Best Sightseeing in Memphis

Dedicated runners don't let travel get in the way of their mileage - and runners visiting Memphis now have a way to see the sights and fit in a run. Rockin' Running Tours offers running, walking or walk / run tours of the city on weekends from 5 am. to 10 p.m., or during the week by appointment. The tours are $25 for a three-mile run ($5 for each additional mile), and include a t-shirt and a bottle of water and snack at the end of the run. Tours vary from a 3 - 6 mile downtown loop that includes a jog by of the National Civil Rights Museum, Cotton Row and Sun Studio; a Midtown Hipster loop covers the historic homes in Cooper Young and goes by the museum and zoo in Overton Park.

Graceland is the second most visited historic home in the United States, hosting more than 600,000 visitors who come to pay homage to the King. The mansion itself is really just a large family home, forever stuck in the design decade of the 70's. Guests are never allowed to roam upstairs to view the Presley family's private quarters. Elvis' grave site in the Meditation Garden is part of the mansion tour. The recorded tour information is quite informative and of course loaded with good Elvis songs; for hardcore fans of the King, the VIP Tour allows access to exclusive exhibits featuring infrequently seen artifacts, and includes priority access to the bus.

The lesser known of Memphis' major musical attractions, Stax is still one of the richest experiences in the city for music lovers. Home to what became known as the Memphis Sound, Stax is where Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, Booker T. and the M.G.'s, the Staple Singers and many others recorded hundreds of Top 100 hits in the 1960s and early '70s. Known as Soulsville USA, the excellent museum traces the history of soul music from its roots in the blues and gospel, and offers a fantastic history of American pop culture form the 70's – including Isaac Hayes' tripped-out Cadillac and a hall of gold records which astounds with its depth of talent and hits. Keep an eye out for multiple Grammy winner Kirk Whalum; the soulful sax man, a Memphis native, is now the director of the Stax Foundation and frequently on premises.

Once the center of black-owned businesses and nightclubs, Beale became the home of the blues at the turn of the 20th century - a waypoint along the trail from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago. W.C. Handy lived - and performed - here, and anyone who was anyone on the blues scene has performed in the clubs here, from Blind Mississippi Morris to B.B. King to Robert Johnson. Today, the clubs and restaurants on Beale proper still move to the beat of the blues. The FedEx Forum - home to the NBA's Grizzlies - sits just off Beale, and a variety of hotels, museums and eateries are within a short walk from the famous street. Blues fans can pay homage to W.C. Handy at the home and museum at the east end of the street, or visit the Center for Southern Folklore to explore storytelling and folk art in the South. Also nearby is the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and Gibson Guitar Factory. In Handy Park, a small stage is home to lunchtime and weekend concerts including some unscheduled jam sessions. For the best blues music, try B.B. King's, Rum Boogie or Alfred's.

A magical musical tour awaits for those who jump on the brightly decorated Backbeat bus; whether it's Memphis music in general, Elvis in particular, or a haunted trek around the city, each lively tour is accompanied by music, jokes and plenty of fun. But who knew that Memphis was once known as the 'wettest dry town in America?' Stories from Memphis' colorful Prohibition days highlight the Cocktail Tour, our particular favorite. (Sorry, kids, you have to be 21 to ride the bus during the cocktail tour!) Some tours include music and comedy, and the Memphis Discovery Tour is our favorite, combining food, attractions and shopping.

Mud Island is reached by an aerial tram (you may remember it from the Tom Cruise movie, The Firm) and features a to-scale model of the Mississippit River that one can walk along, noting the changing conditions of the river. The Mississippi River Museum explores the 10,000-year history of the Mississippi, noting how it developed and what the areas around it have drawn from the river. The Belle of the Bluffs, the reconstructed front half of an 1870s steamboat, complete with cotton bales stacked on the lower deck and water lapping at the hull. The Memphis Blues exhibit highlights the music of the Delta blues, New Orleans jazz, early rock 'n roll, and Elvis. Mud Island's pay-one-price package includes entry to the museum, a round-trip monorail ride, and a guided tour of the five-block scale model of the Mississippi.

It was the most anticipated opening of a store in Memphis, ever. The $190-million plus Bass Pro Shop at the Pyramid - former home to the NBA's Grizzlies - opened in late April welcoming 35,000 customers its first DAY. The massive retail space combines a giant-sized version of a Bass Pro shop with a a giant cypress wamp filled with fish and alligators, a 13-lane bowling alley, a 28-story freestanding glass elevator, a 120-room hotel that resembles a swanky lodge, an observation deck at the tip of the Pyramid (visit for a fee), and all manner of boats, ATVs, and more to explore.Oh, and a gun range, an archery range, a shooting gallery, and a hotel spa. So, let's just call it Disney for outdoorsy types. Or anyone who wants to marvel at the marriage of a pyramid and a hunting lodge. Weirdly, it just works.