My friends had recommended Stax to me for years, but I was always hesitant to visit because I…read moreremembered the surrounding area feeling a little rough and intimidating. This time, when a friend came to town, I finally worked up the courage to explore it together. To my surprise, the neighborhood has changed so much. The area is now well developed and organized, completely different from what I remembered. I really enjoyed taking my time reading through the exhibits and learning about the history of soul music and the incredible artists who shaped it. There was something deeply emotional about learning about the decline of the community and studio, while also witnessing its rebirth and preservation. It made the visit feel inspiring and meaningful beyond just music history. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Memphis!

What a wonderful museum for soul music/ black history lovers alike. The history in this place is…read moreamazing. About an hour (more or less) to get through at your own pace. This is a must visit Front desk guy is so friendly and helpful!

I visited Graceland with my wife and friends recently as it was a tour off our American Cruise Line…read moreMississippi River cruise. It was definitely nice to come off our ship and get bussed right over to our stop. This is a place that I have heard about for years (my whole life) and was finally going to have an opportunity to visit. In a word or two... This was not at all what I expected. Coming from Long Island, NY I expected to see a building the size of the Taj Majal. I drive locally and see groups of houses larger than what I was about to walk into. BUT when I entered... It is magnificent and the beautiful and progressive indoors and surrounding area was better than I could have ever imagined. Hard to believe that Elvis was only 22 years old when he purchased the Graceland estate. The big beautiful mansion and living area is clearly the separated house from the the rest of the estate where the shops and attractions, museums, and dining facilities are. We had a very short wait for the tour shuttle bus to take us to the mansion for our VIP tour. (which essentially means that you could go in and come back on the same day.) The tour includes an interactive iPad tour of the living room, piano room), dining room, the kitchen, TV room, pool room, and the famous Jungle Room. All the rooms were very well lit and actually very comfortable. I could see myself sitting on a couch our chair laughing and enjoying conversation with my friends. It was all over the top lovely and a home way ahead of it's time. All the rooms are all very special and I found the kitchen much like any home in the 60's. I also loved the TV room where there were multiple mounted TVs in the wall. How progressive was that. There is a certain feeling you get as you walk through the house and knew how much he loved it and enjoyed being with his family here. It is truly a special place. (More to be written on the 'Graceland" review. Surrounding the mansion the tour continues to his dad's office, the Racquetball Building, museum of all of Elvis's personal effects (with so much significant memorabilia,) and finally the Meditation Garden, which is a beautiful somber area where his graves and those of all his family member are located. I will finish with the thought I need to come back and look again, see what I missed and just let my mind wonder and become a part of the incredible space KUDOs to the wonderful team here and all the great efforts taken to keep this piece of history so well kept.

Booked a tour for my husband and I for his 40th birthday and I highly recommended it. I would do an…read moreearlier tour so you can have time to check out all the exhibits. We went at 11:45 and Christy was our tour guide for the ultimate vip tour. I highly recommend her, she gave us so many stories and took her time explaining everything. She grew up across the street from Elvis! She knows her stuff. Seeing Elvis's home was amazing and you really have to check it out!

Being able to visit the studio where Elvis recorded for the first time was something that really…read moreintrigued us. We weren't sure how interesting the actual studio and tour would be, but we quickly realised we were in for a unique and cultural experience that would have us recommending the tour to everyone who would listen. Hearing the stories about Elvis, how he was discovered and recorded and became the icon we know today was an absolute pleasure. If you're a fan of Elvis, looking for something unique to do in Memphis or just want to learn about a huge piece of musical history, this tour is for you.

Sun studio was one of my favorite tours that I took on my trip to Memphis. The history behind the…read morerecording studio was amazing and you could clearly tell that the tour guide was very passionate about his job and the music. The studio was very clean and well organized. I cannot recommend this enough. It is a great time for all ages and does not take more than 2 hours.

5* Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum Must-see visit…read moreThe history of rock 'n' roll and soul music two blocks from Beale Street

The cultural impact on the U.S. and the music recording industry being celebrated by this museum is…read moreextremely important! But there isn't much to the museum itself. With a 90-minute tour recommended, it's a very quick loop that can be made in about 20 minutes, even if you savor the exhibits. The on-stage clothing from various celebrities like Al Green, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash is all very interesting! The impact of black musicians is evident, something that should be heralded. Ike Turner's first piano is a pleasant surprise! And perhaps the crown jewel of the exhibit comes at the very end, the Ardent Studios soundboard that mixed albums for every group ranging from Led Zeppelin to Juvenile, old school rock to modern hip hop. But the tour is far too short to warrant the $16 entry fee.

