Memphis Weekend Guide: Blues, Barbecue, Graceland and Civil Rights

A weekend in Memphis should include the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, Graceland, Sun Studio and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, plus an evening of live blues on Beale Street and at least two barbecue meals, one of them dry-rub ribs. Three days, Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, is enough to see the highlights if you book Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum in advance. Stay downtown near Beale Street or South Main for walkability. The best times to visit are April, May, September and October, when the heat is bearable.

Memphis is a city built by the Mississippi River and the music that came up it. Cotton made it rich in the 1800s, and the Black musicians who moved in from the plantations of the Delta made Beale Street one of the most important places in American music. W.C. Handy wrote down the blues here in the early 1900s. A few decades later, a small recording studio on Union Avenue recorded a young truck driver named Elvis Presley, and rock ’n’ roll had a hometown. In the 1960s, Stax Records turned an old movie theater into a soul music factory. And in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Memphis to support striking sanitation workers and was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

All of that history is still visible, often in the same buildings, which makes Memphis one of the most meaningful weekend trips in the South. The city has real problems, including poverty and a high crime rate, and some neighborhoods are struggling. But downtown and the main visitor areas are lively, and Memphians are proud and welcoming. Come hungry, and come ready to listen.

• 1968Dr. King assassinated at the Lorraine Motel
• 1954Elvis records “That’s All Right” at Sun Studio
• 2 timesDaily march of the Peabody ducks
• 3 daysEnough for the major sights

The weekend at a glance

Friday: the Peabody ducks and Beale Street

Arrive in time for the Peabody Duck March at the Peabody Hotel, a grand 1920s hotel downtown. Every morning at 11 a.m., a red-coated Duckmaster leads five mallards from their rooftop “palace” down an elevator and along a red carpet to the lobby’s marble fountain, where they swim all day. At 5 p.m., they march back. The tradition goes back to the 1930s, when the hotel’s manager and a friend, returning from a hunting trip, put live decoy ducks in the fountain as a joke. It is silly and charming. Arrive at least 30 minutes early to get a view, and have a drink in the lobby bar while you wait.

For dinner, walk to a downtown barbecue joint. Memphis is known for dry-rub ribs, pork ribs coated in a mix of spices and charcoal-grilled, served without sauce, and for pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw. The most famous rib spot is the Rendezvous, in a basement down an alley across from the Peabody, which has been serving charcoal-broiled dry ribs since 1948. Opinions differ about whether it is still the best, but it is an institution.

Then head to Beale Street. Three blocks are closed to traffic at night and lined with neon signs, blues clubs, bars and street performers. On weekends, there may be a small cover charge to enter the street itself, and security has tightened in recent years. Music starts in the late afternoon and goes past midnight. B.B. King’s Blues Club is the best-known club, but walk the length of the street and listen at the doors before choosing. You can carry drinks on Beale Street in plastic cups. It can get rowdy late on weekend nights, so leave by midnight and stick to busy streets on your walk back.

Saturday morning: the National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was shot on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony outside Room 306. The motel’s facade, the two cars parked below the balcony and the room itself have been preserved as they were. Inside, the museum traces the struggle for civil rights in America from slavery through the Montgomery bus boycott, the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington and the Memphis sanitation strike that brought King to the city. You can step aboard a replica of a Montgomery bus, where a statue of Rosa Parks sits near the front, and hear recordings of King’s final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” given the night before he died.

Across the street, the museum continues in the former boarding house from which the shooter fired, with exhibits about the investigation and the legacy of the movement. The visit is powerful and emotional. Allow at least three hours, buy tickets online in advance and arrive at opening on weekends. The museum is generally closed on Tuesdays, so check the hours.

Nearby, the South Main Arts District has galleries, coffee shops and restaurants in old warehouses, and a vintage trolley line runs along Main Street.

Saturday afternoon: Sun Studio and Stax

Sun Studio, on Union Avenue just east of downtown, is small enough to fit in a house. In 1951, Ike Turner and his band recorded “Rocket 88” here, often called one of the first rock ’n’ roll records. Sam Phillips opened Sun Records and recorded B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and, in July 1954, a 19-year-old Elvis Presley singing “That’s All Right.” The guided tour lasts about an hour, ends in the original recording room, and lets you hold a microphone Elvis used. Musicians still record here at night. Tours run on the hour and sell out on busy days.

Then take a rideshare south to Soulsville and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, on the site of the old Stax Records studio, a converted movie theater. Stax produced Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, the Staple Singers, Booker T. & the M.G.’s and Isaac Hayes, whose gold-trimmed Cadillac is on display, along with a dance floor where you can try out moves from the old TV show Soul Train. Stax was unusual for its time: a racially integrated record label in a segregated city. Allow about two hours.

If you have more time, the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum near Beale Street tells the larger story of how Black and white musicians from the rural South shaped popular music, and the Blues Hall of Fame is across from the Civil Rights Museum.

