Memphis City Exploration: Historical Landmarks and Mississippi River
4.6
1,568 Ratings
Memphis
Explore the historical landmarks and cultural landmarks of Memphis City on this narrated sightseeing tour. Upgrade options include a cruise along the Mississippi River and a tour of Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley recorded his first song.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Memphis Best Tours - Starting from your downtown Memphis hotel, your friendly, fun, professional guide will take you on narrated sightseeing tour by mini-coach.
- National Civil Rights Museum - Lorraine Motel - See statues of Elvis Presley and BB King and pass the National Civil Rights Museum, located in the Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated.
- A. Schwab - Stop at Schwab, a 120-year-old general store, and pass St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Pyramid Arena, an astounding 20,142-seat arena resembling an Egyptian pyramid.
- The Peabody Ducks - You’ll also stop at the Peabody Hotel, famous for the ‘Peabody Ducks’ that live on the hotel’s rooftop and make their way to the lobby in a daily ‘March of Ducks’ celebration.
- Beale Street - Cruise down Beale Street and Cotton Row, and travel along the Mississippi River and through Victorian Village, where you’ll see homes built in the 1800s.
- Memphis Riverboats - Cruise aboard the Memphis Riverboats, Ticket included ONLY if upgrade option selected at checkout
- Mississippi River Park - Cruise along the Mississippi River with an upgrade including the Memphis Riverboats.
- Sun Studio - The studio where Elvis Presley recorded his first song. Ticket included ONLY if upgrade option is purcahsed during checkout.
What's Included
- Optional Sun Studio admission
- Memphis City Bus Tour
- Optional Riverboat Cruise
- Visit top Memphis sights
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
- Peabody Hotel’s famous duck march
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Memphis City Exploration Trip
Take a narrated tour of Memphis’ popular attractions that guides you along the Mississippi River. Traverse past Victorian residences, important monuments and notable sites like the Pyramid Arena and the Lorraine Hotel, the assassination site of Martin Luther King Jr.
Memphis Riverboats (optional add-on available at payment stage)
For an additional experience, opt for a voyage on the Memphis Riverboats, a traditional Paddlewheel journey along the Mississippi River. Drift down the river taking in the scenic views while listening to enlightening narration from your boat’s captain. Sail by Tom Lee Park and uncover the story behind its namesake, then gain insight into how the Mississippi facilitated trade in Memphis and the nearby regions.
Sun Studio (optional add-on available at payment stage)
Experience a guided tour of the legendary studio where a young Elvis Presley cut his first track.
After experiencing a combination of these attractions, you’ll be transported back to your accommodation.
- Please note: Our buses are not wheelchair accessible. We can accommodate if they can get out the chair and step on the bus.
Location
119 Riverside Dr
Riverside Drive
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(1568 Ratings)
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Brenda_h
Apr 10, 2024
Great Over View of Memphis - We met our tour at the TN Visitor Center. We did google the center before our visit so knew to take pictures of the very large Elvis statue here. THIS was a great part of our orientation also. Plan to spend some time at the Visitor Center - located across from Mudd Island, the attendants were fabulous sharing local stories and making recommendations.
Our Memphis City Tour driver was on time, friendly and fun. We opted to take the city tour only. This included highlights (with local stories) of Memphis Landmarks including: Beale Street, Elvis history (NOT Graceland lore), the Lorraine/MLK story, "I am a man" background story, the Peabody mallards, the story behind the Gander Mt pyramid and much, much more. We really felt we got our monies worth - time well spent (about 2 /12 hours).
Review provided by Viator
Bryank119
Apr 1, 2024
Sun Studio - Memphis. What a great tour! - Sun Studio - Memphis. What a great tour!
My wife and I had a tour of Sun Studio Memphis. I am an Elvis fan hence the trip, but I wouldn't class us a big music followers. However, not only did we enjoy our time at the Studio but it turned out to be one of the best tours we have ever taken.