Got an email from the museum stating they offer free general admission on every third Thursday of…read moreeach month. Took advantage of that and visited with my mom, son and niece. I hadn't been since I was a kid, so I was excited to visit again. For the most part, a lot was the same as I remember and I was excited to show the kids. There were a few new things too, which was cool. We didn't get a chance to do the planetarium ($5 on the free third Thursdays) nor the giant screen theater (also $5). Next time, I for sure want to take my son inside the planetarium because it was my most favorite thing as a kid. Hopefully, he'll love it too. As an adult, the museum definitely seems a bit random and there's not a whole lot that's interesting (unless you're a huge science/history fan). Overall, the kids enjoyed themselves and that's all that matters.

Not the best museum we've been to but definitely not the worst either. The floor plan and flow of…read morehow to move throughout is a bit confusing. Tickets must be bought online and cannot be bought at the counter. The exhibits felt a bit dated and light compared to other museums we've enjoyed. Facilities weren't exactly great either. The mini circus is cool to see other than that, not a whole lot else that's unique.

The spirit of Elvis is alive here!…read more Come and walk in his shoes, be at the same places in time that he had been in ! This tour was most impressive, learning about the city that Elvis adorned and always came back too! It's interesting and entertaining! Make the most and go with the best!

Well worth the trip. It was a phenomenal tour. We were so impressed by the size and quality of…read morethe tour. 17 acres for the house and surrounding buildings about 1.5hrs. The museum took an additional 2.5 hrs to complete. Very well done. Bravo.

As a huge fan of Meow Wolf, I was so excited for BVO! I'm equally excited to see Mud Island being…read morebrought back to life in such a unique way. They've done an exceptional job with it and we had a blast. If you are unfamiliar, it is an immersive fantasy-like steampunk experience. It feels something like a "go at your own pace, choose your own adventure" escape room without the stress of escape room vibes. You go through different rooms and exhibits - and are free to push, pull, open, climb through, etc. to find the secrets of BVO. You can also try to find all of the hidden artifacts (scan points) - which is a fun way to compete with friends (or by yourself - trying to find them all was a ton of fun!). A few notes for the early months of the exhibit opening: 1: the full exhibit is not open, only phase 1. This means it is quite a bit shorter/smaller, and doesn't take too terribly long to get through. On one hand, it will be fun to continue returning as they open new phases to get all new experiences each time. On the other hand, especially if you've been to Meow Wolf, it does feel noticeably incomplete/phase 1. 2: They've posted a ton of photos on their website and even here on yelp of areas that are locked behind future phases. Thus, at this time - you will NOT see the riverboat and some of the other exhibits. They really should be more clear as to what is actually open right now. 3: It is new and they are working out the kinks, so our wristband scanners didn't work quite right and our final "artifact" count was off because we couldn't get some of them to scan properly. 4: last thing - when googling, be careful of spoilers! I imagine as this gains momentum, people are going to post all the secrets, which could make it less fun for the adventurer. Overall, I highly recommend visiting, though you should manage your expectations in the early phase. Please go support this awesome, local, new venue! And enjoy the park, the Memphis sign, and such while you are there;)

I'm pretty conflicted with this place. Everything we saw on it didn't really explain what it was…read more So my husband and I had no idea what to expect going in. We thought maybe it was like an escape room? Or maybe it was just a museum? Well, first of all, whoever owns mud island needs to clean the place up and get the river running. That alone would make this place a lot better to visit! BVO is tucked away upstairs. You get a wrist band and basically have to collect as many scans as you can find. When we first walked in, I was pretty shocked at how it looked. I mean, the whole place is neat, but the concept is confusing as all hell. First your eyes have to adjust to how dark it is in there. Then there are some things you have to solve to open the scan box, but there is literally no instructions, hints, or slight clues on what to do. We entered another room and had to do some crawling. Physical activity was not explained before entering this place. A few spots we were supposed to listen to either noises or voices, but it was so loud with kids screaming and echos that we couldn't hear. Some of the scans didn't work. One may have worked for my husband, but not me. And there was again no clues to suggest we needed to solve something to get the scan. Another area had a slide and viewing globes like you would find at the prairie dog's area at the zoo. So then it dawned on me that this place was more for kids to run around and interact with things. Not so much for adults. The concept here is great... but it needs MAJOR work. This was also phase 1, so here's to hoping the other phases improve drastically.

I recommend visiting but was unimpressed with the surrounding campus…read more Besides my traveling group, the museum was devoid of any other guests--despite being a Saturday and having free admission. While much of the art and sculpture in the large gallery was interesting, the small Egyptian antiquities exhibit was the show-stealer.

I really enjoy this place. It's free and open on Saturday! They usually have some visiting or local…read moreexhibit in the main gallery. But the prize at this small museum is the Egyptian antiquities. There isn't a huge selection, but the largest in Memphis. This place is definitely worth a visit.