Memphis is known as the home of Elvis Presley & the birth place of the blues. 

Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton, Andrew Jackson & James Winchester on the fourth Chickasaw bluff. They saw the bluff as a natural fort against attackers & a natural barrier against the floodwaters of the Mississippi River. Its location along the river made it an ideal port & trading centre. 

Irish & German immigrants were responsible for much of the city's early growth, opening businesses & building neighbourhoods. As Memphis expanded slaves were brought in to build roads & farm the land - especially the cotton fields. The profitable cotton trade meant many people did not want to secede from the Union at the beginning of the Civil War but with plantation owners so dependant upon slave labour the city was divided.

The Union & Confederacy staked claims to Memphis which served as a military supply depot for the Confederacy until the South was defeated at the battle of Shiloh. Memphis then became Union headquarters for General Ulysses S. Grant. 

After the war Memphians invested their time & money in to the city developing the cotton trade & other businesses The city became one of the busiest & most prosperous in the South.

During the  1960's struggle for civil rights a sanitation workers strike lead to a campaign for equal rights & to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visiting the city. During his visit, King was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel while speaking to a crowd. The motel has been transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum.

These days Memphis has many attractions to keep you busy including hiking, golf, balloon rides & a trip through the history of Elvis Presley's life.

Explore the musical heritage of Downtown Memphis at W.C. Handy House Museum & the Center for Southern Folklore. Visit the Music Hall of Fame, which honours the Blues, R&B & Rock & Roll history of Memphis. Drop in BB King’s place on Beale Street then check out Sun Studio Museum on Union Ave - the birthplace of Rock & Roll. 

May is a special time of year here when the International Barbecue contest honours a different country each year.  The rest of the year Memphis offers lots of great restaurants serving Italian, Southern, American, & Seafood 

Take an inverted tram to Mud Island River Park which features an 18-gallery Mississippi River Museum, Memphis Belle Pavilion amphitheatre, shops & restaurants. 

The tram connects to the Main Street Trolley which makes a loop of the Riverfront, Pyramid, Pinch District cafes, Performing Arts/Convention Center, Peabody Place, Beale Street, Orpheum Theatre, Central Train Station & the National Civil Rights Museum.