Things are about to get pretty interesting.
Remember why you came here? Studying is a huge part of it. But to come to the big M is also about doing endlessly cool things. Meeting fascinating people. Exploring one of America’s most culturally hip and trend-setting cities. This little guide can show you how to make these four years remarkable.
Make it an Expedition!
Get out and enjoy all that Memphis offers.
Memphis has something for everybody!
Hotels &
Other Lodging
When family and friends come to visit
Our Eclectic Neighborhoods
- CAMPUS/HIGHLAND/WALKER
- MIDTOWN
- COOPER-YOUNG
- OVERTON SQUARE
- CROSSTOWN
- BROAD ARTS DISTRICT
- EDGE ARTS DISTRICT
- DOWNTOWN
- BEALE STREET
- SOUTH MEMPHIS
RESTAURANTS
Dig into a true taste of authentic Memphis.
You won’t go wrong with any of these local options. Google or Yelp them to learn more, or to find others you might enjoy!
* Walkable from campus
WALKABLE FROM CAMPUS
- Brother Juniper’s (Walker Ave.)
- Garibaldi’s (off Walker Ave.)
- RP Tracks (Walker Ave.)
- Happy Greek Café (Highland St.)
- Ubee’s (Highland St.)
- A-Tan Chinese (corner of Poplar/Highland)
- BurgerIM (Highland St.)
- Crumpy’s (Highland St.)
- Yum’s (Highland St.)
- The Bluff (Highland St.)
- Belltower Coffeehouse (Highland St.)
- Flames Mediterranean (Highland St.)
- Plant Based Heat (Highland St.)
- Char (Highland St.)
- Jason’s Deli (corner of Poplar/Highland)
- Erling Jensen’s The Restaurant
- Chez Phillipe
- Porch and Parlor
- Folk’s Folly Steakhouse
VEGETARIAN
- Imagine Vegan Café
- Plant Based Heat*
- Raw Girls
- City Silo
- Daguilty Vegan Food Truck
- Evelyn & Olive
MICROBREWERIES
- High Cotton Tap Room
- Ghost River Brewing
- Wiseacre Brewing
- Bosco’s Squared
- Memphis Made
- Crosstown Brewing Company
- Hampline Brewing
MEMPHIS-STYLE BBQ
- Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous
- Central BBQ
- Cozy Corner
- Arnold’s BBQ
- Tops Bar-B-Q
- The Bar-B-Q Shop
- Payne’s BBQ
- Germantown Commissary
- Corky’s
- One & Only BBQ
- Interstate Barbeque
- Neely’s
- Leonard’s Pit Barbecue
- Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q
CASUAL FAVES
- Gibson’s Donuts
- Gus’s Fried Chicken
- Soul Fish Cafe
- The Cove
- *RP Tracks
- Belly Acres
- Bayou Bar & Grill
- Elwood’s Shack
- Bosco’s Squared
- Huey’s
- Earnestine & Hazel’s
- Celtic Crossing
- Local on the Square
- Lunch Box Eats
- Chef Tam’s Underground Café
- Hog & Hominy
- South of Beale
- Railgarten – The Farmer
- Ching’s
- TacoNganas
- Crumpy’s*
BRUNCH
- Café Eclectic
- The Arcade
- Sunrise
- The Beauty Shop
- Edge Alley
- Brother Juniper’s*
- The Liquor Store
- Big Bad Breakfast
- Hustle & Dough
- Hog & Hominy
BURGERS, SAMMIES & PIZZA
- Aldo’s Pizza
- Memphis Pizza Café
- Kwik Check #10
- Young Avenue Deli
- Huey’s
- Broadway Pizza
- City Silo
- Fino’s from the Hill
- Garibaldi’s Pizza*
- Second Line
- Sam’s Deli
- Tamboli’s
- Parish Grocery
- Paradise Café
- High Point Pizza
- Slim & Husky’s
BAKERIES
- Crumbl Cookies
- La Baguette
- Muddy’s
- Hustle & Dough
- Makeda’s Cookies
- Frost Bake Shop
- 17 Berkshire
ETHNIC EATS
- Babalu Tapas & Tacos
- Molly’s La Casita
- Casablanca
- India Palace
- Pho Binh
- Golden India
- Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos
- Sekisui Midtown
- Mulan Asian Bistro
- Las Tortugas
- Pho Saigon
- A-Tan Chinese*
