youre_up

My dad is a big Elvis fan, and wants to go to Graceland in early June. We are thinking about staying a couple days. Do you think that's enough time to see Graceland and a few other sights, and also get a good flavor of what Memphis is like?

If we spend 2 days there, it looks like we can get a plane ticket to arrive around 1 pm, so I imagine that after lunch, we can be in downtown around 2:30 or 3 pm. I've read that the Civil Rights Museum is good (some people say it's more worth your time than Graceland). They say it closes at 6 pm in June, so we'll have 3 hours for that. Is 3 hours too much time, just enough, or not enough time?

Then we can spend the rest of the evening checking out Beale street.

The next day we'll have a flight leaving at 7:30pm, so we can visit Graceland. They say that the platinum tour to see everything takes about 3 hours. Is that a good estimate, or could we end up spending the entire day there?

Since my dad loves Elvis, I wonder if we should also try to squeeze in Sun Studio, the Rock and Soul Museum, and/or maybe the Stax Museum of Soul? I'm not sure if my dad is into soul music, but I do know he likes Motown of the '60s (not sure how related that is to soul). I'm thinking we might even want to skip the Civil Rights Museum to fit some of this other stuff in, just because my dad would probably rather see stuff related to Elvis/Rock n' roll.

And then before we leave, I think it'd be cool to stop at the Peabody to see the ducks. Shouldn't take long, I hope.

So what do you think? Is 2 days good enough for what we're thinking of seeing? And is there anything else that I didn't mention that you think we might want to try to squeeze in? Thanks for any advice.

vjpblovesitaly

I can't answer your questions, but I read an interesting article about Memphis in this month's Smithsonian magazine, so I wanted to share it with you

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...f-Memphis.html

cheryllj

I think 3 hours is a good estimate for Graceland, but we ended up spending more time because we took our time with the plane tour, and the cars, and the gift shop . . . etc. It's very easy for an Elvis fan to spend a good part of the day there if they have to see everything.

The Peabody ducks do their march at 11am and 5pm. It doesn't take long, but you want to get there a little ahead of time to get a spot to see them do their thing.

laurieb_nyny

It took us 2 days but we did: Sun, Stax, Civil Rights, Graceland, The Ducks, Rock & Soul, & Gibson Guitar. Oh, & we had time to eat alot too!

SharonG

If your Dad is an Elvis fan, he could spend the whole day at Graceland. The car museum is my favorite. you can have lunch there and shop etc. etc. I'm a fan and lived there for a year and spent many happy hours haunting it

isabellasu

The way your flights are, you actually have only 1 day to see Memphis, which is not enough. Being an Elvis fan, your dad will enjoy spending more than 3 hours at Graceland and he MUST go to Sun Studios, that is mandatory for Elvis fans.
That could take around 2 hours of your time. I think to really take in what Memphis has to offer, you need at least 2 full days in Memphis, because you'll want to eat some of the great food too, especially the BBQ!

isabellasu

When you go to the Peabody, go into Lansky Brother's shop inside the hotel. Elvis shopped at Lansky Brother's for many of his clothes and if you're lucky, Mr. Bernard Lansky will be in the shop and will be more than happy to tell you some personal Elvis tales!
http://www.lanskybros.com/

twiggers

2 days seems like more than enough for Memphis. Don't forget to visit Beale Street

bachslunch

I'd think at least two full days is needed for Memphis for the highlights, and one could easily spend more time. I found five days worth of attractions, actually, though some were less essential:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-itinerary.cfm

and for food:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...experience.cfm

Graceland is a must, as is the National Civil Rights Museum and a visit to Beale Street. I would consider Sun Studio, the Soulsville/STAX Museum, and the Belz Museum well worth seeing as well. Definitely have some barbecue, and stop at Gus's for fried chicken.

Bpries

Just found this forum. Am going to Memphis in Sept. and am interested in how to utilize our time (prob. 1 1/2 or 2 days max.. This has helped.
Can anyone advise mid price range accomdations that are the most convenient to Graceland, Beale St.,Peabody and Civil Rights Museum? Is navigating difficult...parking a problem?

bachslunch

Your best bet is to stay downtown just north of the Beale Street strip, which will put you within walking or trolley distance of the Peabody Hotel and Civil Rights Museum. Graceland is far south of this area, and unless you'll get special joy from staying in a motel right by this attraction (and some Elvis fans apparently do), it's not recommended to do so -- the area around Graceland isn't very good, and in fact the whole stretch north of Graceland and south of Beale Street is not good at all.

