Memphis in 6 Days: Budget + Day Trips
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6 days: a Clarksdale overnight, then Oxford and Shiloh
Six days gives Clarksdale room to be an actual overnight at the Shack Up Inn, then adds Oxford’s literary scene and Shiloh’s Civil War battlefield, the furthest of the Mid-South day trips. Expect roughly $85-165 a person per day; the main Memphis, Tennessee guide covers the city-side numbers. Tighter schedule, the 5-day itinerary covers everything here except the Clarksdale overnight and Shiloh. More time, the 7-day itinerary adds one more day to breathe.
Book these before you go
- A timed Graceland ticket for Day 1
- A Shack Up Inn room in Clarksdale for Day 3 night
- A rental car for Days 3-6, none of Clarksdale, Tunica, Oxford or Shiloh has a transit option
Day 1: Beale Street and the Civil Rights Museum
Beale Street by day (free), 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, Beale Street at night.
Day 2: Graceland and Sun Studio
Graceland (Whitehaven, car needed, roughly $85 adult / $49 youth, or about $53 entry-level), Sun Studio (roughly $15 adult / $10 ages 5-11).
Days 1-2 ticket costs (per person): roughly $90-125.
Day 3: Clarksdale, Mississippi, with an overnight
Roughly 75-95 minutes south on Highway 61: the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, the Delta Blues Museum, Ground Zero Blues Club (Morgan Freeman co-owns it), and Red’s Juke Joint for the evening. Stay the night at the Shack Up Inn’s sharecropper-shack lodging rather than driving back.
Day 4: Tunica on the way back
Head north through Tunica, roughly 30-45 minutes from Clarksdale, for its casino corridor and the Gateway to the Blues Museum before returning to Memphis for the night.
Day 5: Oxford, Mississippi
Roughly 80-90 minutes southeast of Memphis: Ole Miss, Rowan Oak (William Faulkner’s home), Square Books, and the town square, a literary-and-culture day.
Day 6: Shiloh National Military Park
Roughly 2-2.3 hours east of Memphis, Shiloh is a major 1862 Civil War battlefield with a well-preserved site and an interpretive center, the furthest and most self-contained of the day trips on this list. Plan for the full day given the drive time.
One honest note across all four day-trip days: the practical safety concern, whether in Clarksdale, Tunica, Oxford or at Shiloh, is car break-ins, not violent crime, same as it is downtown in Memphis. “Stow It, Don’t Show It,” nothing left visible in a parked car.
| Day | Focus | Ticket costs (per person) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | City core: Beale Street, Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio | roughly $90-125 |
| 3 | Clarksdale overnight: Crossroads, Delta Blues Museum, Ground Zero, Shack Up Inn | modest sight costs, lodging is the main spend |
| 4 | Tunica: casinos, Gateway to the Blues Museum | variable, gaming budget is your own call |
| 5 | Oxford: Ole Miss, Rowan Oak, Square Books | modest, mostly a bookstore and lunch budget |
| 6 | Shiloh National Military Park | modest, a battlefield entry and gas for the longest drive of the trip |
One concrete money tip: book the Shack Up Inn as early as any ticket on this trip, its rooms are limited and the ones worth having go first. Book Graceland ahead too, and budget extra fuel for Shiloh’s longer round trip.