Rolling into Memphis, our first stop wasn't Beale Street or Graceland--it was the Tennessee Welcome Center. And honestly? It felt like walking straight into a hug from the state itself. The building sits right by the Mississippi River, like it knows it's got the best view in town. We stepped out of the car and were immediately greeted by none other than Elvis Presley himself--or at least a very confident bronze version of him. Nearby? B.B. King, mid-strum. I hadn't even picked up a brochure yet and was already planning a full-on Memphis playlist. Inside, the place was spotless. Cool air, clean restrooms, and a staff so friendly they made us feel like we were long-lost cousins just coming back to visit. One of the ladies behind the desk insisted on handing us "everything we might need"--maps, coupons, and a cheerful rundown of what not to miss in the city. She even offered to take our picture with Elvis. I didn't say no. Out back, the view of the river was unreal. Bridges stretched across the water, sun glinting off every ripple. People were sitting on benches, sipping drinks from vending machines and watching the barges roll by like slow-moving giants. We were only supposed to stop for five minutes. We stayed for almost forty. Five stars, no question. The Tennessee Welcome Center doesn't just welcome you--it invites you to fall in love with Memphis before you even get to the first stoplight. read more

Quality/Quantity - People here were so welcoming (pun intended) and so nice. They treated my daughter like a little happy curious girl. The team here has a wealth of knowledge. Then right before we left, they gave us a welcome gift. These bags will make perfect goodie bags for all the souvenirs that we bought for our friends and family. Atmosphere - Good size welcome center. Very spacious, see pictures. Sounded by good walking parks and the largest Bass Pro Shop, see other reviews. And they suggested we go to Mud Island Park, another nice treat. Well the Mud Island Park needs a lot of love... But it was still a nice retreat. Plenty of parking. Clean bathrooms, but look at some of the signs that I took pictures of, lol. Service - 5 stars, See above. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Thank you to the state of TN for such a great welcome center. read more

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Wow what a beautiful Welcome Center, well organized information easy access,really pleasant professional people to help answer questions. Really enjoyed this amazing location! read more

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Not the most welcoming welcome center we've visited. We stopped in on a horribly stormy night and not one employee even acknowledged our existence. We stayed for some time since it was pouring outside, we looked at all of the exhibits, looked at several pamphlets, talked about visiting several places but NOT ONE employee asked to assist us, they were too busy chatting with each other. Y'all need to do better! read more

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Top Notch Visitor Center Look for the Bass Pro pyramid on the waterfront and you're right near this Visitor Center. Plenty of free parking in their own lot. As we entered the center, a fine gentleman, I think his name was Eloy, asked for my phone/camera. He then proceeded to take us to the various photo opportunities around the center and took pictures of us with the big egg, B.B. King, Elvis and the Welcome to Tennessee sign. He explained a lot about the area, recommended things to do and also things that were not a good value. He gave us maps and many brochures and was very helpful when it came to explaining how the riverboat cruises operate. Go to the center first before starting your exploration of Memphis. Hopefully, you'll run into our new friend Eloy. He'll take care of ya'll. read more

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On my way back to where I was staying I decided to stop in here to pick up some information on nearby attractions so I could be up on some of the what's happening nearby. I'm glad that I did because it let me know a little more information on places I had no idea about and clued me in on some I did know about it. This is known as the B.B. King and Elvis Presley Visitor Center, however if you weren't over in this area, you wouldn't be aware that this exists. This sits along the river and not far from the Pyramid. Like I said, if you weren't over here already, you wouldn't know. When I first walked by this I was just going to keep going on my return. When you look at this, you think it might be an office for park employees, like a ranger station. Inside, it is rather large, restrooms for use and loads of literature on nearby attractions and attractions throughout the state of Tennessee. This is also a welcomed stop when it is hot as all be outside. You might not want to leave once you come inside. read more

The starting point of our Memphis downtown tour. A beautiful, clean visitor welcome center where the statues of two Kings are in placed. A big plus! Another plus, an egg faberge in front of the building- photo op spot. read more

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Phyllis is absolutely wonderful!. This is our 2nd stop here in about 11 years & this stop was soooo different from our first stop. This visit we walked in & Phyllis greeted us, offered to take photos for us & gave us a wonderful recommendation on where to have lunch. (Take her advice!) She was just a ray of sunshine on a rainy day! I definitely recommend stopping in to check out the exhibits and the statues of BB King & Elvis. The Memphis egg is outside too! It's also a great place to get photos w the bridge behind you. Last, I'd recommend stopping here for info on restaurants/activities in Memphis & a restroom break. Thank you Phyllis! read more

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Our Memphis City Bus Tour started at the Welcome Center. We stopped for about 20 minutes to take photos and get city brochures. Immediately as you enter, a guide is available to take pictures of you with the enormous Elvis statue. Phyllis was wonderful! She took photos of each group in front of and behind the statue. I was with my best girlfriend, so we were told to reach for Elvis' butt. The groups with men and women had a pose with the woman reaching and the man standing beside her. It was fun and got us all laughing. The Welcome Center has old black and white photos of famous icons and another statue of BB King. It was a cool experience. We all gathered back on the bus to start our city tour. read more

