5 Things You Must Do in Memphis

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All roads in Memphis lead to Graceland. Thousands of Elvis Presley fans make the trip to Memphis to tour the mansion of The King. At Memphis you can shop for loads of Elvis memorabilia to take back home. However, Memphis is not just about the King’s memorabilia. There is a lot more you can do when you visit Memphis as a tourist. Here are the top 5 things you must do while you’re there.

1. Visit Graceland-  The former home of Rock 'n' Roll legend Elvis Presley, is one of the most visited houses in the United States (second only to the White House), attracting over 600,000 domestic and international visitors a year. Featured at Graceland are two of Presley's private airplanes, his extensive automobile and motorcycle collection and other Elvis memorabilia.

2. The Memphis Zoo-  Right within the city of Memphis, you’ll find the Memphis Zoo, which features many exhibits of mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians from all over the world. The most popular exhibits are the Cat House, which is the fifth oldest in the United States, and the zoo's panda exhibit, which is one of only a handful in North America.

3. Go to Victorian Village-  A few wealthy Memphians built grand, Victorian-style homes in what was then the outskirts of the city. Today it is called Victorian Village , it is  an area of Memphis located in the eastern quadrant of downtown Memphis. Most houses were constructed during Memphis' early period of growth in the mid 1800s,

4. Visit Beale Street-  Beale Street is the heart of this “City of Music” – since this is where  young B.B. King used to play his guitar. Street performers play live music, and bars and clubs feature live entertainment around the clock. Today, Beale Street, is the most visited tourist attraction in the state of Tennessee, and considered to be the busiest street in the southern United States, behind only Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

5. Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium-  Here you’ll find  America's third largest planetarium as well as an  IMAX Theatre. The Pink Palace also contains a variety of exhibits relating to Memphis history. One exhibit features a replica of the original Piggly Wiggly store, the first self-service grocery store, commemorating the invention of the supermarket by Memphian Clarence Saunders in 1916.