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Memphis is the largest city in the state of Tennessee. The state rests in the southeastern portion of the United States. Memphis, with a population totaling more than one million persons, is also the county seat for Shelby County. The city's claims to fame include "Graceland", the mansion Elvis Presley lived in during his later years. Maybe more importantly, Memphis is the considered by many to be the home of blues music.
Downtown Memphis has experienced quite a rebirth and renewal in the last few years. The center of the city is clean, full of new development, and a great place to spend a day. In the past few years, the city has emerged to boast one of the largest downtown populations among US cities. Citizens once again have a vested interest in making downtown safe, exciting, and a great place to visit and relax.
A word of caution: Memphis is extremely hot in the summertime, and the humidity of the expansive Mississippi River can make you feel even hotter! Those who have trouble tolerating high heat and humidity may wish to avoid July and August; April through early June are the best times to visit.
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SEE DO EAT
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 SEE
- Downtown Memphis. Buy a ticket and take the trolley to get a good overview of the area.
- Beale Street, [14]. "Home of the Blues". Dozens of bars and clubs, most of them featuring live music. At night the street is closed to vehicles and you can drink on the street, some bars have "drinks to go" windows where you can get a 32oz cup of beer for $5 and go bar-hopping, many bars have no cover charge. Peabody Place is largely a tourist trap of the same stores you see at any large mall.
- Mississippi River. River tours available most days through a variety of providers. Tom Lee Park [15] is a nice place to view the river.
- National Civil Rights Museum, 450 Mulberry St, [16]. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM (closes an hour later Jun-Aug). Built out of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fatally shot in 1968. Near the Amtrak station. $12 for adults; free Mondays after 3pm.
- Peabody Place Museum, [17]. This basement museum holds the collection of 19th Century Chinese art. Admission about $5.
- Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, [18]. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 12PM-5PM. Displays art jewelry, architectural pieces and sculpture. The grounds are full of permanent installations and the Museum boasts one of the best views overlooking the Mississippi. They also have a working smithy. Adult $5.
- Fire Museum of Memphis, 118 Adams Ave, [19]. M-Sa 9AM-5PM. An interactive museum designed to teach children and adults about fire safety. Also features a realistic room to show how much damage a dropped lit cigarette can do. Adult $6.
- Mud Island River Park, 125 North Front St, [20]. Apr 14 – May 26 10AM-5PM, May 27 – Sep 4 10AM-6PM, Sep 5 – Oct 31 10AM-5PM. The park is accessible by monorail, made famous by a chase scene in the movie "The Firm". The park contains a museum of the Mississippi River and a scale model of the river. Visitors are welcome to remove their shoes and wade through the replica mighty Mississippi. The "Gulf of Mexico" is a large pool in which visitors may rent paddleboats. At the tip of the park is an excellent vantage point of the city and the river. The northern end of the island is occupied by HarborTown, a model community. Entry to the park is free. Adult $8 (Mississippi River Museum, Roundtrip Monorail Ride, Guided River Walk Tour).
- Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, 191 Beale St (corner of Third St; on the plaza of FedExForum), [21]. Daily 10AM-7PM (last admission 6:15PM). A short video is shown at frequent intervals and then you are given a headset so that you can listen to commentary and numerous songs as you walk through the exhibits. Sponsored by the Smithsonian. Adult $10. The museum used to be housed in the Gibson guitar factory across the street, which puts visitors right on the factory floor. Famous musicians swing through periodically to pick up custom guitars or to play a set at the Gibson Lounge, in the west end of the building.
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DO
- Walk to the river and touch the Mississippi's water with your fingers.
- Check out some live blues on Beale Street
- The Memphis Redbirds [29] baseball team plays at AutoZone Park. They are the Triple-A affiliates of the St. Louis Cardinals.
- FedExForum, [30]. FedExForum is the largest public building construction project in Memphis history. Managed and operated by the Memphis Grizzlies, the facility is home to both the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the University of Memphis Tigers basketball team. FedExForum is located at 191 Beale Street and Third Street which traveling south becomes Highway 61, the historic Blues Highway.
- Memphis Grizzlies, [31]. Top-level pro basketball.
- Memphis in May Festival [32] including the Beale Street Music Festival
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EAT
Memphis is one of the cheapest places in the USA to live, and that includes going out to eat. You could literally eat out every night of the week and not exhaust the city's restaurant menu. There's lots of inexpensive, yet tasty, food all over Memphis. The local BBQ is well-known.
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