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[1009] 9/2019 Very cool and welcoming Welcome center :) Plenty of parking for cars and buses. The inside was big. They had statues of Elvis and other music figures. There was a wall with history and tv's with local places to visit. Nice clean bathroom. The back opened up to the water so it was nice to stand out there and view the bridge. The bridge has a light show (not sure how often) but it was really cool to watch (see my video). If I am in the area I would definitely visit again read more

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Wow what a great welcome center! I believe the gal's name that helped us was Phyllis, and boy was she a wealth of information about Memphis! We greatly appreciated her time and knowledge. She helped us decide what to do with our few hours we had while passing through. We definitely plan to go back to Memphis after talking to her! The center itself was very large and beautiful and informative. Had tons of information on the entire state (as expected) with an incredible view of the river outside! Two large statues inside, BB King and Elvis, as well as a small display about the civil war. Plenty of parking, very clean, and large clean restrooms. read more

Tennessee State Welcome Center - Tours Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Great to stop and take an all that it is MEMPHIS! You're all ready right there at the view of the river and walking distance from Mud Island, Bass Pro Shop and Riverside Dr.(just to name a few places/but get the idea) By the way,... Did you know that you can book a room at Bass Pro Shop? And you can book a Spa day too!?!? Yes! You can! :)) And you get the whole family together to BOWL inside Bass Pro Shop at Uncle Bucks- So get your bowl on too!! And as a bonus there's an eatery inside. You Win! You Win! All things Memphis! Including AutoZone Baseball Park where the MEMPHIS Redbirds play and The FedEx Forum(Memphis Grizzlies) Then you have all of Main Street to take in... so walkable and of course surely not leaving out The Famous Beale Street There's so much information to absorb from Eating (Arcade Restaurant ex:) to Dancing (Rumba Room ex:) to Music History (Memphis Rock and Soul and so many others including STAX ex:) Oh yea! I mentioned a little bit about food but as far as MEMPHIS goes there's just way too many yummy places to eat (LIKE) The tasty and famous Gus's Fried Chicken and BBQ Best Central BBQ in walking distance of the National Civil Rights Museum Here's something else-Make your way to Peabody to see The Famous Peabody Ducks and eat at The Capriccio Grill inside the Peabody Make it a day-Stay at Westin, eat breakfast buffet early risers:) then walk across the street to Memphis Rock and Soul simply explore and snatch a ticket to a game or concert at The FedEx Forum If you end up at South Main that's S. Main Street eat at South of Beale it's called SOB and take a selfie everywhere you go just because:) There's much to do so get going!! Y'all are in for a treat when you visit MEMPHIS! Enjoy your stay!! :)) read more

Welcome and info stand. Bathrooms are clean and there is a drinking fountain. What was missing in the entire building: was just maps of Tennessee! The pamphlets were picked thru. The tour guides were talking shop. Review: 3 read more

The Tennessee Welcome Center is just off the Riverside Drive Exit of Interstate 40. There are tons of maps & brochures & a helpful Staff. Photo-worthy displays depicting Memphis History & Tourist Attractions. Restrooms, Drink & Snack Machines. Great views of the Hernando de Soto Bridge, with its 200 lights outlining the "M" shape @ night. In 1986, I was one of many thousands Downtown watching the Sunset, & waiting for total darkness when MLGW threw the switch & the lights came on for the 1st time. The Swiss-made Monorail that runs the 1/3 mile from Front St. to Mud Island River Park is overhead. The Center is adjacent to Jefferson Davis Park to the South, so you will want to continue walking the Riverside Promenade. Complimentary ~ but Limited ~ Parking (5) 10'x10' Gazebos with Picnic Tables A few Benches Hours:: 7a - 11p A Security Guard constantly patrols the immediate area. read more

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This place is impossible to find from the freeway unless you use GPS since it's not located on the side of the freeway. There was a sign telling drivers what exit to take to get here, but that was pretty much it. After you exit the freeway, there's no more direction on where to go and you pretty much just kind have to pull over and look up the address for this welcome center in your Google Maps and then follow direction. You also need to use your eyes when you're almost here because Google Maps doesn't actually take you here, if that makes any sense at all. If you're planning on doing any of the Memphis attractions like Graceland, stop by here and get some discount coupons for your group. The staff who was helping me was also super friendly and very thorough in explaining what types of ticket I should get. On top of that, she also showed me a more scenic route to take if I were planning to drive up to to Nashville (I didn't - but I wanted to know anyway) instead of taking the regular highway. They also have a couple of bronze statues of B.B. King and Elvis for you to take a picture with The only downside? They don't have any sign that says "Welcome to Tennessee" anywhere in the building to take a picture with. read more

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Clean!!!!!!! Great place to stop for information and maps. Cool statues and pictures. Staff was full of information. Nice views of the river, and river boats. Spend some time wandering around. read more

Lots of Elvis Presley & BB King photos and 2 larger then life statues of both of them. Some brochures of things to do in Memphis and Tennessee read more

Very nice welcome center! Very clean bathrooms. There is plenty of information inside and brochures that feature many attractions in the State of Tennessee , especially Memphis. There is even a cute Elvis statue. I absolutely love Memphis. It has a bad reputation, but I think it's a wonderful city full of character. This is the perfect place to welcome people to the great state of Tennessee. read more

Elvis is here! Don't miss your photo op! Workers are nice and informative. Lots of brochures and coupons. Clean building, restroom available, and free parking. I wish there was a gift shop tho, as hubby and I collect magnets from wherever we go. read more