ESPN

A city that popularized both the blues and rock 'n' roll, Memphis is a must-visit destination for any true fan of American music and its history. Electric blues legends like B.B. King and Muddy Waters honed their skills in the clubs of Beale Street, and a young Elvis Presley cut his earliest recordings at Sun Studio. Elvis's estate, Graceland, is in Memphis as well, drawing more visitors each year than any home in the country aside from the White House. When it comes to food, barbecue aficionados know there's no better place than Memphis to get pulled pork or a rack of ribs, particularly each May when the city hosts the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

Memphis is huge in terms of area, and while exploring the city is best accomplished by car, trolleys and buses are available as public transportation options. The Main Street Trolley is an easy, inexpensive way to travel within the downtown area. One-way fares are $1 and the trolley cars hit many of the major attractions. Riders can also purchase a two-ride pass for $1.50 or a day pass for $3.50. For longer trips, the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) also operates bus service throughout the city for $1.40 one-way.

Memphis International Airport is located 12 miles south of the city, with MATA running hourly service into downtown via bus route 32. A cab ride from the airport will cost about $21.

Watch Some Hoops At FedEx Forum
The University of Memphis has a rich college basketball history, including Final Four appearances in 1973 and 1985, and John Calipari has revitalized the program, leading it to the Elite Eight in 2006. The Tigers share FedEx with the NBA's Grizzlies, who moved to town from Vancouver in 2001, and the team has risen from perennial cellar-dweller to playoff regular in the years since.

Sit At The Intersection Of Minor League And Luxury
Located right in downtown Memphis across from the famous Peabody Hotel, beautiful AutoZone Park has turned the St. Louis Cardinals triple-A club, the Redbirds, into a major draw. With a capacity of nearly 15,000, and hailed by many fans as big-league quality, AutoZone is the most expensive stadium ever built for a minor-league team and boasts the largest scoreboard in all of the minors.

See Good Tennis For A Good Cause
The only pro tennis tournament in the world to be held at a private club, the Regions Morgan Keegan and Cellular South Cup draws top talent to the Racquet Club of Memphis each February. Past winners include Andy Roddick, Venus Williams, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, and proceeds benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Witness The Event Where Even A U.S. President Can Succeed
Another event benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is held each spring on the links. The PGA Tour stops at the Tournament Players Club at Southwind for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, played in Memphis since 1958. Back in 1977, President Gerald Ford played in the pro-am tournament, stealing the show with a hole-in-one.

Get Your Motor Running At Motorsports Park
NASCAR's Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series head to the three-quarter mile tri-oval at Memphis Motorsports Park during race season, but the venue also features a drag strip for high-octane NHRA drag-racing events as well.

Graceland
3734 Elvis Presley Blvd.
Memphis, Tenn. 38116
No need for introduction. Elvis's over-the-top 14-acre estate is the second-most visited home in America, after the White House. By all means take the tour. You'll see his clothing, artifacts, photographs, gold and platinum records, his music room, living room, "jungle" room -- even his parents' bedroom. The tour concludes at his Meditation Garden, where Elvis and his family are buried.
http://www.elvis.com/

National Civil Rights Museum
450 Mulberry St.
Memphis, Tenn. 38103
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated April 4, 1968 at Memphis's Lorraine Motel. The motel is now a memorial to the civil rights movement. Here, African-Americans' struggle for equality is traced through evocative exhibits, from slavery to the present. You'll see a Montgomery, Ala., bus similar to the one Rosa Parks rode when she refused to move to the back of the vehicle, a re-creation of a segregated Greensboro, N.C., lunch counter, the burned shell of a Greyhound bus ridden by Freedom Riders. The most emotional exhibit is the Lorraine Motel room where King stayed on his fateful visit. It remains exactly as it was, that April day.
http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

Stax Museum of American Soul Music
926 E. McLemore Ave.
Memphis, Tenn. 38106
There was Detroit R&B, and then there was Memphis soul. Among the artists who recorded for the Stax label in the city nicknamed Soulsville USA were Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave and Isaac Hayes. Aretha Franklin and Al Green recorded in the city, as well. Visit the Stax museum and trace the history of soul. Dance on the original "Soul Train" dance floor. Tour Studio A, where Otis Redding recorded some of his greatest hits. This is hallowed ground for rhythm-and-blues fans. Also consider visiting the Smithsonian's Memphis Rock 'N' Soul Museum, adjacent to FedEx Forum.
http://www.soulsvilleusa.com/

Sun Studio
706 Union Ave.
Memphis, Tenn. 38103
No lie. This truly is the birthplace of rock 'n' roll. It is where Elvis was discovered. Where studio owner and engineer Sam Philips first recorded Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash. By day, the studio is open to daily tours (stand at the microphone where Elvis sang). By night, it is a working studio where U2 and Bonnie Raitt have recorded.
http://www.sunstudio.com/

Beale Street Historic District
Beale Street (between Main and 4th)
Memphis, Tenn. 38103
Historic Beale Street is known as the "Home of the Blues", and with good reason. The musical genre's name is derived from W.C. Handy's composition "Memphis Blues", which Handy wrote in the early 1900s when he was living in a house on Beale Street (his house exists as a museum). Today, the core three blocks of the Beale Street Historic District (from Main to 4th) is Memphis's primary nightlife district and a huge tourist attraction. There are a number of blues clubs and restaurants along this stretch. Some of the notable venues include the original B.B. King's Blues Club, the New Daisy Theater and the Rum Boogie Cafe. Also check out statues of Elvis and W.C. Handy along the way.
http://www.bealestreet.com/

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