Memphis in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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7 days: the city core, two day trips, and a slower final day back home
A full week gives Memphis’s city sights four days, two Mid-South day trips (Clarksdale, then Tunica), and a seventh day back in the city for whatever the first four missed, rather than a third day trip. This bare-city version stays city-first even at a week’s length; for a trip where the day trips are the actual point, see the Memphis, Tennessee base itinerary instead, which adds Oxford, Shiloh, and a Clarksdale overnight. Expect roughly $80-150 a person per day depending on the day trips; the main budget guide covers the city-side numbers. Shorter trip, the 6-day itinerary covers everything here except Day 7.
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 Days 5 and 6
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).
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), Shelby Farms Park (free, 4,500 acres).
Days 1-4 ticket costs (per person): roughly $106-145 total.
Day 5: Clarksdale, Mississippi
About 75-95 minutes south on Highway 61, Clarksdale is the Delta blues pilgrimage: the Crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, Ground Zero Blues Club (Morgan Freeman co-owns it), the Delta Blues Museum, and Red’s Juke Joint, the northern anchor of the Mississippi Blues Trail. Budget the full day, car required.
Day 6: Tunica, Mississippi
Roughly 30-45 minutes south, Tunica’s casino corridor plus the Gateway to the Blues Museum make for a lighter day after Clarksdale’s longer drive.
Day 7: back in the city, the things the first four days skipped
Round out the week with the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum (roughly $16 adult / $12 youth, near FedExForum), the Memphis Music Hall of Fame (roughly $8/$6), and the Bass Pro Shops store at the Pyramid, free to browse its indoor cypress swamp, with “The Lookout” observation deck roughly $8-10 if you want the view. If you haven’t caught the Peabody Duck March yet (free, 11am and 5pm), this is the day to fit it in.
One honest note for the week: at a Clarksdale club, a Tunica casino lot, or downtown Memphis, the practical safety concern is car break-ins, not violent crime. “Stow It, Don’t Show It” applies everywhere on this trip.
| Days | Focus | Ticket costs (per person) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | City core: Beale Street, Civil Rights Museum, Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax, Overton Park, Big River Crossing, Midtown, Shelby Farms | roughly $106-145 |
| 5 | Clarksdale, MS | modest, mostly meals and a live-music cover |
| 6 | Tunica, MS | variable, gaming budget is your own call |
| 7 | Rock ’n’ Soul Museum, Music Hall of Fame, Bass Pro Shops | roughly $8-26 |
One concrete money tip: save the Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and Music Hall of Fame for Day 7 rather than cramming them into Day 1 or 2, both are quick, cheap stops that work well as a lower-key close to the week. Book Graceland ahead; everything else on Day 7 is walk-up.