2 Days in Memphis and the Delta
Two days is the minimum version of Memphis as a Mid-South base: compress the city’s music core into a single full day, then spend Day 2 across the state line at Clarksdale, the true Delta blues pilgrimage. If that feels rushed, our 3-day itinerary gives the city core its own two days before the Delta trip. If you’d rather stay in the city the whole time, see the city-only 2-day itinerary instead.
Book these before you go
- A rental car, essential for Day 2’s drive
- A place to stay downtown or in Midtown, check rates on Booking.com
- Nothing at Clarksdale needs advance booking, walk-in works for the museum and the clubs
| Day | Focus | Rough daily cost (per person, no lodging) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Sun Studio, National Civil Rights Museum, Beale Street | $50-80 |
| Day 2 | Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta blues day trip | $40-70 |
Day 1: the Memphis music core, compressed
Morning
Sun Studio (706 Union Ave, about $15 adult, 40-50 minute tour), the self-described birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, where Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis all recorded.
Afternoon
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. Give it real time even on a tight schedule, this is a profound, essential stop.
Evening
Dinner at Central BBQ, then Beale Street for live music at a verified venue like B.B. King’s Blues Club. Weekend nights after 9pm carry a $5 security fee and ID checks, standard practice here.
Day 2: day trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi
Morning
Drive south on Highway 61, 75-95 minutes, into the Mississippi Delta and Clarksdale, the standout day trip from Memphis. Start at the Delta Blues Museum and the fabled Crossroads at Highways 61 and 49, where legend has it Robert Johnson made his deal.
Afternoon
Walk through Red’s Juke Joint and Clarksdale’s other blues landmarks, a compact town that punches far above its size for music history.
Evening
Dinner and live music at the Ground Zero Blues Club, part-owned by actor Morgan Freeman, before the drive back to Memphis for the night.
Is 2 days enough to see Memphis and the Delta?
It’s tight but genuinely doable as a taste of both. You’ll get the city’s essential music and civil rights sights on Day 1 and the single best Delta day trip on Day 2, but you’ll skip Graceland and Stax entirely. If you want those too, our 3-day itinerary is the more comfortable version of this same trip.
Do you need a car for this itinerary?
Yes, absolutely, for Day 2. Clarksdale has no realistic public transit connection from Memphis, and the whole point of this itinerary is the drive south.
One practical note: Memphis’s combined sales tax runs about 9.75% and applies to restaurant food, a detail worth budgeting for even on a short trip like this one.