Explore the heart of Memphis on this self-guided driving tour through music history. You’ll drive from Downtown Memphis to Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate, tuning into essential stories of blues, soul, and rock and roll. See the iconic Sun Studio, where legends like Elvis and Johnny Cash are recorded, stop by the Stax Museum of Soul, and even visit Aretha Franklin’s birthplace! And, of course, revisit the wild true story of Elvis Presley’s rise and fall. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. This is not an entrance ticket to attractions along the route. Check opening hours before your visit.
Singer Ma Rainey II is buried there. Her father, a pastor, forbade her from singing, so Ma Rainey ran away and joined a traveling circus-type show. She worked as both the show’s fortune teller and as a ragtime performer on Beale Street. Note: The tour is over 11.2 miles long, with more than 25+ audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Franklin eventually moved to Detroit with her father after her parents separated. She took to singing in her father’s church. Everyone recognized her immense talents. Her father even took her along with his “gospel caravan,” where they performed in churches all around the area.
If we kept driving straight, we’d reach Beale Street. That’s the beating heart of this city’s downtown. If you want to check it out, you can find parking and walk through the pedestrian-only area straight ahead. I have a few fun bonus stories there if you decide to go.
Welcome to Memphis! Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll, this musical city has no shortage of sights and sounds for rhythm-loving pilgrims.
Coming up on our right at the end of this road will be the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. And boy does it have soul—Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and even the Reverend Jesse Jackson recorded here. If you want to check it out, turn into the parking lot coming up on our right. You can tap Learn More for more about soul music once you park.
In a few minutes, we’ll pass by a brick building with a massive guitar hanging in front of it. That’s Sun Studio, also known as “the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll.”
This historic recording studio actually began as a movie theater showing silent films all the way back in 1915. It was converted into the Royal Recording Studio in ‘57, and became the official recording studio for Hi Records.
In ‘56, Elvis and his family lived on a relatively quiet street—until his fans discovered it. Soon, they were camped outside of his home, desperate to get a glimpse of their favorite rockstar. While Elvis’s neighbors had no personal beef with him, they did have a problem with hordes of screaming fans parked on their street.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Memphis Self Guided Driving Audio Tour lasts about 2–3 hours. The itinerary has 8 stops.
Prices start at $17 per person for this Memphis experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Start at 1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105. Suggested start only; we’re not affiliated with Bass Pro or nearby businesses, so staff won’t have tour info. Audio starts automatically—after booking, check email/text for “audio tour” and download on strong internet before arriving. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 4 travellers can book together.
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 3.5 out of 5 across 30 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Travel with Action.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Great driving tour. Can't beat the price
Thanks, Russell - glad you had a great time! If you’re exploring more in the area, consider my other tours, like Natchez Trace, Shiloh, or Great Smoky Mountains. Happy exploring!
A reasonable couple of hours spent driving through areas of Memphis that you wouldn’t normally. Definitely check out Aretha Franklin‘s house.
Gino, what can I do to earn five stars next time? I’m glad my Memphis tour gave you the chance to explore areas you might not have visited otherwise, like Aretha Franklin’s house. If you’re exploring more in the area, consider my other tours, like Natchez Trace, Shiloh, or Great Smoky Mountains. Happy exploring!
User friendly, Good pace.. easy to restart when wed stop and fun alternative stops to do later in the day...
Cynthia, thank you for taking my Memphis self-guided driving audio tour! I’m so glad it felt user-friendly, moved at a good pace, and was easy to restart whenever you stopped along the way. My audio tours are valid forever and work offline once downloaded beforehand, so you can revisit those extra stops anytime with the same flexibility and convenience. Happy exploring!
Showed up at Bass Pros and didn't get any more instructions to do any more of the trip , even though I tried calling but it was after six o'clock. Would not recommend? But definitely go to Bass Pros , it's worth the visit
Jay, the Pyramid located at #1 Bass Pro Drive is the starting point for my tour, and I have no affiliation with the Bass Pro Shop retailer. Did you launch the app after reaching the starting point? This is a self-guided tour, and no in-person guide is available at the starting point. I have already refunded you, but please let me know. I’m available daily from 9 AM–6 PM EST.
Unfortunately, I didn't get to use the audio guide. We either used Uber or Google maps with our iphones.
Hedy, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t get a chance to use my Memphis GPS Driving Audio Tour during your trip. Was there any specific issue that prevented you from using the tour? I’d love to understand more so I can help further if needed. Please feel free to reach out anytime — I’m available daily from 9 AM–6 PM EST and happy to help.
