3 Epic Days In Memphis For Music, History & Food Lovers
Three days in Memphis is enough to hit the city’s soul if you’re intentional about it. This three-day Memphis itinerary is built around the music that started here, the civil rights history that changed the country, and yes, some incredible food along the way.
I went to Memphis thinking I knew the story: home of the blues, birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, Elvis, barbecue. What I didn’t expect was to leave with a deeper understanding of how much of American music Black Americans built from the ground up, and how that creativity lived right alongside one of the hardest chapters of our history.
Disclaimer: This trip was in partnership with Memphis Tourism and the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) on a hosted FAM trip, however all views are my own. Partnerships like this are what let me keep sharing real, on-the-ground guides to help you plan a better trip!
Before You Go: Memphis Travel Tips
Where to stay in Memphis: Downtown, in or near the South Main Arts District. It puts you within walking distance of great food and gives you that historic Memphis texture. I loved staying at the Arrive Memphis. It’s a boutique hotel on South Main, super centrally located, and it’s right across from the National Civil Rights Museum, which made our last morning effortless. Rooms are modern and full of natural light; there’s an in-house bakery and a lobby bar, and the ability to walk to dinner made the whole trip easier.
*Read: Arrive Memphis Hotel Review
Getting around Memphis: You’ll want a car or rideshare for Graceland, Sun Studio, and Stax, since they’re spread across the city. Downtown itself is walkable.
How long do you need in Memphis: Three days cover the essentials at a comfortable pace. If you can add a fourth, you’ll have room to slow down and go deeper at the museums (and trust me, the Civil Rights Museum deserves time).
Day 1: Arrive in Memphis + Dinner in South Main
Check in to ARRIVE Memphis and walk South Main
Get into the city, drop your bags, and let yourself wander South Main. This is the arts district, full of galleries, local shops, and that easy downtown energy. After traveling, I like a low-key first afternoon to get my bearings before the bigger days ahead.
Dinner at Bao Toan Kitchen & Bar
For your first dinner, Bao Toan Kitchen & Bar is a delicious introduction to how good Memphis food is beyond barbecue. It’s Vietnamese, and every bite was excellent. It’s the kind of unexpected first-night meal that reminds you a city’s food scene is always deeper than its reputation. A great, flavorful start to the trip.
Day 2: Elvis + Sun Studio + Stax = Memphis Music History
Day two is all about Memphis music history. This is the day when you’ll start to understand how many different genres, artists, and cultural movements collided in this city.
Breakfast at Sunrise Memphis
Start your morning at Sunrise Memphis, a popular breakfast spot known for biscuits, breakfast sandwiches, and Southern breakfast plates. If you don’t eat pork, they’ve got turkey sausage and turkey bacon too, which I appreciated. It’s a solid, unfussy breakfast to fuel a full day on your feet
Visit Graceland
I’ll be honest with you here. As a Black traveler, the Elvis part of Memphis wasn’t what I came for. Graceland is iconic, and many people consider it a bucket-list stop, so I’m including it because it’s a real part of the city’s appeal. Graceland was Elvis Presley’s private home, and today the estate includes the mansion as well as exhibits dedicated to his career, costumes, cars, planes, and legacy. It’s a look into celebrity, fame, and American pop culture on a massive scale. One heads-up if you do go: you can’t take videos inside.
But what kept running through my mind the whole time was that the sound that made Elvis famous came from Black musicians who created it first. If you’re a real Elvis fan, go. If you’re not, honestly, skip it. The more meaningful story, to me, was waiting at the next stop.
Lunch at Hard Times Deli
Hard Times Deli is right across from Sun Studio, so it’s an easy stop to fit in. I got the chopped cheese sandwich and it hit. A lot of the girls got the buffalo chicken caesar sandwich and loved it, though one tip: ask for light sauce unless you like things really saucy. A great, no-fuss lunch to power through the afternoon’s museums.
Tour Sun Studio
Sun Studio is small, and that’s the magic of it. This is where Sam Phillips recorded Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Ike Turner, and so many others. Standing in that room, what struck me most was learning how the first rock ‘n’ roll records came out of this tiny space, built on the sound of Black musicians. The tour is short and focuses more on Elvis and Johnny Cash, but the exhibit showcases a lot of the Black musicians’ contributions, which I appreciated.
