Memphis
TN, USA — Memphis is a major fan-travel destination in USA, known for high-demand sports, concert, and festival weekends.
Memphis Fan Travel Guide
Memphis is a major fan-travel destination in USA, known for high-demand sports, concert, and festival weekends.. Discover where celebrities eat, stay, play, and party in Memphis. From courtside seats to the best local restaurants, here's everything a fan needs to know.
Memphis Fan Travel Blueprint
Treat Memphis as a fan basecamp city: anchor around one primary event, then layer fan-tested stay/eat/bar/attraction stops to maximize every travel block.
- What fans can already use: 1 fan weekend idea that could turn into huge weekends and 12 fan-favorite hotels, restaurants, bars, and things to do.
- Main event anchor: 2029 Memphis WNBA Finals Night on November 13, 2029.
- Stay + eat core: Arrive Memphis with Central BBQ can frame your pre-event window.
- Night + recovery: Earnestine & Hazel's plus Beale Street can round out day two.
Sample 48-Hour Fan Route
- Day 1 Arrival: Check in at Arrive Memphis, settle near the event zone, and open your first local meal block.
- Day 1 Peak: Center the night around 2029 Memphis WNBA Finals Night and then push into post-event fan energy at Earnestine & Hazel's.
- Day 2 Closeout: Use daytime space for Beale Street, then finish with Central BBQ before departure.
Memphis, the version fans actually want
This visual is here to make the route feel real: ticket in one hand, food stop mapped, bar after, hotel nearby, and enough time left to turn the trip into a full weekend instead of a rushed one-night sprint.
Celebrity Sightings in Memphis
Event Calendars by Year
All Years →Event Calendars by Month
Potential Massive Fan Weekends
City Weekend Hub →Celebrity Hotspots in Memphis
All City Hotspots →Arrive Memphis
Earnestine & Hazel's
FedExForum
FedExForum — Grizzlies Fan Experience
FedExForum Arena Tour
FedExForum Grizzlies Experience
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Hu. Hotel
Railgarten
The Guest House at Graceland
The Peabody Hotel Duck March
The Peabody Memphis
Series Hubs in Memphis
All Series-City Hubs →Series × Venue in Memphis
All Venue Hubs →Venues in Memphis
Where to Stay in Memphis
Arrive Memphis
Hip boutique hotel in the South Main Arts District with a rooftop pool and bar overlooking downtown Memphis. Walking distance to FedExForum and Beale Street, Arrive captures the creative energy of modern Memphis and is a favorite of visiting musicians and NBA players.
Hu. Hotel
Stylish boutique hotel in downtown Memphis with modern design, a rooftop bar, and walkable access to Beale Street and FedExForum. A sleek alternative to the classic hotels for Grizzlies fans and music pilgrims visiting the Home of the Blues.
The Guest House at Graceland
For music fans, there is no more unique place to stay in Memphis than this 450-room resort attached to Elvis Presley's Graceland estate. The hotel features live entertainment nightly in its Delta's restaurant, a pool shaped like a guitar, and immersive Elvis-themed decor throughout. Packages include Graceland mansion tours, making it a complete immersion in American music history.
The Madison Hotel
The Madison Hotel is a boutique downtown Memphis property with rooftop views of the Mississippi River, located steps from FedExForum and a short walk to Beale Street. Sports travelers love the rooftop terrace for pregame cocktails with a spectacular city backdrop before Grizzlies games. The hotel's intimate scale and Memphis-proud decor make it the most characterful stay for a sports visit to the city.
The Peabody Memphis
Memphis's grand historic hotel since 1869, famous for its daily Peabody Duck March through the ornate lobby. Walking distance to FedExForum and Beale Street, it is the most iconic stay in Memphis for Grizzlies game weekends.
Where to Eat in Memphis
Central BBQ
Award-winning Memphis BBQ joint with multiple locations serving competition-quality dry-rubbed ribs and pulled pork. The downtown location near FedExForum is a pregame ritual for Grizzlies fans craving authentic Memphis barbecue.
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous — located down an alley off Monroe Avenue and open since 1948 — serves Memphis-style dry-rub ribs that are universally acknowledged as the city's finest and among the best BBQ in America. Grizzlies fans, Elvis Presley pilgrims, and food-obsessed sports travelers all queue down the alley for the charcoal-grilled ribs served with the original dry seasoning blend that the Vergos family guards as closely as any championship trophy. The underground dining room's wood-panelled memorabilia and the smell of charcoal and spice create an atmosphere that no other Memphis restaurant can replicate.
Cozy Corner Restaurant
No-frills Memphis BBQ institution famous for its smoked Cornish game hens, ribs, and BBQ baloney. A pilgrimage-worthy stop for Grizzlies fans and visitors attending Memphis in May BBQ Festival or Beale Street Music Festival.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Memphis institution serving some of the best fried chicken in America since 1953, with a crispy, spicy crust and juicy interior that has earned national acclaim. Located near FedExForum and Beale Street, Gus's draws Grizzlies fans, visiting NBA players, and fried chicken pilgrims from everywhere.
The Bar-B-Q Shop
A Midtown Memphis BBQ institution famous for its pulled pork, BBQ spaghetti, and tangy Memphis-style sauce. Grizzlies fans swing through for slabs of ribs on game days, continuing the proud Memphis tradition of pairing world-class barbecue with basketball.
The Beauty Shop
Creative American restaurant in a converted 1960s beauty salon where Priscilla Presley once had her hair done. An eclectic Memphis dining experience with inventive cocktails, popular with fans exploring the city beyond Beale Street.
Best Bars in Memphis
Earnestine & Hazel's
Legendary Memphis dive bar in a former brothel and sundry store, famous for its late-night Soul Burger and jukebox. Located near FedExForum and Beale Street, it is the ultimate postgame haunt for Grizzlies fans and music lovers.
