Hotels in Memphis

Memphis: Birthplace of Blues, Soul Food, and the Mississippi Delta

Memphis, Tennessee sits on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, roughly 400 miles north of New Orleans. The city gave the world blues music through Beale Street, a three-block entertainment corridor that has operated continuously since the 1860s. Sun Studio, at 706 Union Avenue, recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Howlin' Wolf — often in the same calendar year of 1954. The National Civil Rights Museum, built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, draws historians, students, and international visitors year-round.

Where to Stay in Memphis

Most hotels cluster in three zones: Downtown along the riverfront near Beale Street, Midtown around Overton Park and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and East Memphis near Germantown, which suits business travelers visiting corporate campuses. The South Main Arts District, about ten blocks south of Beale Street, has added boutique properties in converted industrial buildings since 2015.

Practical Tips

• Getting around: Memphis has limited public transit; rent a car or use rideshare for trips beyond Downtown.
• Best season: April through early June and September through October avoid summer heat above 95 °F.
• Airport: Memphis International (MEM) sits 13 miles southeast of Downtown, roughly 20 minutes by car.
• Food: Central BBQ on Central Avenue and Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken on Front Street are established local institutions.