- Flames Mediterranean*
- Las Delicias
- Ciao Bella
Festivals &
Events
Where Tigers Roam Year-Round
MARCH
- St. Patrick’s Day Parade
- Memphis Black Restaurant Week
- Whisky Warmer Festival
APRIL
- Africa in April
- River City Jazz & Music Festival
- 30 Days of Opera
- Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival
MAY
- Beale Street Music Festival
- World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest
- International Blues Challenge
- Bluff City Fair
- Memphis Greek Festival
- Memphis Italian Festival
- Cooper-Young Garden Walk
- Memphis Mushroom Festival
- Memphis Vegan Festival
- Fried Chicken Festival
JUNE-SEPTEMBER
- Mid-South Pride Parade & Festival
- Bluff City Balloon Jamboree
- Juneteenth
- Mid-South Air Show
- Elvis Week
- Cooper-Young Festival
- Mempho Music Festival
- Latin Fest
- Memphis Comic Expo
- Anime Blues Con
- Beale Street Wine Race
- Soulful Food Truck Festival
OCTOBER
- Oktoberfest
- Edge Motorfest
- Soulsville USA Festival
- Indie Memphis Film Festival
- RiverArts Fest
- Pink Palace Crafts Fair
- Zoo Boo
- Elmwood Cemetery Tours
- Mid-South Corn Maze
- Memphis Food & Wine Festival
- Cooper-Young Beerfest
- World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival
- Memphis Brewfest & Brunchfest
NOVEMBER-JANUARY
- Memphis Comic Expo
- Starry Nights
- Beale Street Holiday Parade
- Liberty Bowl Parade & Pep Rally
- Beale Street New Year’s Eve Countdown
MOVIE THEATRES
& BOWLING
- Malco Studio on the Square
- 2105 Court Ave.
- Located in Overton Square, featuring reserved seating and a wine/cappuccino bar
- Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX
- 584 S. Mendenhall Rd.
- Wine bar, reserved and recliner seating available
- Malco Summer Quartet Drive-In
- 5310 Summer Ave.
- Four outdoor screens with audio enhanced experiences
- Billy Hardwick’s All Star Lanes Bowling
- 1576 S. White Station Rd.
NIGHTLIFE
- Peabody Rooftop Parties (Downtown) Every Thursday night from April-August atop The Peabody Hotel with music and stunning river views and sunsets
- Young Avenue Deli (Cooper-Young) Late night live music and pool tables
- Orpheum Summer Movie Series (Downtown) Catch classic movies on the big screen in the historic, beautiful Orpheum Theatre
- Railgarten (Midtown) Live music, indoor and outdoor ping pong, food and fun in a sprawling outdoor space covering 1.5 acres that looks like an old rail yard
- South Main Trolley Nights (Downtown) Live music, shopping, art openings and restaurant specials every Friday night on South Main Street where the historic Trolleys run
- Newby’s (Near Campus on Highland) Late night live music, pool tables and outdoor patio
- Overton Park Shell Concerts (Midtown) Located in Overton Park, provides free live music seasonally, as well as big name concerts
- Hi-Tone (Midtown) Local and touring live music
- RP Tracks (Near Campus on Walker Ave.) College friendly hangout with patio, known for their world famous BBQ tofu nachos
- Minglewood Hall (Midtown) Live music and concerts in a venue converted from a former bread factory
- Java Cabana (Cooper-Young) Coffeehouse with art openings, music, poetry readings and mic night
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
- Memphis Grizzlies
- When you want to catch NBA action, head down to the FedExForum for a Grizz game.
