Memphis is the birthplace of the blues and Beale Street is its cradle. Blues musicians who got their starts here include B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters. Other famous musicians associated with Memphis are Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Otis Redding, and Al Green. There are many places to hear live music on this street open day and night. You can also find authentic Southern food in the street's many restaurants.
Memphis is one of the big 4 BBQ styles (the others are Carolina, Kansas City, and Texas). It is unique in its use of dry rub. Rendezvous is the most notable BBQ restaurant in Memphis.
Come see where the King lived. This is the second most visited home in America after the White House. We recommend the Mansion Tour and the Automobile Museum.
This museum chronicles the breadth of events in the civil rights struggle - court cases, sit ins, protests, and marches.
Al Green retreated from popular music and dedicated himself to pastoring in the late 1970s. In 1976, he founded Full Gospel Tabernacle Church which he continues to lead today. The church welcomes tourists who often visit. Services start at 11:30 am. Click here to hear a preview of Al Green leading the Full Gospel choir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXAdrhVL9-Y
Tigers, lions, polar bears, giraffes, hippos, and of course grizzlies coexist in a 76 area plot of central Memphis. Fun fact: Memphis is one of four zoos in the US to house pandas!
The enormous glass pyramid has been the home of the Grizzlies, a concert venue, the scene of the 1992 Lewis-Tyson prize fight, and a Pentecostal church. It is now a Bass Pro Shop with live animals in habitats, a bowling alley, archery range, and an observation deck / restaurant with unobstructed views of the Mississippi River.