Shelby County

The county of Memphis, where Beale Street blues, Elvis's Graceland, Sun Studio and civil rights history come together on the Mississippi.

Shelby County is in the southwest corner of Tennessee, bordering the Mississippi River, and its main city, Memphis, is an important birthplace of the blues and rock 'n' roll. Beale Street has live blues every night, Elvis's home Graceland and Sun Studio draw music fans, and the National Civil Rights Museum is housed in the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Memphis barbecue and the Memphis in May festival are renowned. Spring and fall are the best seasons; summers are muggy. The gateway is Memphis International Airport.

Destinations

• Memphis

Itineraries

• US Southern Civil Rights Trail Tour – Trace the historic sites of the Civil Rights Movement from Atlanta through Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham to Memphis.
• Deep South Music Road Tour – Drive from Nashville along Highway 61 through the Delta, passing Natchez to New Orleans.