Memphis Tour: Beale Street, Civil Rights & Riverboat Ride

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/3

Duration3h–6h

GroupUp to 36

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Blues bars, a cotton baron's mansion, the site of Dr. King's assassination, and a Mississippi River cruise

A guided tour of Memphis covering downtown highlights—Beale Street's blues history, Victorian Village, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Mississippi River—with a professional guide, BBQ tasting, and museum admission included. You choose whether to end the day with a riverboat cruise or return to Beale Street. The tour runs three to six hours depending on how long you spend at the museum.

3h–6h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Memphis history and culture

Start tour at Beale Street
Explore history of Home of the Blues
Pass by Memphis Redbirds stadium
Pass by Court Square park
Visit Victorian Village historic homes
Pass by oldest residential home
Pass by St. Jude Children's Hospital
Pass by Orpheum Theater
Pass by Cotton Exchange and Cotton Row
Enjoy Memphis BBQ tasting
Pass through South Main Historic Arts District
Visit National Civil Rights Museum
Learn about Mississippi River history

The Experience

The tour starts on Beale Street at Alfred's on Beale and moves through the neighborhood that built Memphis' reputation as the Home of the Blues. From there you'll see Court Square, one of the city's oldest parks, and Victorian Village—the historic homes of Memphis' cotton barons on "Millionaire's Row." The guide walks you through the neighborhood's oldest surviving residential home, explains the history of the Orpheum Theater and the Cotton Exchange, and points out St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as you move through downtown.

A Memphis BBQ tasting is built into the tour. You'll also pass through the South Main Historic Arts District, where local restaurants and shops line the streets. The route takes in the Mississippi River's importance to the city and ends at the National Civil Rights Museum, located at the site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Museum admission is included, and you'll have time to walk through the exhibits at your own pace.

After the museum, you pick your ending: the guide will drive you back to Beale Street, or you can head to the Memphis Riverboat for a scenic cruise on the Mississippi River. The riverboat is at the bottom of a steep historic cobblestone incline, so the bus drops you at Riverside Drive and you walk down from there. Food and drinks on the boat are not included in your ticket, though the cruise itself is part of the package if you choose that option.

What’s included

Professional guide in English.
National Civil Rights Museum admission.
Memphis BBQ tasting.
riverboat cruise admission if you choose that option at checkout.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Backbeat Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to cover Memphis' main stories—blues, civil rights, riverfront history—in a single morning or afternoon with a guide who knows the city. The fixed route and included museum entry mean you're not building the day yourself; the guide handles the stops and the timing holds together without gaps.