Memphis - is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee (TN). Memphis had an estimated population of 672,277, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee and the 17th largest in the USA. The greater Memphis metropolitan area had a population of 1,230,303, second largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed only by metropolitan Nashville. Memphis is on the Lower Chickasaw Bluff above the Mississippi River, at the mouth of the Wolf River.
Tempt your senses with a trip to Memphis. Besides being home to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s mansion, Memphis has enough tastes, smells, sights, and sounds for any traveler. From old-fashioned-backyard barbecues to toe-tapping rhythm and blues music, it’s hard not to book flights to Memphis for a long weekend or a week-long getaway.
Climate - Memphis has four distinct seasons with cold winters and hot summers. Spring and autumn can be varied and unpredictable and severe weather, like thunderstorms and strong winds, are possible during these transitory seasons. Summers are very humid thanks to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico, even though the temperature rarely reaches great heights. This makes it feel hotter than it is. Winters, by contrast, can be very cold with temperatures below freezing occurring fairly often. Memphis averages 5.7 inches of snow a year. There is plenty of rain to keep the region green, most falling in thunderstorms, but this does not mean there are not plenty of sunny days.
Memphis is packed with lots of tourist attractions like, galleries for art collection, museums, parks, gardens and many others. The Art Museum located at the University of Memphis holds the biggest collection of antiquities belonging to the Egyptian culture. Brooks Museum of Art is the largest and the oldest art museum in Tennessee. The museum was opened in 1916. The museum is located in the Overton Park which comprises of the Memphis Zoo. More than 3, 500 animals, belonging to 500 various species are housed in this zoo. The zoo lies in an area of 70 acres and was founded in the year 1906. Graceland is known as the home of the legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll star, Elvis Presley. This house is visited by more than 600, 000 local and international tourists every year. The city houses various beautiful parks like Tom Lee Park, Overton Park, Old Forest Arboretum Park and Memphis Botanical Garden.
Book a trip along the river on the Memphis Queen Line, which operates several paddle-wheelers from March through November. You can take a sightseeing cruise, sunset dinner cruise or party cruise. For the festive traveler, hop on the sunset dinner cruise and enjoy some live Dixieland and big-band music.
Don't miss a walk down Beale Street while you're in Memphis. Beale Street is where W. C. Handy brought the blues to life when he penned "Memphis Blues" to paper. Today, Beale Street is Memphis' main entertainment district.
If you travel to Memphis in May, make sure you stop over at the World Championship Barbecue-Cooking Contest.