Memphis in 5 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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5 days: the city core is done by day 4, so day 5 heads south
Honest note up front: Memphis’s own sights are covered inside four days. A fifth day is best spent on a Mid-South day trip rather than a repeat museum, and Clarksdale, Mississippi, the Delta blues pilgrimage, is the standout choice. Expect roughly $80-140 a person per day depending on how the Clarksdale day runs; the main budget guide covers the city-side numbers. Want the day trips to be the main event instead of a single add-on? The Memphis, Tennessee base itinerary builds a whole different 5-day trip around the Mid-South. Only have four days here, the 4-day itinerary covers everything except Day 5.
Book these before you go
- A timed Graceland ticket for Day 2, especially near Elvis Week (Aug 8-16 2026)
- A rental car (or confirm your own) for Day 5, Clarksdale isn’t reachable without one
Day 1: Beale Street and the Civil Rights Museum
Beale Street by day (free), then the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (roughly $25 adult / $22 child / $23 senior-student, closed Tuesdays), BBQ at Rendezvous or Central BBQ, then Beale Street at night.
Day 2: Graceland and Sun Studio
Graceland (Whitehaven, car needed, roughly $85 adult / $49 youth standard tour, or about $53 entry-level), then Sun Studio (roughly $15 adult / $10 ages 5-11).
Day 3: Stax, Overton Park and Big River Crossing
Stax Museum of American Soul Music (Soulsville, roughly $20/$16, closed Mondays), Overton Park (free), Big River Crossing (free, into West Memphis, Arkansas).
Day 4: Midtown and Shelby Farms
Cooper-Young and Overton Square (free to walk), Shelby Farms Park (free, 4,500 acres, east side).
Days 1-4 ticket costs (per person): roughly $106-145 total.
Day 5: Clarksdale, Mississippi, the Delta blues pilgrimage
Clarksdale sits roughly 75-95 minutes south of Memphis on Highway 61, and it’s the standout Mid-South day trip: the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, Ground Zero Blues Club (co-owned by Morgan Freeman), the Delta Blues Museum, and Red’s Juke Joint for an authentic live blues room. It’s also the northern anchor of the Mississippi Blues Trail, so the drive itself has a narrative, not just a destination. This is a genuine day trip, not a rushed half-day; budget the full day and drive back to Memphis for the evening.
A car is required for Clarksdale, there’s no realistic transit option, so rent one or confirm you have access before this day. The same practical safety note applies on the highway as it does in the city: don’t leave valuables visible in a parked car, whether it’s outside Ground Zero Blues Club or back at your Memphis hotel.
Day 5 costs: mainly the drive and casual meals in Clarksdale; the sights themselves (walking the Crossroads, the Delta Blues Museum’s exterior, Red’s cover charge on a live-music night) are inexpensive relative to a full Graceland-style ticket.
| Days | Focus | Ticket costs (per person) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | Beale Street, Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax, Overton Park, Big River Crossing, Midtown, Shelby Farms | roughly $106-145 |
| 5 | Clarksdale, MS: the Crossroads, Delta Blues Museum, Ground Zero Blues Club | modest, mostly meals and a live-music cover |
One concrete money tip: fill the gas tank in Memphis before you head south, gas stations thin out once you’re off the interstate. Book Graceland ahead for Day 2; Day 5 needs nothing but a car and a full tank.