Saturday evening: barbecue and the river

Have dinner at one of the city’s barbecue spots outside downtown, where many locals eat. Order a pulled pork sandwich with slaw on top, a slab of ribs wet (with sauce) or dry, and try a Memphis curiosity: barbecue spaghetti, noodles tossed with barbecue sauce and smoked pork. Barbecue nachos are another local favorite. Our guide to barbecue styles across America explains how Memphis compares with Texas, Kansas City and the Carolinas.

After dinner, walk across the Big River Crossing, a pedestrian and bike path on the Harahan Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River into Arkansas. It is about a mile each way. The bridge lights up with a colorful light show at night, and the views of the river and the city skyline are wonderful. The redesigned Tom Lee Park on the riverfront downtown is a good place to watch the sunset over the river.

For a final drink with a view, the elevators inside the giant Pyramid, a former arena now home to a huge outdoor store, rise to an observation deck and restaurant at the top.

Sunday morning: Graceland

Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home from 1957 until his death in 1977, is about 15 minutes south of downtown. It is the second most visited private home in America after the White House, according to its operators. The mansion tour takes you through the living room, the yellow and navy TV room with three televisions, the pool room with its fabric-covered walls, and the famous Jungle Room, with green shag carpet on the ceiling. Elvis and his parents are buried in the Meditation Garden behind the house.

Across the street, a large entertainment complex holds Elvis’s cars, costumes, gold records and his two private jets. Ticket packages range from a basic mansion tour, roughly $80 and up in recent years, to VIP experiences costing much more. Book online in advance, especially on weekends and in August. Allow at least three to four hours for the mansion and main exhibits.

During Elvis Week in mid-August, around the anniversary of his death on August 16, thousands of fans gather for a candlelight vigil. It is an extraordinary scene, but hotels fill and prices rise.

Sunday afternoon: Overton Park and Midtown

If you have a few hours before leaving, visit Overton Park in Midtown, an old-growth forest park with the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Levitt Shell, an outdoor bandshell where Elvis played what is often called his first paid concert in 1954. The Shell now hosts free concerts in spring, summer and fall. Nearby, the Cooper-Young neighborhood has independent restaurants, bars and record stores, and the Crosstown Concourse, a huge former Sears distribution center turned into a vertical village of apartments, shops and restaurants, is worth a look. Broad Avenue’s arts district has galleries and a Saturday-night scene.

What it costs

A couple can expect to spend about $800 to $1,300 for a mid-range weekend, including a downtown hotel, the four major museums and good meals, not including travel. Prices change, so check current rates when you book.

Where to stay

For a first visit, stay downtown, ideally between Beale Street and the Peabody or in the South Main area near the Civil Rights Museum. You’ll be able to walk to the river, Beale Street and many restaurants. The Peabody is the classic splurge. Chain hotels near the convention center and FedExForum are often cheaper. Hotels near Graceland are budget-friendly but far from everything else, so you’d need a car or rideshare for most meals and sights. Midtown has some guesthouses and is good for return visitors. Compare total costs, including parking, which can add $20 to $40 a night downtown. Our cheap hotels guide has more tips.

When to go

April, May, September and October have the best weather. May is the busiest month because of the Memphis in May festival, which includes a world-famous barbecue cooking contest on the riverfront. June through August is hot and humid, with highs often in the 90s, so plan indoor museum visits for the afternoon. Winter is mild but gray, with fewer crowds, and occasional ice storms can shut down the city.

Getting there and around

Memphis International Airport is about 20 minutes from downtown by car. Memphis is also a natural stop on a longer Southern road trip; Nashville is about three hours east on I-40, and New Orleans is about six hours south. Our Nashville weekend guide and New Orleans itinerary make good pairings for a music-focused trip.

Downtown is walkable, and vintage trolleys run along Main Street. For Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax and Midtown, you’ll need a car, rideshare or a tour shuttle. Graceland has offered a free shuttle from Sun Studio at times; check whether it is running.

Safety tips

Memphis has a high crime rate compared with many US cities, and car break-ins are common. Keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, use hotel or attended parking, take rideshares at night rather than walking long distances, and stay in busy areas like Beale Street, the Peabody area and South Main after dark. Daytime visits to the main museums and Midtown are generally fine with normal city awareness.

Common mistakes

Not booking Graceland or the Civil Rights Museum ahead. Weekend time slots sell out.

Planning both Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum for one day. Each deserves a full morning or afternoon.

Only eating on Beale Street. The best barbecue in Memphis is spread across the city.

Skipping Stax. Many visitors focus on Elvis and miss the soul music story, which is just as important.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your weekend

1. Book a downtown hotel, especially if your dates fall during Memphis in May or Elvis Week.
2. Reserve timed tickets for the Civil Rights Museum and Graceland.
3. Check Sun Studio tour times and plan Stax for the same afternoon.
4. Arrive Friday in time for the 5 p.m. duck march at the Peabody.
5. Leave room in your schedule, and your stomach, for barbecue.