Memphis

On a street corner in Memphis, a young truck driver named Elvis Presley cut his first record in 1953 – and changed music history. A trip to Memphis takes you to the roots of blues, soul and rock 'n' roll, but also to one of the most important sites of the civil rights movement. For a city trip along the Mississippi, ideally combined with Nashville and New Orleans, the city is a must-stop.

Cotton, Blues and Civil Rights

In 1819, John Overton, James Winchester and future president Andrew Jackson founded the city on a bluff above the Mississippi and named it after the Egyptian capital on the Nile. Memphis became the world's largest cotton market, built on the enslaved labor of the plantations in the Mississippi Delta. African American musicians brought the blues from the Delta to the clubs of Beale Street, where W. C. Handy became the first to put it down in musical notation in the early 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, the studios of Sun Records and Stax made the city a center of rockabilly and soul. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where he had come to support striking sanitation workers.

Sights in Memphis

Graceland, Elvis Presley's estate in the south of the city, is the most-visited private home in the US after the White House. You can see the Jungle Room, his grave in the Meditation Garden, cars, planes and stage costumes. Sun Studio, where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B. B. King recorded, can be visited on short guided tours. In the evening, Beale Street with its neon signs is the stage for blues bands. At the Peabody Hotel, ducks have marched to the fountain in the lobby and back every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. since the 1930s. The Big River Crossing, a pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi, and the Pyramid on the riverfront, now a large outdoor store with an observation deck, are other places worth a visit.

Museums and Culture

The National Civil Rights Museum, housed in the former Lorraine Motel, traces the history of the civil rights movement from slavery to the present day and is one of the most powerful museums in the US. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music stands where Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes recorded their hits. The Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Blues Hall of Fame tell the city's musical story. The Brooks Museum of Art and Dixon Gallery and Gardens offer fine art, while the Cooper-Young neighborhood, with its bars, cafés and shops, is the city's creative hub.

Eating in Memphis

Memphis is one of the barbecue capitals of America. Famous are the dry-rub ribs, seasoned only with a spice mix, and wet ribs with sauce, as well as pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and barbecue spaghetti, a local specialty. In May, the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest takes place on the riverfront. Restaurants in Memphis also serve spicy fried chicken, catfish from the Delta and soul food with collard greens and cornbread. In the evening, besides Beale Street, live music in juke joints and bars in the Midtown neighborhood is a draw.

On the Mississippi

The river still shapes Memphis today. On Mud Island, there is a park with a scale model of the lower Mississippi that you can walk along on foot. Paddlewheel steamers depart for sightseeing cruises, and Tom Lee Park on the riverbank has been redesigned and hosts major festivals. In the evening, the arches of the Hernando de Soto Bridge light up, and the light show on the Harahan Bridge makes a stroll along the riverbank a special experience.

Getting Around, When to Go and Day Trips

Memphis International Airport is about 15 minutes south of downtown and is the hub of the package carrier FedEx. Historic streetcars run along Main Street; otherwise you'll need buses, ride-hailing services or a rental car, especially for Graceland. As in many large cities, you should be alert at night in some neighborhoods. The best times to visit are spring and fall; in May the city celebrates "Memphis in May" with a music festival and barbecue competition, and Elvis Week takes place around the anniversary of Elvis's death in August. Day trips lead along Blues Highway 61 into the Mississippi Delta to Clarksdale, to Tupelo for Elvis's birthplace, or to Nashville.