FAQ About Memphis

Let's face it... No major city is totally safe anymore.  

As with any destination, we recommend that vacationers and convention attendees practice common sense and do not wander into deserted, non-tourist areas of the city. 

Memphis gets its water from the Mississippi River right?  

Memphis & Shelby County, Tennessee is fortunate to get its drinking water supply from deep underground. The Memphis aquifer (also known as Sparta aquifer or Memphis Sand) is the primary water supply, with some wells pumping from the deeper Fort Pillow aquifer. I

The best times to visit Memphis are April and May or October and November. These short seasons are brief reliefs from the uncomfortable (and long) summer and winter seasons. Average summer highs often climb above 90 degrees with high humidity. However, the summer remains Memphis' peak tourism season because of school vacations.

Traditional Memphis dry ribs are cooked over charcoal over medium heat, brushed with a vinegar mop every 15-20 minutes, and then finished with a dry rub. The result? Tender bones of tangy meat that showcase the hot-and-sweet herbal, earthy rub.

Why this recipe works:

• A vinegar mop mixed with dry rub applied every 15-20 minutes during cooking gives these ribs a tangy flavor and beautiful mahogany color.
• Rendering fat dripping from the ribs and hitting the charcoal creates smoke that imparts a delicate flavor to the meat.
• A final brushing of the mop allows the subsequent application of the seasoning to adhere to the ribs.

Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km). It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music.

Why is Memphis famous for Rap & Hip-Hop?

• Memphis is known as home of the blues and birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, but this iconic hip-hop group helped launch the city’s reputation in what is now the world's most popular genre. Today, the Memphis rap and hip-hop scene is growing rapidly, influencing the genre nationwide, and Three 6 Mafia can be linked to that success. Crunk music arose from Miami bass music before 1996 in the southern United States, particularly in African American strip clubs of Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis-based hip hop group Three 6 Mafia were "instrumental for the emergence of the crunk style" in the mid-to-late 1990s.[3] Two mixtape DJs from Memphis, DJ Paul and Juicy J, started making their original music, which was distinctive with its "spare, low-BPM rhythms, simplistic chants... and narcotically repetitive, slasher-flick textures".[This duo soon became known as Three 6 Mafia. Frequently featuring rappers such as Project Pat, Lord Infamous, Gangsta Boo, and La Chat on their releases, they became instrumental in the formation of crunk music.

Yes, Graceland is definitely worth it, even for those who aren't huge Elvis fans. Its like a time capsule and, if you're a fan, its a must see. 

Memphis does not allow gambling but there are two regions of gambling.  One casino is about 10 minutes from downtown across the bridge in West Memphis AR.  Tunica MS is the place where you can enjoy five casinos about 30 miles South in Mississippi.