Welcome to Memphis Travel! Scroll to begin exploring your official source for Memphis vacation inspiration and planning.
Welcome to Memphis Travel! Scroll to begin exploring your official source for Memphis vacation inspiration and planning.
Start with our picks for the best experiences and activities of the season (as fall gives way to winter, that might be exciting shows and performing arts at venues around town or these festive holiday celebrations). Explore vacation possibilities by interest, whether you’re curious about our live music and nightlife scene, 60+ attractions, civil rights landmarks or world-famous barbecue.
Want curated recommendations for your Memphis, Tennessee, vacation? Take our quiz and receive customized itinerary ideas. Keep scrolling to see upcoming events in Memphis (from concerts to musicals at The Orpheum), plus hotel deals, dining recommendations and Memphis playlists to inspire your planning. You can also get a free Map & Tourist Guide or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
There's no hibernating in Memphis this winter! Not with events like the International Blues Challenge, Elvis' 90th Birthday bash, Memphis Grizzlies basketball and tons of festive holiday events and Black History Month celebrations.
Memphis music is authentic, diverse and influential. Music-lovers visit to pay tribute to legends with ties to the city, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin and Isaac Hayes. And they visit to experience the city that continues to inspire modern-day musicians, from Three 6 Mafia, Justin Timberlake and Julien Baker to Al Green.
For this reason, Memphis attractions and activities present one-of-a-kind musical experiences. Only in Memphis, you can listen to live blues on historic Beale Street, hold Elvis’ mic at Sun Studio (or tour the King of Rock 'n' Roll's home, Graceland Mansion) and see Isaac Hayes’ gold-plated Cadillac at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
What else would you expect from the city mentioned in more than 1,000 song lyrics and titles (more than any other in the world)?
Beyond the music, Memphis’ 60-plus attractions and activities are some of the top things to do in Tennessee, including the National Civil Rights Museum and seven stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, the world’s longest pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River, the red-carpet marching Peabody Ducks and the world’s ninth largest pyramid. The Memphis pyramid is home to a bucket-list Bass Pro Shops complete with an indoor swamp, underwater-themed bowling and a glass-bottom observation deck overlooking the Mississippi River.
Visitors also come to Memphis for the city’s reputation as a barbecue capital. With more than 100 restaurants dedicated to the craft, an annual barbecue cooking contest and unique specialties to try – from charcoal-smoked ribs to pulled pork-studded nachos – Memphis is a city that feeds the soul. Soul food and celebrated chefs contribute to that reputation.
p.s. If you’re wondering how Memphis got its name, this city that anchors southwest Tennessee, marked by bluffs that rise from the Mississippi River, is named after the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, which sat along the Nile River.
