Memphis
Memphis sits on the Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi. For a family the useful map is short: the zoo in the morning, the Civil Rights Museum when the children are old enough, Graceland if someone in the car already cares, and barbecue that does not require a downtown night.
Things that are always there
2000 Prentiss Place, Memphis, TN 38112
The family's best first stop. Overton Park is around it.
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3734 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116
Mansion, cars, and airplanes. Allow half a day.
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450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103
At the Lorraine Motel. Stronger for older children and teens. Timed tickets.
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1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105
An aquarium and a lookout inside the old arena. Odd, and children like it.
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926 E McLemore Ave, Memphis, TN 38106
A small museum in the old studio. An hour is enough.
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Hotels
3600 Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, TN 38116
On the Graceland campus. Easiest base if the mansion is the reason for the trip.
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149 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103
The duck march at 11 and 5 is the free show. Downtown, walkable to Beale in daylight.
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545 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
A converted train station in the South Main arts district. Calmer than Beale after dark.
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Restaurants
2249 Central Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Plates, not a late-night scene. The original shop is a short hop from the zoo.
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540 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103
Open since 1919. Breakfast and plate lunches, booths, no fuss.
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310 S Front St, Memphis, TN 38103
Spicy fried chicken, small room. Go at lunch.
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Events on the calendar
World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
The barbecue contest at the center of Memphis in May, on the new riverfront.
West TennesseeElvis Week
Concerts, movies, and the candlelight vigil at Graceland around August 16.
West TennesseeReelfoot Lake Eagle Watch
Bald eagles on a drowned forest lake, in the northwest corner of the state.