There is parking at Graceland, if memory serves. But if you're staying near Beale Street, note that there's a shuttle that runs between the Rock and Soul Museum, Graceland, and Sun Studio.

There are some reasonably priced options immediately north of Beale on the Main Street Trolley, including the Comfort Inn Downtown, Springhill Suites, and Sleep-Inn Downtown.

cheryllj

I stayed at the Residence Inn downtown last year, and it was a huge room at a great value imho. Walking distance to Beale St. and the Peabody.

Bpries

Thanks cheryllj and bachslunch. That was a huge help. Will look into those places. Have found in years of doing this that Fodorites are a great barometer in selecting what parts of town are appropriate.
Appreciate it.

abram

I'm thinking of booking the Talbot Heirs Guesthouse. It looks like a good location, the website photos are appealing, and it got good reviews on Trip Advisor. Has anyone stayed there?

youre_up

I'm the OP. My dad and I ended up getting plane tickets arriving in the afternoon on a Wednesday, and we'll be leaving in the evening on a Friday, so that should be enough time for us to see the stuff I mentioned in the first post.

I heard there's nothing to see in the area around Graceland besides Graceland, so I decided a hotel in downtown would be better. Seemed like the Comfort Inn and the Sleep Inn are the cheapest choices with decent reviews. Saw a few reviews for the Comfort Inn that mentioned bed bugs, and didn't see anyone complain of bed bugs for the Sleep Inn. The Sleep Inn also was renovated last year, so we'll be staying at the Sleep Inn.

Since there's a trolley stop by the Sleep Inn, and you say there's a shuttle going between Graceland, Rock and Soul, and Sun Studio, I wonder if we even need to rent a car? Also, is there a shuttle that goes from the airport to somewhere near the hotel?

bachslunch

The traditional advice re Memphis travel is to rent a car if you don't have one. However, I did fine on my trip without one (though I'm well-organized and okay with buses and walking and the occasional cab) -- and if you're sticking solely to Downtown and Graceland and Sun Studio and are fine with using the shuttle between them, you really don't need a car.

offlady

There is a parking lot for Graceland located right across the highway if you are renting a car. Also, at the end of the tour there are gift shops and a restaurant serving BBQ where you can relax and just hang out for a while (your dad may want to do that!)

panecott

I agree that a car is not necessary in Memphis. It's really quite a small town and the trolleys get you to the main attractions downtown. Since there's evidently a shuttle between Graceland and Elvis attractions downtown that would solve any transportation issues.

Don't miss the Civil Rights Museum. It's a must see and very moving. I spent half a day there. You might also consider a ride on a riverboat, which is fun, and definitely eat some Memphis BBQ.

I spent 3 nights in Memphis, two nights downtown and on my last night I moved to The Heartbreak Hotel, across from Graceland, just for the fun of it. As a huge Elvis fan, I thought it was a "must do". It was tacky, but fun.
They have closed circuit TV in the rooms which is all Elvis: movies, documentaries, etc. The HH has a free shuttle from downtown (Beale St.), which runs about every hour. It also has an airport shuttle.

The HH is right next door to the Graceland ticket office and the car and plane museums, etc., and an easy walk.
I spent about 5 hours at Graceland before my late afternoon flight home.

bachslunch

Eating BBQ is a must in Memphis. You'll admittedly limit your BBQ joint options if you stay downtown without a car and don't use any other means of transportation. But there are a few options close in to downtown and easily walk-able, specifically Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (they were closed when I went, couldn't try them out), a branch of A&R BBQ (very good), and Blues City Cafe (good). And both the BBQ Shop (on Madison) and Neely's (on Jefferson) are excellent and a brief cab ride away -- these two BBQ places were the best I tried in Memphis.

Gus's Fried Chicken is also downtown and another must, and I very much enjoyed Alcenia's (soul food) as well.