Beale Street

Beale Street

Beale Street Memphis Pixabay Public Domain

This fantastic landmark Historic District in downtown Memphis saw its notorious heyday in the roaring 20s in a thriving boom of nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, stores, pawnshops, hot music and all manner of prosecutable vice.

Since then, energetic and resilient Beale Street has survived a hurricane of feast, famine, scourge and plague, renovation and renewal and growth and change to arrive where it is today: the TOP attraction in all of Tennessee, acclaimed entertainment venue, local hangout, and important Memphis cultural hotspot. Today, Beale’s bawdy, bluesy atmosphere is somewhat tempered by a strong, tourism-driven economy, though the area remains a virtual 2-mile beacon of cafes and restaurants, raucous clubs, live music, street performers, an array of kitschy novelty and eclectic specialty shops, music stores, houses of worship, theaters, pool halls, landmark museums and historic points of interest with a distinctly Southern-fried appeal steeped in a richly authentic Blues culture and feel.

Anything goes on Beale Street; come just as you are – loosen your collar, let down your hair, and kick it to the sights and sounds of this quintessentially Memphis neighborhood. Follow the walk of brass notes, stop in at A. Schwab’s famous dry goods store, check out Memphis Jams on Beale at Handy Park, come to town for the International Blues Challenge, or just hang out and revel in that “catfish on the table, gospel in the air” feel of this most iconic street in America! Oh yeah...don’t forget to order up some BBQ.