photo by gusto

What do blues music, barbecue, and Elvis have in common? They have all called Memphis home. Great food and music truly are the lifeblood of this community. The famed Beale Street is officially the Home of the Blues, according to an act of Congress in 1977. Musicians from B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf to Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison have spent time recording here, and you can retrace their steps at Sun Studio, where Johnny Cash recorded his first hits. Of course, the most famous resident of Memphis was Elvis Presley. His Graceland Mansion, which opened to the public in 1982, remains very popular. Hundreds of thousands of visitors each year walk through the King’s former home.

If you come to Memphis to see Graceland, stay to try the barbecue. This tasty treat is lauded during the Memphis in May International Festival each year, with the largest pork barbecue cooking contest in the world. The Memphis in May Festival is also associated with the Beale Street Music Festival, a three-day event featuring blues, rock, gospel, R&B, and alternative. The festival sells out annually and grows larger every year.