A long weekend in Memphis serves up music, meaning, and memorable meals
Step into the delta to discover a vibrant mix of music, food, and history on the shores of the mighty Mississippi River. Passion and creativity collide in Memphis, Tennessee, capturing the senses, whether it’s blossom-dripping dogwoods, world-class barbecue, or soul-searing blues. Here’s the perfect itinerary for a long weekend in Bluff City.
Weekend Memphis Guide
Thursday
Wear your dancing shoes as you walk this iconic street, known as the Home of the Blues. Explore three blocks of heart-pounding nightclubs, restaurants, and shops. Blues Hall stands out as a true juke joint, with worn wood floors, family photos from blues legend W.C. Handy, and friendly performers. Locals recommend hitting Beale Street on Thursday nights or Sunday afternoons.
Friday
Nostalgia is served with a modern menu at this 1950s beauty parlor in the Cooper-Young Entertainment District. Glass-brick booths, Belvedere hair dryers, and funky seating will start your day with a smile. Explore nearby shops and galleries afterward. 966 S. Cooper St.
Jump on the Love & Happiness bus to explore true crime, art, ghosts, and Elvis haunts. The Hound Dog tour includes Elvis’ first apartment in public housing, his high school, Sun Studios, and the amphitheater where he performed as a teen in what’s billed as the first rock ‘n’ roll concert in the US. Ask about the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, a must-see for music fans, showcasing the convergence of gospel, blues, and rock. 197 Beale St.
Head to Martyrs Park to walk or pedal across the historic Harahan Bridge. E-bikes are available to rent in a rack near the skybridge walkway. Almost one mile in length, Big River Crossing is the longest public pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River, connecting Memphis to Arkansas. Picnic tables and 1,500 acres await on the other side in Ducks Unlimited Park. 3 Channel Dr.
Known for the holy grail of local barbecue, the Vergos family has been serving their Memphis-style dry-rubbed ribs for more than 75 years. Same recipe, same technique, same magical basement through a downtown alley across from the Peabody Hotel. 52 S. Second St.
Saturday in Memphis
Start your day at Memphis’ oldest restaurant. Back in 1919, food was cooked on potbelly stoves. Several decades later, Elvis would have his own booth, near a back door, to escape screaming girls. Grab breakfast and visit nearby shops or jump on the trolley out front of this historical landmark to traverse downtown. 540 S. Main St.
Keep the Elvis theme going with a trip outside town to Graceland. Plan on spending at least several hours to adequately explore the mansion, 120-acre grounds, and the Lisa Marie, one of Elvis’ airplanes. An interactive iPad tour delivers video of Elvis in the spot where you stand in each room, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from family and friends. 3717 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Return to Midtown, and the heart of the Theater District, for an evening of local food and live music. Get your Cajun on at Bayou Bar & Grill with jambalaya, muffalettas, and red beans and rice. Lafayette’s Music Room delivers Southern cooking and smooth jazz on a silver platter. 2101 Madison Ave.,
Sunday
No trip to Memphis is complete without viewing the March of the Ducks at the “South’s Grand Hotel.” Each day, at 11am, the Duckmaster leads five resident mallards through the lobby to an ornate fountain beside the bar, where they’ll splash around for hours. Grab a mimosa, and once they ducks are swimming, wander up to the roof to spy their penthouse and an open view of the river. 149 Union Ave.
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
A ticket will gain you entrance to the museum, with its 260 artifacts, 40 films, and oral histories that will take the better part of an afternoon to review. No ticket is required to walk the property and exhibits outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, where time has stood still since the day Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. Poignant. Significant. Moving. 450 Mulberry St.
Walk across the Lorraine’s parking lot to Central BBQ. Locals have ranked this the No. 1 spot for barbecue in Memphis since it opened in 2002. Tender meat is doused with a zesty dry-rub and cooked over hickory and pecan woods. 147 E. Butler Ave., eatcbq.com
