6 Days in Memphis: First-Timer Plan
Six days keeps this trip city-first: it takes the 5-day plan (the full city core plus a Tunica day trip) and adds a sixth day rounding out Memphis’s smaller museums, rather than turning the whole back half of the trip into day trips. If the Delta is what actually pulls you, Memphis, Tennessee: A First-Timer’s Base and its 6-day itinerary build the trip the other way around.
Book these before you go
- Graceland’s timed-entry ticket at graceland.com
- A rental car, needed most days
- A place to stay downtown or in Midtown, check rates on Booking.com
| Day | Focus | Rough daily cost (per person, no lodging) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Beale Street, National Civil Rights Museum, BBQ | $45-70 |
| Day 2 | Graceland, Sun Studio | $110-150 |
| Day 3 | Stax Museum, Overton Park, Big River Crossing | $35-55 |
| Day 4 | Midtown, Shelby Farms Park | $30-50 |
| Day 5 | Tunica, Mississippi day trip | $40-100 |
| Day 6 | Metal Museum, Dixon Gallery, Slave Haven | $30-50 |
Day 1: downtown and the Civil Rights Museum
Morning
National Civil Rights Museum (450 Mulberry St, about $25 adult, closed Tuesdays), built around the Lorraine Motel, site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968.
Afternoon
Walk Beale Street by day, free.
Evening
Dinner at Central BBQ, then live music at a verified venue like B.B. King’s Blues Club.
Day 2: Graceland and Sun Studio
Morning
Graceland, book the timed Elvis Experience tour ahead, roughly $85 adult, confirmed at graceland.com .
Afternoon
Sun Studio (706 Union Ave, about $15 adult).
Evening
Dinner at Gus’s Fried Chicken.
Day 3: soul music and the riverfront
Morning
Stax Museum of American Soul Music (about $20 adult, closed Mondays).
Afternoon
Overton Park, then Big River Crossing into West Memphis, Arkansas.
Evening
Dinner at Cozy Corner.
Day 4: Midtown and Shelby Farms Park
Morning
Cooper-Young and Overton Square.
Afternoon
Shelby Farms Park, 4,500 acres in East Memphis.
Evening
A relaxed dinner ahead of tomorrow’s drive.
Day 5: day trip to Tunica, Mississippi
Morning
Drive 30-45 minutes south to Tunica, Mississippi, a casino corridor.
Afternoon
The Gateway to the Blues Museum and the Tunica RiverPark.
Evening
Back to Memphis for dinner at Payne’s Bar-B-Q.
Day 6: Memphis’s smaller museums
Morning
The National Ornamental Metal Museum, perched on a bluff over the Mississippi at the site of the old French Fort.
Afternoon
Dixon Gallery & Botanic Garden and the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum / Burkle Estate, both in East Memphis or close to it, and both easy to underrate.
Evening
A farewell dinner back downtown or in Midtown, wherever you’re staying.
Is 6 days enough for Memphis?
More than enough, honestly. Five days already covers the core plus one day trip; the sixth day here rounds out museums most first-timers skip rather than adding a second regional excursion. If Clarksdale’s Delta blues sites are calling, our 7-day itinerary tacks that on as a closing day trip instead.
Do you need a car for 6 days in Memphis?
Yes, for most of the trip. Downtown is walkable, but Graceland, Stax, Shelby Farms Park, and Tunica all require a car or rideshare.
One practical note: Memphis’s combined sales tax runs about 9.75% and applies to restaurant food. Book Graceland before you land, especially around Elvis Week (Aug 8-16, 2026).