Insiders’ Guide to Memphis, 3rd
Visitors planning a trip to Memphis will find this comprehensive guide indispensable. Get the inside scoop on all of Memphis’s musical attractions, including Elvis’s Graceland and the Gibson Guitar Factory, and find out the best places to sleep, eat, and play in the city known as “the Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock and Roll.”
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I purchased this book for a “guys’ weekend” trip to Memphis in February 2008. Lots of good advice on finding the top ribs places (go to the Rendezvous, for sure) and the best live music venues (on and off Beale). Enjoyed this book’s discussion of the history of the city, civil rights, Elvis and neighborhoods. I recommend it for anyone making their first trip to Memphis for food and music.
Made the mistake, a couple times, of driving to a location that no longer exists (went out of business since the publication date of this guide). You would think I would have learned after the first one, and called ahead to make sure.
The guide is nothing special. I used it to guide me to three restaurants. Twice, I arrived to find the business long since had vanished. The third provided me an average BBQ dinner.
The guide does warn you against certain parts of town, regarding hotels. This is good advice. Memphis is a crime-ridden city. First night there, my inlaws had their car broken into. I stayed (paying a premium) at a spot that the book recommended would be safe. That worked out well.