The place was atmospheric, great great stories of who all played and recorded there, exhibitions of original equipment, furniture and memorabilia. Our guide Josh H was superb , intermingling his commentary by playing original sound tracks of recorded songs there along with conversations.
I think what made the tour not just great given all the things I have mentioned above, was our actual tour guide Josh H. He brought the whole experience to life with his deep knowledge of all aspects of what we were looking at and hearing , his humour and genuine enthusiasm and love for the place. A true fan . Well done Josh.
Bryan Northern Ireland
Review provided by Tripadvisor
489nickiem
Mar 30, 2024
Happy Idahoans, thanks Sam! - We loved this tour! Sam was a great guide. He was very knowledgeable, personable, & entertaining. It made it so easy to see the sights around Memphis. I loved that he drove slow and even stopped in front of many of the sights. He also, gave us some yummy restaurant options to try in Memphis. Sun Studio was also a wonderful addition to the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maria_g
Mar 29, 2024
Thumbs up! - Michelle was our tour guide and she was amazing. She is funny and full of information about Memphis and its history. She made the bus tour so much better with her hospitality and sense of humor.
Review provided by Viator
Renee_b
Mar 26, 2024
Sam was awesome - We had “Sam” and he was best of the best. He obviously loves his city and is well versed in all things Memphis. In fact, when I get home (Washington State) I am going to earnestly going to try and start sending donations to St Jude Children’s Hospital, where Sam volunteers and is so passionate about. Anyway, his sense of humor, attention to timing and how he helped my friend when she needed assistance was exemplary. Thank you for one of the best guided tours I’ve ever had!
Review provided by Viator
Tom_b
Mar 26, 2024
Best City Tour - Taking Both Optional add ones were well worth it. Sun Studios was informative and special since Elvis started there and that’s the site of the Million Dollar Quartet. The Riverboat Tour was informative and relaxing. The City tour by Best Tours was, fun , informative and great. Driver and narrator Daryle was so good he helped to make the City Tour and the Optional Tours enjoyable for everyone on board.
Highly recommend the Best City Tour , Sun Studios and the Riverboat. If we were skipping one we would skip the Riverboat tour.
Review provided by Viator
Colemanc1
Mar 24, 2024
Fun Day in Memphis! - This tour was great! It was organized and fun! Our tour guide, Sam was very knowledgeable! I learned so much about Memphis. I especially enjoyed The Peabody Hotel watching the ducks and looking around the beautiful hotel! I also enjoyed learning about St. Jude’s. What a special place! Sam gave us great advice on where to eat. He suggested the Arcade Restaurant for breakfast. He was right!
Review provided by Viator
Charles_a
Mar 24, 2024
Informative - We had a great day in Memphis!! Our driver Sam is a walking book of knowledge of Memphis. Shared everything from the history to the best places to eat. The Mississippi River trip was another memorable trip, with the knowledge of the river and its impact of the area.
Review provided by Viator
Jparker902
Mar 21, 2024
Memphis Best Tour - City Tour is the only way to get the flavor of Memphis - Sam was an amazing tour guide! He knows the city well, having grown up in Memphis. Plus he clearly loves his hometown, and by the time the tour was over, we loved Memphis too. He has interesting, often funny stories, about many of Memphis' well known people. He has a story about almost every corner, every hotel, every shop, etc in Memphis! Afterwards, when we went through our photos, we remembered his detailed descriptions. Sam made the tour a fun time and the hours flew by. His extensive knowledge of the local dining included all great suggestions- everyone on the bus loved where they had eaten lunch! I highly recommend this tour, would do it again just for the fun of it, and especially with Sam. You won't regret choosing Memphis Best Tours- it really is THE BEST.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ruth_o
Mar 24, 2024
Overall Great - Sam our tour guide was knowledgeable with a sense of humor. Offered great food suggestions and made it a fun day. Although boat tour guide was great wouldn’t opt for the add-on.
Review provided by Viator