This is a great tour to do on your own to get a bit of history of Memphis. We took the side tours too and loved seeing the birthplace of Aretha Franklin. Highly recommend going during the day as some of the tour traverses through older areas that are not as modern as others. Well worth the money. The only downside was the amount of construction in the area made it hard to stay connected to the audio as we had to take a few detours. We were able to quickly resume the tour when we were back on the route however!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my Memphis GPS Driving Audio Tour and the side tours as well. It’s wonderful to know you loved seeing places like Aretha Franklin’s birthplace and learning more about Memphis history along the way. I also appreciate your note about the construction and detours affecting the route at times. Construction can definitely make navigation a little trickier, but I’m happy to hear you were able to quickly resume the tour once back on track. If you're exploring more of Tennessee, check out my tours of the Natchez Trace, Shiloh, Clingmans Dome, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Safe travels!
Very insightful and helping with letting us get more familiar with the area on a rainy day. Great day
Sierra, I’m so glad to hear you were very pleased with my Memphis GPS Driving Audio Tour. It’s wonderful to know the tour helped you get more familiar with the area and made for a great rainy-day experience. If you're exploring more of Tennessee, check out my tours of the Natchez Trace, Shiloh, Clingmans Dome, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Safe travels!
This tour was an experience. It would have been better for us if it had not been raining so much, plus not knowing the area and road construction 🙄 it just made it difficult. It would better if you didn't have to hop on and off the highway and stayed on the local roads.
I’m glad you gave my Memphis Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour a try, and I appreciate you sharing your feedback. Rainy weather, unfamiliar roads, and construction can definitely make navigating more challenging, especially in a busy area like Memphis. Following the route is important for the full tour experience, and I appreciate your note about the highway portions; feedback like this helps improve the experience for future travelers. If you're exploring more of Tennessee, check out my tours of the Natchez Trace, Shiloh, Clingmans Dome, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Safe travels!
It says 25 audio stops but those include the directions for turning it does not share historic details of buildings we are passing. Very opinionated about Elvis but some of which may not be soundly researched
Chantelle, I take comments like “not soundly researched” very seriously. Can you be specific — what points do you mean? When it comes to driving through downtown past landmarks — I’m happy to take your request to add more about the Peabody into account. If there are specific other attractions you wanted to know about, please let me know. I typically don’t spend a lot of time pointing out museums or arenas but I’m always happy to adapt.
I did like the information provided, and the narration was easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. However, the instructions were light and there is a bit of self learning, by failure, on how to use the app correctly. Once I missed a turn to get on the interstate because the instructions were unclear, and as a solo driver I couldnt look at my phone. Once I got turned around, the way back on the interstate from the opposite direction of travel misses the next location circle on the map becase it was on the on ramp itself. I would have had to go past my new on ramp, and turn around again in order to hit the location circle on the orginal on ramp to continue the narration and voiced directions. So the entire trip on the interstate was quiet and I dont know what I missed and if it was anything interesting. Aside from that, I do suggest taking the "optional" side trip. Im not sure why they labeled it optional, but I assumed it was time consuming so I skipped it. Unfortunately that made the entire thing very short. Missing that section and my later mishap where I missed several minutes of narration left me feeling like I paid a decent amount for very little information. Maybe had I done the whole thing and not missed my turn I would have been satisfied. Unfortunately, I waited until I was leaving town to do the tour, as it seemed the most efficient way to do things, and I didnt have time to start over. Dont skip this on my account, but heed my warnings to stay the course, hit the markers even if it means back tracking (think like you are playing a video game and you need the loot), and take the optional path as well to make the tour fullfilling.
Matthew, thank you for sharing such detailed feedback. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the information and found the narration clear and pleasant, but I’m sorry the directions and app experience made the tour feel incomplete. Since the audio is GPS-triggered, missing a turn or marker can sometimes cause the next section not to play, especially on interstate ramps where it may be harder to safely check the map as a solo driver. Could you let me know if you started from the suggested starting point, downloaded the tour in advance, and had location permissions enabled throughout the drive? I’d also like to better understand where the missed turn happened so I can review that section and see if the instructions or trigger points need improvement. I appreciate your note about the optional side trip as well. That’s helpful feedback, and I’m sorry skipping it made the experience feel shorter than expected. Please contact support with your booking details so I can look into this further and help make it right.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis Self Guided Driving Audio Tour | 2–3 hours | 3.5 (30) | $17 | |
 Beale Street Experience Audio App Self Guided Walking Tour | 50 min–1h | 4.2 (13) | $8 | View |
 Self-Guided Memphis Beale Street Discovery Walk – Audio Tour | 1–4 hours | 4.1 (8) | $12 | View |
 A Self Guided Walking Tour of Brews, Blues and BBQ in Memphis | 2h–2h 30min | 4.5 (6) | $15 | View |
 Self Guided Walking Tour of Beale Street in Memphis | 1 hour | — | $10 | View |
 Memphis City Tour with Optional Riverboat Cruise & Sun Studio Add-On Options | 2–7 hours | 4.6 (1,858) | $45 | View |
 Memphis Mojo Bus Tour | 1h 30min–3h | 4.8 (1,648) | $38 | View |