Explore the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
If there is one music museum I think you should prioritize in Memphis, it’s the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Located on the original site of Stax Records in South Memphis, the museum tells the story of the label behind artists like Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, and so many more. I didn’t realize how many artists I already loved came out of this one studio on McLemore Avenue. Soulsville, U.S.A.
From 1959 to 1974, a brother-and-sister duo turned an old movie theater into a recording studio that produced a sound the whole world would come to know. Inside the museum, you’ll find exhibits, memorabilia, performance footage, records, costumes, and Isaac Hayes’ unforgettable gold-plated Cadillac. But the part that stayed with me was the bigger story: how this small studio in South Memphis helped create a sound that traveled around the world. By the time I left, the thing I kept thinking was that we Black people created every one of these genres first. Stax made that undeniable.
For music lovers, Stax is a must. For anyone interested in Black history, it’s essential. Stax closes at 5pm, so please plan accordingly!
Dinner at The Lobbyist
End the day at The Lobbyist, a Michelin-recognized restaurant back downtown. This was hands down the best meal we had the entire trip! The menu changes with what’s in season and leans on local farmers and meats, and every single thing we ordered was incredible. The whole menu delivered. If you do one splurge dinner in Memphis, make it this one.
Afterward, walk over to Beale Street. It’s the most famous street in the city, lined with neon and live music spilling out of every doorway. It leans touristy, but it’s a Memphis rite of passage and the energy at night is undeniable. A fun, loud way to cap off your music day.
Day 3: Memphis’ Civil Rights History
Even if you only have two days, build in time for this before you leave. It’s the most important thing you’ll do in Memphis.
Breakfast at the hotel
Keep your last morning simple and eat at the hotel restaurant. Since ARRIVE Memphis is right across the street from the National Civil Rights Museum, it meant we could fuel up and walk straight over, no logistics, no rushing. A calm start before a heavy and meaningful morning.
Visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel
The National Civil Rights Museum is built at the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. I don’t have a clean way to describe what it’s like to stand in front of the exact balcony where it happened. Surreal is the closest word.
The museum traces the movement from slavery to the present, and the newly reopened Legacy Experience connects that history directly to the justice issues still being fought today. It’s powerful, and it’s a lot. Give yourself more time here than you think you need, and give yourself grace afterward. I wrote a whole separate guide on what to expect inside, because it deserves more than a paragraph.
Read next: How to Visit the National Civil Rights Museum and the new Legacy Experience
Before You Leave: Lunch at Central BBQ
You can’t leave Memphis without the barbecue. Central BBQ has been ranked among the city’s best for years. We got the chicken nachos, which were really good, and the banana pudding was chef’s kiss. There’s usually a line, but it moves fast and it’s worth the wait. The perfect last bite before you head out.
Things to Do in Memphis If You Have More Time
If you have more than three days in Memphis, here are a few additional stops to consider:
- Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum
- Blues Hall of Fame Museum
- Beale Street during the day and night
- Mississippi Riverfront
- The Peabody Hotel ducks
- Overton Park
- Shelby Farms Park
Is 3 Days Enough for Memphis?
Yes, three days in Memphis is enough for a first visit, especially if you focus your itinerary around Downtown, South Main, and the city’s major music and civil rights sites.
You won’t see everything, but you can absolutely get a strong introduction to the city. In three days, you can visit Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street, and several great restaurants without feeling like you’re running all over the place.
That said, Memphis is the kind of city that rewards deeper attention. The more you learn, the more you realize how much history is layered into the streets, studios, churches, museums, and restaurants.
A Quick Note on Memphis and Black History
What I didn’t expect from this trip was how clearly Memphis tells the story of Black creativity and Black struggle side by side. The same city that gave the world soul, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll is the city where the civil rights movement reached one of its most painful turning points. You feel both, sometimes within the same hour. That’s what makes Memphis hit different.
If you want to dig into that side of the city, I wrote a separate guide focused entirely on Memphis beyond Elvis: the Black musicians, the studios, and the history that built this place.
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