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.)
- A-Tan Chinese (corner of Poplar/Highland)
- Crumpy’s (Highland St.)
- Yum’s (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)
- Little Petals
- Erling Jensen’s The Restaurant
- Chez Phillipe
- Porch and Parlor
- Folk’s Folly Steakhouse
- Felicia Suzanne's
VEGETARIAN
- Imagine Vegan Café
- Plant Based Heat*
- City Silo
- Da Guilty Vegan Food Truck
MICROBREWERIES
- High Cotton Tap Room
- Ghost River Brewing
- Wiseacre Brewing
- Bosco’s Squared
- 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
- Neely's Interstate Barbeque
- Leonard’s Pit Barbecue
CASUAL FAVES
- Gibson’s Donuts
- Gus’s Fried Chicken
- Soul Fish Cafe
- The Cove
- *RP Tracks
- Bayou Bar & Grill
- Elwood’s Shack
- Bosco’s Squared
- Huey’s
- Earnestine & Hazel’s
- Celtic Crossing
- Hog & Hominy
- South of Beale
- Ching’s
- TacoNganas
- Crumpy’s*
BRUNCH
- Café Eclectic
- The Arcade
- Sunrise
- The Beauty Shop
- Brother Juniper’s*
- The Liquor Store
- Hustle & Dough
- Hog & Hominy
BURGERS, SAMMIES & PIZZA
- Aldo’s Pizza
- Memphis Pizza Café
- Kwik Check
- Young Avenue Deli
- Huey’s
- Broadway Pizza
- City Silo
- Fino’s from the Hill
- Garibaldi’s Pizza*
- Second Line
- Tamboli’s
- Paradise Café
- High Point Pizza
- Slim & Husky’s
BAKERIES
- La Baguette
- Muddy’s
- Hustle & Dough
- Hive
- Makeda’s Cookies
- Frost Bake Shop
- Sweet LaLa's
ETHNIC EATS
- Babalu Tapas & Tacos
- Molly’s La Casita
- Casablanca
- India Palace
- 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
APRIL
- Africa in April
- Cooper Young Porchfest
- Beale Street Wine Race
- Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival
MAY
- RiverBeat Music Festival
- World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest at Liberty Park
- Smoke Slam at Tom Lee Park
- Bluff City Fair
- Memphis Greek Festival
- Memphis Italian Festival
- Cooper-Young Garden Walk
JUNE-SEPTEMBER
- Mid-South Pride Parade & Festival
- Bluff City Balloon Jamboree
- Juneteenth
- Elvis Week
- Cooper-Young Festival
- Southern Heritage Classic
- Latin Fest
- Live at the Garden
- Memphis Comic Expo
- Memphis Brewfest & Brunchfest
- Anime Blues Con
- Fried Chicken Festival
- FedEx St. Jude Championship
OCTOBER
- Oktoberfest
- Edge Motorfest
- Soulsville USA Festival
- RiverArts Fest
- Pink Palace Crafts Fair
- Memphis Mushroom Festival
- River City Jazz & Music Festival
- Zoo Boo
- Mempho Music Festival
- Elmwood Cemetery Tours
- 30 Days of Opera
- Mid-South Corn Maze
- Overton Park Shell Concerts
- Screaming Vegan Food Festival
- Memphis Food & Wine Festival
- Cooper-Young Beerfest
- World Championship Hot Wing Contest & Festival
NOVEMBER-JANUARY
- Memphis Comic Expo
- Starry Nights
- Zoo Lights
- Beale Street Holiday Parade
- Indie Memphis Film Festival
- Liberty Bowl Parade & Pep Rally
- Whisky Warmer Festival
- Beale Street New Year’s Eve Countdown
- International Blues Challenge
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
- 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
- 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
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
- Hattiloo Theatre
- hattiloo.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
- memphiszoo.org
- 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.org
- Graceland
- graceland.com
- Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum
- memphisrocknsoul.org
- Sun Studio
- sunstudio.com
- Broad Avenue Arts District
- broadavenuearts.com
- Bass Pro Shop
- big-cypress.com
- Cooper-Young District
- cooperyoung.com
- Edge District
- weAreMemphis.com
- Overton Square
- overtonsquare.com