Sparrows who lived under the bridge, “oohing” and “ahhing” at their dives and free falls.
We waited. And we waited some more.
We watched as the Uber driver did figure-eights around the foot of the bridge on the Tennessee side of the river. And that’s when we remembered—the ramp was closed. We’d passed it on way in—the construction barricades—but had paid it no mind because we were on foot.
We called her to explain to her the ramp was closed, but she was hell-bent on just following the gps—despite the fact that it just kept taking her in the same circles. We had to cancel.
And now, we were stranded in Arkansas.
But you know the saying, when the going gets tough, the tough rent eBikes.
There is a a BCycle docking station on both sides of the bridge, and thankfully, there were fully charged bikes available.
I use this app back home in Nashville, and sometimes have difficulty with it. Luckily Ashley was successful and able to get two bikes unlocked.
All I can say is, thank god they were electric.
Remember how, just hours earlier, I thought it was a good idea to wear a skirt (you know, the one that the zipper decided to abandon ship on?), well since I had no idea the day would lead us here, to this moment, on bikes…
Let’s just say, all of Memphis got quite the show.
Granted, my skirt was black, my underwear was black, and the bike seat was black, so I don’t think you could really see anything, but nevertheless and despite my best efforts, with each pedal, my skirt hightailed it further and further up my thighs.
And we had to cross the two-lane pedestrian bridge, facing other pedestrians head-on. Gentlemen, eyes up here, I signaled with my eyeballs to the nice group of lads we passed.
“Do you want me ride in front of you?” Ashley offered, thinking it really couldn’t be that bad.
Passing next to me, she glanced over, glanced down, and burst out laughing.
“You asshole!” I laughed back.
She just kept laughing, but she did take the lead.
Like I said before, there is another docking station on the Tennessee side of the bridge, so you can dock the bikes and Uber from there.
We decided to continue going on the bikes through to downtown.
It was a glorious spring day, the afternoon sun was shining, I was flashing all of Memphis. So why not? What a time that was had by all.
You’re welcome, Memphis.
If you decide to take the eBikes back, I suggest stopping at Loflin Yard for a cold one and getting an Uber from there. The city, traffic, and construction just get more dense from this point on.
Granted I was a bit distracted, but the South Bluff’s neighborhood that we biked through had a weirdly Utilitarian Dystopian movie set atmosphere to it—starkly clean streets, new modern apartment buildings, not a soul in sight.
We dropped our bikes off near Beale Street and walked the two blocks back to the Peabody.
Drinks at the Peabody
Beale Street Blues
Out of all the musical streets of debauchery in the south that begin with a B—Bourbon, Broadway, Beale—Beale is my favorite.
I said what I said!
Personally, I think it has the best atmosphere—good music and laid-back easy access. Broadway is an absolute cacophony of noise and chaos. And Bourbon Street is pure Bacchanal revelry with all its strip clubs and pizza-by-the-slice daiquiri bars.
If you’re in town for the weekend, chances are good you’ll be able to walk there. But if you’re driving, there are parking lots around Beale Street which will run you $10-$20. You can find a $3 lot at 110 Peabody St.
Beale is a pedestrian street most of the time (with the exception of early morning delivery trucks), and at night on the weekends, you do have to pass through a security point to enter.
So, leave your weapons at home.
You don’t have to pay to gain access to the street, but at some point, you will come upon a shady-looking sign advertising wristbands for $10. The sign was manned by a kid sitting on a metal bar stool. It looks suspiciously like a scam.
It’s not.
The $10 wristband gives you access to everywhere on Beale Street except for BB Kings. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay the $10+ cover fee to each bar.
Buy the $10 wristband.
Like our debaucherous friends down in the Big Easy, Memphis also allows you to carry open alcohol containers on Beale Street! Though, unlike in the Big Easy, many establishments here don’t allow you to bring drinks in. But nevertheless, its always fun to drink on the street corner while taking in all the shenanigans.
After taking a lap, our first stop was Rum Boogie Cafe.
An absolute goddamn good time.
We then went to hear Ghost Town Blues Band play at Blues City Cafe.
Shoutout to trombone player Suavo Jones, who I met between sets, while sitting at the bar. He told me I looked like a singer. It was the outfit.
“Girl, isn’t this an Irish bar?”
And it wouldn’t be us unless we ended the night at an Irish pub. Enter: Silky O’Sullivan’s.
We got a late night dinner here (around midnight-ish) and listened to the dueling pianos play.
You can request songs via Venmo. Since we were in an Irish establishment, Ashely requested Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl.