Ghost River Brewing Co.
A downtown Memphis craft brewery with a spacious taproom pouring beers brewed with pure Memphis aquifer water. Grizzlies fans hit the taproom before walking to FedExForum, and the Grindhouse Cream Ale has become an unofficial pre-game toast for the Grit and Grind faithful.
Railgarten
Massive midtown Memphis beer garden with a train car bar, live music stage, lawn games, and a relaxed outdoor vibe. A perfect postgame hangout for Grizzlies fans who want to keep the good times rolling after a win at FedExForum.
Silky O'Sullivan's
A Beale Street institution with resident goats in the courtyard and a daquiri bucket so large it requires a handle, Silky O'Sullivan's is the most exuberant bar on Memphis' legendary music strip. Grizzlies and Tigers fans spill out onto the courtyard before and after games at FedExForum just blocks away. The live blues music, cold drinks, and carnival atmosphere make it an essential Memphis fan experience.
Tin Roof Memphis
Tin Roof Memphis on Beale Street is a lively music bar and Grizzlies fan gathering spot that blends live entertainment with game-watching in a way that could only happen in Memphis. The indoor-outdoor layout keeps the crowd flowing on game nights and the drink specials match the energy of the room. Postgame celebrations here after big Grizzlies wins spill into the street and merge with the broader Beale Street revelry.
Wiseacre Brewing Company
Memphis's homegrown craft brewery with a massive downtown taproom, beer garden, and rotating food trucks. Wiseacre has become a civic institution beloved by Grizzlies fans, with its Tiny Bomb Pilsner available at FedExForum and its brewery serving as a pre-game gathering spot.
Fan Attractions in Memphis
Beale Street
The most famous street in Memphis is a non-stop party of live blues, barbecue, and ice-cold beers that draws sports fans to its outdoor clubs and restaurants before and after every FedExForum event. Walking Beale Street at night after a Grizzlies game, listening to authentic Memphis blues pour out of every doorway, is a singular American experience.
Beale Street Bar Crawl
Crawl the neon-lit blocks of America's most iconic music street — live blues, BBQ smoke, and cold beer from every doorway, packed on Grizzlies game nights.
Beale Street Blues Walk
Beale Street is the birthplace of the blues and one of America's great live music districts — a pedestrian strip of clubs, bars, and restaurants where Memphis Grizzlies fans and music pilgrims converge nightly in a celebration of the music that built American culture. Walking Beale Street on a Grizzlies game night means passing through open-air blues clubs, past W.C. Handy Park where live music plays for free, and into the roar of fans returning from FedExForum. The combination of authentic Memphis blues music and genuine sports passion makes Beale Street one of sports tourism's most irreplaceable experiences.
FedExForum
Home of the Memphis Grizzlies and also host to Memphis Tigers basketball, FedExForum sits in the heart of downtown Memphis just steps from Beale Street and delivers one of the NBA's most passionate and gritty fan atmospheres. Grit and Grind culture runs deep here, and the arena's proximity to blues clubs makes a Grizzlies game day an all-encompassing Memphis experience.
FedExForum — Grizzlies Fan Experience
FedExForum is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies and one of the NBA's most passionate fan environments, where the Grindhouse atmosphere built on the Grit and Grind era under Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol remains one of the defining cultural movements in recent NBA history. The arena sits in downtown Memphis steps from Beale Street, allowing fans to move seamlessly between basketball and live blues music. Attending a Grizzlies game in Memphis — with the crowd's unique mix of blue-collar loyalty and musical city energy — is one of professional basketball's most distinctive experiences.
FedExForum Arena Tour
Home to the Memphis Grizzlies and their legendary Grit & Grind era of basketball, FedExForum sits in the heart of downtown Memphis adjacent to Beale Street. Tours reveal the franchise's history, including the Ja Morant era memorabilia that has re-energized the fanbase. The arena's proximity to Beale Street means every game night flows seamlessly into a live music experience.
FedExForum Grizzlies Experience
Catch a Memphis Grizzlies game at FedExForum in the heart of downtown Memphis, where the Grit and Grind culture has created one of the NBA's most passionate fanbases. The arena sits on Beale Street's doorstep, making it easy to pair a game with Memphis's legendary live music and barbecue scene.
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Home of the Memphis Tigers football program and the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium draws big bowl-game crowds to Memphis every New Year's Eve week in one of college football's most storied mid-winter traditions. The Tigers have become a legitimate AAC contender and the stadium atmosphere on big home games has grown significantly.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Built on the site of the legendary Stax Records studio, this museum celebrates the soul music that defined Memphis — from Otis Redding to Isaac Hayes.
Sun Studio Tour
Stand where Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded at the Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll — the ultimate music fan pilgrimage in Memphis.
The Peabody Hotel Duck March
Every morning at 11 a.m. and evening at 5 p.m., five mallard ducks march from the elevator to the lobby fountain of the iconic Peabody Hotel in a tradition that has run since the 1930s and draws crowds of delighted onlookers. Sports fans staying in Memphis for a Grizzlies or Tigers game invariably make the pilgrimage to witness this charming downtown spectacle.
Frequently Asked Questions About Memphis
Popular celebrity dining spots in Memphis include Central BBQ, Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous, Cozy Corner Restaurant. See our full guide for more recommendations.
Visit our Memphis city guide for a complete list of sports teams, venues, and upcoming events.
Top-rated fan bars in Memphis include Earnestine & Hazel's, Ghost River Brewing Co., Railgarten.
Recommended fan stays in Memphis: Arrive Memphis, Hu. Hotel, The Guest House at Graceland. All within easy reach of major venues.
Use our Memphis fan weekend ideas to connect top events with local hotels, bars, restaurants, and attractions.