Weekend in Memphis Itinerary

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I recently spent 48 hours in Memphis and tried to cram as much as possible into a short trip. Here’s where I stayed and what I did during in my weekend in Memphis.

Stay

I’m a Marriott girlie, so I chose to stay at the Moxy Memphis Downtown, which was super conveniently located to restaurants and shopping. Moxy hotels are not full-service hotels. You’re not going to have room service or concierge or anything fancy like that. But you will have a clean, comfortable, well laid out room in a safe area that has a vibey fun common area. The lobby of the Moxy in Memphis has lots of cozy chairs, outlets to charge your laptop, a bar, and pinball machines! You also get a free drink token at check-in that can be used for a draught beer or rum punch. Note that there is no self-parking at the hotel, so you can either use the valet or find nearby street parking.

Eat

I had so much fabulous food in Memphis, that I did a whole separate post on the best eats in Memphis, but the notable highlights were the watermelon and wings at the Beauty Shop Restaurant and a wonderfully spicy Tan Tan Ramen at Good Fortune Co.

Do

With such a short time in Memphis, I focused on two major attractions with a side of shopping. We’ll start with the simple: the shopping. I had to hit up Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid. The pyramid-shaped building houses 100 hotel rooms, a 600,000-gallon aquarium, and the largest Bass Pro Shop retail location. This was a fun little rainy afternoon diversion and to my surprise, I ended up buying a cozy lounge set.

The first of the major attractions I went to was the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum is built next to the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April 1968. It’s no exaggeration to say you could easily spend an entire day at this museum. There are 23 exhibits which are a mix of video and audio clips, artifacts, and informational signage, and the depth of information presented is incredible. It’s also an incredibly powerful and overwhelming experience that you truly don’t want to rush through. If you’re going to spend a weekend in Memphis and only have time for one thing, this should be it.

On a lighter note, I’m not particularly an Elvis fan, but I knew a trip to Memphis wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Graceland! I took the mansion and planes tour and it was so interesting to see the mansion frozen in time as well as so many historical artifacts from Elvis’ life and career. I also spent a fair amount of time exploring the museum exhibits, which ranged from Elvis’ time in the army to his car collection to his impact on other celebrities. I spent around three hours at Graceland and didn’t see everything, so I’d suggest allocating half a day for your visit.

I hope this overview of my trip helps you plan your weekend in Memphis!

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