Several songs later, and still no Galway Girl.
She sent in another request with a few more bucks with the memo line: Girl, isn’t this an Irish pub?
He called her up to the stage. Turns out, he just didn’t know the song, but was more than happy to play any other Irish jig he knew.
And in the end, we got ourselves an old fashioned Irish tune!
We were happy. We were Irish. We were drunk on Beale Street. And we were full.
It was time to go home.
Beale Street
Memphis, Tennessee
BB King’s Blues Club
Blues City Cafe
Silky O’Sullivan’s
Rum Boogie Cafe
Day 3 | All things Elvis
On the itinerary:
Elvis Statue
Brunchin’ bitches at The Arcade
Graceland
Drive home
Beale Street and Elvis Statue
Beale Street in the daytime
BB King’s Blues Club on Beale Street
My personal feelings for the man aside—🚮 🚮 🚮—there is no denying that Elvis is an inextricable part of Memphis history and the modern day Memphis experience.
On our way to brunch, we made the obligatory visit to the Elvis Statue on Beale Street between Main and Second.
Walking in Memphis
Brunch at The Arcade Restaurant
Duckies Francesca “Frannie” Peabody Presley and Jessica Beale enjoy their brunch outing to the Arcade Restaurant
Keeping on theme for the day, we brunched at the Arcade Restaurant, one of the King’s favorite Memphis haunts. The wait to be seated wasn’t too bad—ten to fifteen minutes at 10:30 on a Sunday morning.
Because it was a Sunday morning in the Bible Belt, we had to wait until 11am to be served our mimosas. (I love Tennessee and the south, but for real?? )
Saying Goodbye to the Peabody
Back at the Peabody, before checking out, we hit the gift shop in the lobby and got another round of mimosas at the lobby bar to take up to the rooftop.
The Duck Palace is located all the way around the corner on the left.
Graceland
And then, much to the detriment of our spiritual well-being, we were off to Graceland for several hours of mind-numbing torture.
Maybe I’m being dramatic, but you can read my full unabashed take to form your own opinion.
Drive Home
On our way home, we listened to True Crime Obsessed’s West of Memphis part I and II (shoutout to Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh for getting involved in this case!)
While this story didn’t take place in Memphis, it is Memphis-adjacent, and we did find ourselves in Arkansas for all of thirty minutes. Though, after our experience crossing the Big River Crossing and listening to what happened to the West Memphis Three, gotta say, not Arkansas’ biggest fan at the moment.
Memphis Cheat Sheet
Where to stay in Memphis
The Peabody
Stay the South’s Grand Hotel, home of the famous Peabody ducks!
Though iconic and historic, I would be lying to you if I said staying here didn’t come with some drawbacks. Namely how overrun the lobby gets around Duck Walk times (10-11:15am and 4-5:15pm), which also inconveniently coincides with check-in and check-out times, and long elevator wait times.
The Memphian
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Located in Overton Square (about 4 miles and a 10 minute drive from Beale Street)
The Memphian is beautifully designed in eclectic bohemian jewel tones. Get three meals a day at the on-site Complicated Pilgrim or get cocktails at the rooftop Tiger & Peacock.
I would recommend staying here if this isn’t your first time in Memphis and want to focus more on exploring the other artsy neighborhoods Memphis has to offer.
Central Station
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Formerly the Central Station train station, located at the far end of Main Street. Tempting because y’all know I love a train station-turned-hotel situation, but despite what its street name suggests, it is a little off the main beat. Though they are located right across the street from the iconic Arcade Restaurant and do have their own swanky restaurant and brunch spot, Bishop, on site. Best for those who have been to Memphis before or prefer a quieter area.
Arrive Hotel
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Super chic and modern stay on South Main—with bold colors, warm wood tones, velvet and leather seating in the lobby. Home to Bar Hustle, a cocktail bar with Detroit-style pizza, and Hustle + Dough bakery and coffee shop.
Big Cypress Lodge at the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid
Expedia
Expedia
Expedia
Are we in Egypt? Vegas? Colorado? On a hunting trip? All of the above?
Are you confused? That’s okay. Us too. But still, a ski lodge-esque hotel located in a big giant pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee for no reason? Sign us up.
This pet-friendly stay is a destination in and of itself with some of the “most unique dining Memphis has to offer” and skyline views from the glass observation deck at the top of the Sky High Ride.
Also, the Fishbowl—an underwater-themed bowling alley that you never knew you needed.
