Memphis in 2 Days: Budget + Day Trips
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2 days: one compressed city day, one Mid-South day trip
Two days isn’t enough for the full Memphis city core and a day trip both, so this version compresses the city into a single day and gives the second entirely to Tunica, Mississippi, the closest of the Mid-South day trips. Expect roughly $90-150 a person per day, mostly Graceland’s ticket and a modest gaming budget. Prefer to spend both days entirely in the city instead, see the bare 2-day Memphis itinerary . More time to add Clarksdale’s Delta blues sites too, the 3-day itinerary is next.
Book these before you go
- A timed Graceland ticket , non-negotiable for Day 1 morning
- A rental car for Day 2, Tunica has no realistic transit option
Day 1: Graceland, Sun Studio, and Beale Street
Start at Graceland (Whitehaven, about 9 miles south, car needed): the standard Elvis Experience tour runs roughly $85 adult / $49 youth, an entry-level Elvis Presley’s Memphis ticket about $53. It’s timed-entry, so book before you land. In the early afternoon, head to Sun Studio (706 Union Ave), roughly $15 adult / $10 ages 5-11, a 40-50 minute tour of the “Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll.” If the National Civil Rights Museum matters more to you than Sun Studio, they occupy roughly the same time slot, swap it in instead. In the evening, walk Beale Street (free by day, live music by night) and eat BBQ at Rendezvous or Central BBQ.
Day 1 ticket costs (per person): roughly $68-100.
Day 2: Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica sits roughly 30-45 minutes south of Memphis, the closest and quickest of the Mid-South day trips: a casino corridor, the Gateway to the Blues Museum, and the Tunica RiverPark. A car is required, there’s no transit option. Set a gaming budget before you arrive; it’s the one cost on this trip that isn’t a fixed ticket price.
One honest safety note that covers both days: the practical concern, in the city or in a casino parking lot, is car break-ins, not violent crime. “Stow It, Don’t Show It,” Memphis Police’s own phrase for it, applies at Graceland and in Tunica alike.
| Day | Focus | Ticket costs (per person) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graceland, Sun Studio, Beale Street | roughly $68-100 |
| 2 | Tunica: casinos, Gateway to the Blues Museum | variable, gaming budget is your own call |
One concrete money tip: book Graceland the moment your dates are set, it’s the single ticket on this two-day trip that can actually sell out, especially near Elvis Week (Aug 8-16 2026). Book ahead, and the Tunica day runs on nothing but a full tank of gas.