Memphis: Sun Studio & Civil Rights Museum with Hotel Pickup

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/4

Duration4h–5h

GroupUp to 42

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Where Elvis Recorded: Sun Studio & Memphis's Civil Rights Story

You get picked up from your downtown Memphis hotel and spend the morning and early afternoon moving through the city's music and civil rights landmarks on a guided tour. Sun Studio admission is included, along with stops at the Peabody Hotel Ducks, Beale Street, Victorian Village, and the Lorraine Hotel. The guide handles the narration and timing; you just show up and step on the bus.

4h–5h

Step-by-step itinerary

Memphis city tour and Sun Studio visit

Start at downtown Memphis hotel
Guided sightseeing by mini-coach
Stop at Schwab general store
Pass St Jude Children’s Hospital
Pass Sun Studio and Pyramid Arena
Stop at Peabody Hotel duck march
Cruise Beale Street and Cotton Row
Travel along Mississippi River
See Victorian Village homes
Tour Sun Studio recording site
See Elvis and BB King statues
Pass National Civil Rights Museum
Return to Memphis hotel

The Experience

You probably know Sun Studio exists, but standing in the actual room where Elvis, Johnny Cash and BB King laid down their first tracks hits different. This Memphis city tour picks you up from your downtown hotel and moves through the city in a mini-coach with a guide who knows the place — not just the talking points. You'll pass the Pyramid Arena (yes, an actual 20,142-seat pyramid), roll through Victorian Village where homes still stand from the 1800s, and cruise down Beale Street and Cotton Row along the Mississippi River. The whole thing is narrated, so you're not just looking out the window; you're getting context.

The Peabody Hotel stop is the one thing that catches people off guard. The ducks live on the rooftop and march down to the lobby every day — it's real, it's strange, and it's worth the pause. After that, you head to Sun Studio itself for a proper tour of the studio where it happened. The guide walks you through the control room, the recording floor, the whole setup. If you're into music history or just want to see where something actually mattered, this is the place. Kids have to be at least 7 to go inside.

The route also takes you past the Lorraine Hotel, now the National Civil Rights Museum, where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. You'll see statues of Elvis and BB King along the way. It's not a heavy-handed tour — the guide lets the stops speak for themselves. Schwab, a 120-year-old general store, is another pause point. By the end, you're back at your hotel, and you've moved through Memphis without having to navigate it yourself or figure out where to park.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off from select downtown Memphis hotels, guided narrated sightseeing tour by mini-coach, admission to Sun Studio, stops at Beale Street, the Peabody Hotel to see the famous Ducks, Victorian Village, the Lorraine Hotel, Schwab general store, and views of the Pyramid Arena and statues of Elvis Presley and BB King.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Memphis Best Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Sun Studio and Memphis's music and civil rights landmarks without arranging your own transport or buying separate tickets — the guide and the fixed route handle the logistics so you just show up at your hotel.