- nba.com/grizzlies
- Memphis Redbirds
- Our minor league baseball team is the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
- milb.com/memphis
- Memphis 901
- Making its debut in the USL Championship in 2019, our professional soccer team makes Memphis proud.
- memphis901fc.com
HISTORY &
CULTURE
- National Civil Rights Museum
- civilrightsmuseum.org
- Brooks Museum of Art
- brooksmuseum.org
- Dixon Gallery & Gardens
- dixon.org
- National Ornamental Metal Museum
- metalmuseum.org
- Crosstown Arts Gallery
- crosstownarts.org
- Theatre Memphis
- theatrememphis.org
- Playhouse on the Square
- playhouseonthesquare.org
- Hatiloo Theatre
- hatiloo.org
- Orpheum Theatre & Gardens
- orpheum-memphis.com
- MOSH Museum of Science & History
- moshmemphis.com
- Stax Museum of American Soul Music
- staxmuseum.com
- Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center
- buckmanartscenter.com
Nature
How does 234 days of sunshine sound?
That’s our yearly average, so you can totally enjoy over 160 green spaces and parks, including the following faves:
- Shelby Farms Park
- One of America’s largest urban parks covering five times the area of NYC’s Central Park where you can experience horseback riding, fishing, kayaking, paintball, lasertag, paved and unpaved trails, ziplines, playgrounds, boat, board and bike rentals and much more
- shelbyfarmspark.org
- Greenline
- Part of Shelby Farms Park, the Greenline is more than 10 miles of converted railways that have been transformed into a paved, urban trail connecting pedestrians and cyclists from Midtown to Shelby Farms Park
- shelbyfarmspark.org
- Mississippi River Parks
- Miles and miles of gorgeous riverfront access and events on the mighty Mississippi River, dog parks, walking trails, the MEMPHIS sign and more
- memphisriverparks.org
- Wolf River Greenway
- The spring-fed Wolf River flows through Shelby County until it joins the Mississippi River and you can enjoy a 26-mile paved pedestrian and cyclist pathway alongside it, events and activities year-round
- wolfriver.org
- Big River Crossing
- Bike, walk or jog across the longest public pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River, connecting downtown Memphis to Arkansas with spectacular views in all directions and of the Memphis skyline
- bigrivercrossing.com
- The Mighty Lights
- At the top and middle of every hour from sundown to 10:30 PM, the Big River Crossing Bridge and the Hernando De Soto Bridge put on an unforgettable, coordinated LED light show, visible from the riverfront and elevated locations downtown
- mightylights.com
- Memphis Sign on Mud Island
- For a prime photo opportunity, take the skybridge downtown from 6 AM to 7 PM across the Mississippi River to discover the iconic Memphis sign located on Mud Island
- memphisparks.com
- Overton Park
- Closest large park nearest campus with amazing green space for picnics, old forest trails, a golf course, dog park, the Memphis Zoo, Veteran’s plaza, Overton Park Shell concerts, Brooks Museum of Art and Rainbow Lake
- memphisparks.com
- Beale Street Landing
- Perched at the foot of world-famous Beale Street, this is where you can board sightseeing cruises on the Mississippi River
- memphisriverboats.net
- I AM A MAN Sculpture/Plaza
- Located next to the historic Clayborn Temple, which was a meeting sight for strikers in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike, the sculpture and plaza tell the story of our city’s painful past
MORE ATTRACTIONS
- Memphis Zoo
- memphiszoo.com
- Graceland
- graceland.com
- Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
- memphisrocknsoul.org
- Sun Studio
- sunstudio.com
- Broad Avenue Arts District
- broadavearts.com
- Bass Pro Shop
- big-cypress.com
- Cooper-Young District
- cooperyoung.com
- Edge District
- edgedistrictmemphis.org
- Overton Square
- overtonsquare.com