Known for being the home of Elvis Presley, Memphis, Tennessee offers many great attractions all served up with warm Southern hospitality. If you are planning to travel to Memphis but have a limited schedule, don’t miss out on the following five most popular things to see in the city.
1. Graceland
Hands down, the most popular attraction in Memphis is Graceland, the former mansion of Elvis Presley. Now a museum, you will find Graceland located at Elvis Presley Boulevard. A tour of Graceland will lead you through various rooms of the beautiful mansion that include the Jungle Room, which is famous for its shag carpet, exotic plants and animal style furnishings. Outside the museum, you can check out some of Elvis Presley’s planes and cars such as his famous pink Cadillac. You can also visit the graves of Elvis and his family members at the Meditation Garden.
2. Pink Palace Museum
The Pink Palace Museum is definitely worth a visit. Through a host of fascinating exhibits, an IMAX theater and a planetarium, this huge museum located downtown highlights both the natural and cultural history of Memphis as well as the South. You can see things like fossils from prehistoric times in Memphis, Native American pottery and objects from the Civil War such as medical supplies and uniforms. The grand feature of the museum is an exhibit of America’s first grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, where you can walk through and see what it was like to shop in years ago.
3. Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo is regarded as one of the most popular zoos in the USA. Housing more than 3,500 different animals, you can see up to 500 different species which include elephants, giant pandas, monkeys, bears, giraffes, bears and many more. You can experience different ecosystems such as a the Northwest Passage and tropical rainforest and the animals, plants and birds that are native to each habitat. Additionally, you can walk through the huge aquarium to see see more than 156 species of fresh and salt water fish. If you get hungry, the zoo offers a restaurant and numerous concession stands dotted throughout its park.
4. National Civil Rights Museum
Located at the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 assassination in the former Lorraine Motel, the National Civil Rights Museum is an unforgettable experience. Here, you can learn all about the history of the civil rights movement through various artifacts, photos, films and documents all set up chronologically. The most moving part of the tour is watching a film that documents the events that led up to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
5. Beale Street
A visit to Memphis would not be complete without a stroll down Beale Street. This famous Memphis street captures the culture of the city. Here, you will see colorful neon signs and bright lights and hear live music drifting out from bars and clubs. You might even see street performers like tumbling acrobats. You will also discover many restaurants along the street where you can stop in to sample some authentic soul food or barbecue. There are also plenty of shops where you can buy Memphis and Elvis souvenirs to take back home.