Things to Do in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis Essentials
◦ Hear the Blues on Beale Street and pose with Elvis
◦ See the Peabody ducks
◦ Take the trolley
◦ BBQ — Memphis is known for its pulled pork
◦ Pay respects to MLK Jr at the Lorraine Motel
◦ Cross the Mighty Mississippi into Arkansas on the Big River Crossing
◦ Visit Sun Studios
◦ Sip (coffee) + shop at Stock & Belle
◦ Visit the Bass Pro Shop pyramid and take the elevator to the top for skyline views of the Mighty Mississippi
Controversial take: but here’s why you shouldn’t add Graceland to your Memphis itinerary
Beyond Beale Street: Memphis neighborhoods to explore
South Main Historic Arts District
Midtown
Overton Square
Cooper Young (trendy, hipster neighborhood)
Victorian Village
Broad Avenue Arts District
Shopping
Stock & Belle
Laurelwood Shopping Center (high-end)
Stovall (stationary store!)
Broad Avenue Arts District
City and State (gift store)
Music
Beale Street
Sun Studios
Memphis Rock n Soul Museum
Memphis Music Hall of Fame
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Lafayette’s Music Room
Graceland (or not)
Civil Rights
The National Civil Rights Museum + the Lorraine Motel
A Tour of Possibilities
Other notable Memphis things
◦ Take a ride on one of the Cinderella carriages
◦ Memphis Botanic Garden
◦ Crosstown Concourse
◦ Shelby Farms Park
◦ Handy Park
Memphis Eats + Drinks
BREAKFAST + BRUNCH
Arcade Cafe (will be a wait—Elvis ate here)
SOB
The Garden Brunch Cafe
Brother Juniper’s
COFFEE + CAFES
Hustle + Dough Bakery
Dr. Bean’s Coffee & Tea Emporium
LUNCH
Global Cafe (International food hall where immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs serve up meals from their home countries)
City Silo Table and Pantry (vegan friendly)
BBQ + SOUL FOOD
(Expect to wait in line at all of these places)
Rendezvous
Central BBQ
Marlow’s Rib and Restaurant
Corky’s
Four Way Grill
Cozy Corner
DINNER
Itta Bena (hidden gem above Beale street, upscale, make reservations)
Catherine and Mary’s (southern take on Italian)
Second Line (New Orleans style)
DIVES
Ernestine & Hazel’s (classic dive)
Beale Street Taproom
DRINKS + VIBES
Central Station’s Eight & Sand
Tiger & Peacock @ The Memphian
Alchemy
Mollie Fontaine Lounge in Victorian Village
The Cove Bar (pirate themed)
Loflin Yard (outdoor space with fire pits)
Rail garden
Carolina Watershed
Grind City Brewing Company
Reading List: Memphis
Want to dive deeper into the history and culture of the city that gave rise to rock ‘n roll, the Blues, and soul music?
Here’s some titles to get you started.
Memphis really does have so much to offer. Whether you want to curate your Memphis itinerary to a certain theme (all things music, all things Civil Rights, all things artsy) or you want to experience a little bit of everything.
You can go full historic with a stay at the Peabody Memphis and ride on the trolley. You can go full classic with all the BBQ and all the Beale Street Blues your soul can handle. Or you can go full-on modern, classy, and trendy with a stay at The Memphian or Arrive hotel and spend your weekend shopping and sipping at swanky cocktail bars.
Some things you definitely don’t want to miss during your three day weekend in Memphis is seeing the Peabody ducks, sipping and shopping at Stock & Belle on South Main, paying your respects at the Lorraine Motel, crossing the Mighty Mississippi on foot over the Big River Crossing, and grab brunch at the Arcade Restaurant.
Of course, there’s no shortage of bars and breweries to check out as well.
Two absolute musts to add to your Memphis itinerary, no matter your theme, duration, or how many times you’ve been here: hear the Blues on Beale Street and eat some BBQ!
Despite all the things you may have heard (or seen—looking at you TikTok), Memphis is a goddamn good time waiting to happen!
What are you waiting for?
See you in Memphis!
The Memphis Collection
About Lauren
Reader, writer, traveller, itinerary-creator & mapmaker extraordinaire
Detroit-born, Nashville-bent, everywhere-bound, some of her favorite things include drinking coffee, eating in roadside diners frequented by locals and truckers alike, reading entire guidebooks front to back, visiting local bookshops, spirit questing in New Mexico, watching wildlife documentaries, listening to unapologetic amounts of Taylor Swift, and sitting in aisle seats. To name a few.
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