Day 1 You'll See:
Day 2 You’ll See:
- National Civil Rights Museum
- Beale Street
- City Tour
- Slave Haven Underground Railroad
- Wolfchase Galleria
Day 3 You’ll See:
Day 4 You’ll See:
- St. Jude Pavilion and Hospital Tour
- Mud Island River Park
- The Cotton Museum
1
Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum - This museum explores the lives of musical pioneers who overcame racial and socioeconomic barriers to create world-shaking music. It features a comprehensive Memphis music experience from the rural field hollers and sharecroppers of the 30s to the Sun, Star, and Hi Record company's heyday in the 1970s. Inside your group will explore the impact that recording studio had worldwide, as well as have the chance to take a digital audio tour at your own pace of all the exhibits.
Sun Studio Museum -Rock pioneer Sam Phillips began this historic birthplace of rock and roll in 1950 with the technical first rock and roll single in history, Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston. BB King followed soon, then came the million-dollar quartet of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lewis, and Carl Perkins. A guided tour of Sun Studio will allow your group to hear about session outtakes of the best musicians, touch Elvis’ first microphone, plus hear the story of the famous quartet and studio launch. You can even stop by the cafe for a handmade milkshake or head to the gift shop for some essential records, books, or posters of your own rock and roll icon.
Graceland tour - This 13.8 acre Colonial Revival Style mansion features majestic white columns, as well as 20 years of memories of Elvis and his closest friends and family. Each member of your group will receive an iPad, loaded with an interactive tour narrated by John Stamos. You will see video footage on your personal iPad based upon where you are standing in the house, as well as rock and roll trivia and photos. Explore all of the on-site structures to get the full Elvis experience, seeing his gold and platinum record collection, glittering jumpsuits, and film and music memorabilia at the Graceland Plaza and Graceland Crossing.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music -Your last stop of the day will take you to the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of American Soul Music, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. This museum is located at the original site of the historic Stax Records Studio and serves to pay tribute to the recording artists from Stax history, as well as American soul legends. Through their amazing collection of over 2,000 artifacts, interactive exhibits, films, and galleries the Stax Museum will astound your group and teach them all they need to know about the groovy beginnings of American Soul.
2
National Civil Rights Museum - This museum aims to explore how the era of civil rights still shapes equality and freedom worldwide today, and of course to share the culture and lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement. The building itself is located in the former Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s untimely assassination in 1968. Featured on the History Channel, CNN, USA Today, and the award-winning documentary The Witness, the National Civil Rights Museum is among the top 5% of accredited institutions in America. Inside your group can learn more about the difficult and rewarding period of change through interactive exhibits, historic collections, dynamic speakers, and special events.
Beale Street - Stretching from the Mississippi River to East Street, Beale Street is a top Tennessee attraction that is best known as the home of the blues that was officially established as a merchant paradise in 1841. Beale Street saw its heyday in the roaring ’20s when this carnival-like atmosphere featured the best and the worst of Memphis. On an average day on Beale Street, you could see booming nightclubs, theaters, restaurants, stores, pawnshops, and hot music, as well as gambling, drinking, prostitution, murder, and voodoo. Today a stroll down the street will show you the best blues clubs and restaurants, as well as many frequent festivals and outdoor concerts.
City Tour - Backbeat Tours in downtown Memphis is located on Beale Street, conveniently, and was created in order to give a unique, fresh, and interactive twist on local history and pop culture in Memphis. These tours are hosted by actual seasoned Memphis artists, so sit back and let Papa Don Mcminn take you around Memphis as he tells you about the music industry from the ’40s to today, as well as important city knowledge he has gained by living here.
Slave Haven - Nestled among classic Tennessee woodland and the scenic Mississippi River Bank, this unsuspecting and modest white clapboard home was built in 1849 by German immigrant and prominent town member Jacob Burkle. A visit to this home will take you down to the dark cellar filled with hopeful trap doors and hidden passages. The upstairs is furnished with 19th-century artifacts, reflecting daily life in the South during Slavery. Your group will learn the history of the Underground Railroad and about the possible role this house and Mr. Burkle played in the network.
Wolfchase Galleria - This premier indoor shopping mall has 2 floors of over 120 of the most exciting stories in the Mid-South. Your group will spend the evening exploring stores from Abercrombie and Fitch to Zales, and everything in between such as mall favorites Dillard's, Macy’s, Sears, Fossil, Teavana, and Sephora. Hit the Food Court, see a new release at the Malco Theatre, or take a spin on the Fantasy Carousel. After all that shopping and exploring, sit at the Cheesecake Factory or Starbucks for a well-deserved nightcap!
3
Brooks Museum - Begin your day with a trip to one of the largest art museums in the American South, the Brooks Museum of Art. Inside Brooks, your group will learn more about the visual arts through diverse traveling and in-house exhibitions. Explore the vibrant cultural complex that holds 29 impressive galleries, 2 full art classrooms, a research library, a print study room, and an auditorium with state of the art audiovisual equipment. After spending your morning exploring all the art you can, head over to the award-winning onsite restaurant for a delicious lunch!
Memphis Zoo - Named America’s #1 zoo, this park features 70 acres, over 3500 animals, from over 500 different species. Located in Overton Park, Memphis zoo features many one-of-a-kind exhibits, such as the Americana themed Once Upon a Farm or the exotic and very popular CHINA exhibit. CHINA one of among only 4 exhibits in the nation that feature giant pandas, this specific 3-acre habitat being the home of Ya Ya and Le Le.
Ghost Tour - Backbeat tours will entertain you on your trip once again, with it’s most popular after-dark entertainment, the Haunted Heritage Memphis Ghost Tour. This tour shows guests the darker side of historical Memphis. Professional storytellers will lead you from Beale Street to the most haunted sites throughout Memphis, giving you the history of the famed vice, voodoo, phantoms, ghosts, and lost souls. The tour lasts 2 hours and is mostly outdoors, so be sure to wear your walking shoes and maybe bring a jacket (though you will undoubtedly still get the chills).
4
St. Jude Pavilion and Hospital Tour - Here in Memphis, you will have the unique opportunity to tour the famous St. Jude Pavilion and Hospital. Danny Thomas, the late entertainer and founder of St. Jude, has a pavilion on this location dedicated to him, his work, and his legacy in the hospital. The pavilion is architecturally unique, featuring a star-like shape with 5 alcoves surrounding a rotunda. This design is a modernistic representation of the world, and this paired with the Terrazzo Flooring and marble-sheathed columns make this building worth the trip in itself. View the vibrant blues, greens, magentas, and purples of Mediterranean colors on the Cupola and arched panels featuring Arabic inscribing as you take in a few history lessons!
Mud Island River Park - This 40,000 square foot recreational and educational facility showcases the Mighty Mississippi through its scenic views, epic riverwalk model, and on-site museum. The 5-block riverwalk model features an exact replica of the lower Mississippi from its confluence at the Ohio River in Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico, including all cities, bridges, and drain basins along the way. You will see historic info markers along the way as you sneak in chances to dip your feet in (wear sandals!) or just head over to the 18 gallery museum to learn more! You can even board 2 full-sized paddle boat models within the museum! While here your group can also canoe, kayak, rent bikes, or rent a pedal boat!
Cotton Museum - This museum tells the dynamic story of the plant that built the bluff city, the ‘fabric of our lives that influenced the cultural fabric of the Mid South’. Created in 2006, this museum aims to preserve the history of that worldwide marketplace and to tell the epic story of the famed southern cash crop and the profound influence it had on Memphis, America, and culture in general. Over 100,000 guests from across the country have come to view the sometimes profitable, often tragic complexity of the cotton industry.