Day Trip Ideas for Interesting Places Outside of Memphis

Memphis is a city of culture and diverse people, and therefore, provides enough entertainment for weeks. However, if you're interested in visiting more in the South than just Memphis, Tennessee, may we suggest a few other inviting places, nearby.

Tunica, Mississippi

One of Mississippi's most popular destinations is Tunica. Tunica is located just 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee. Flat delta cotton fields give way to the glittering lights of nine casinos located on or near the mighty Mississippi River. Try your luck at the slots or sip on a cocktail and take in those warm Mississippi nights. Tunica is the place for a little rest and relaxation. It offers outlet shopping, golfing, museums to be explored, and because it's in the wetlands, fantastic fishing oppurtunities. Take a ride on Tunica Queen, a 300-passenger paddle-wheel riverboat that would make Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn proud. It cruises up and down the Mighty Mississippi 5 times a day, giving everyone the chance to ride. On board there is a state-of-the-art video system with 5 plasma screens providing passengers with an exclusive video documentary on the history of river boating, and a series of sophisticated cameras will enable passengers to enjoy picturesque views of the river. The remote controlled cameras allow the captain to zoom-in on the fascinating sights along the bank as he narrates.

Admission is free over at the Tunica Museum, so you have no reason not to go. Take a trip to the Old South and back to present again, as you walk through the museum. Experience what Tunica life was like before the casinos came to town. It even offers a short introduction video that you can see before you begin your self-guided, self-paced tour.

The largest museum of Tunica, is the brand new Tunica River Park Museum. This high-tech museum traces the history of the Mississippi River from it's prehistoric past all the way to present day. There are rare artifacts on display, educational videos that are presented on plasma screens, four aquariums, and interactive exhibits. Their mission is to educate the public, with specific emphasis on the impact that the European Explorers had on the Native Americans that were already here. They make it known that they are not here to sugar-coat the history of Mississippi, they are here to educate. There is a fee to get into this museum, although it's quite small.

Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo, as any true Elvis fan would know, is the birthplace and site of he King's childhood home. The small house, the adjacent Elvis Presley Museum, and memorial chapel, draw nearly 100,000 visitors each year. This tiny little house, although small, is the only place in the world where you can see, feel, and touch where the King of Rock 'n Roll began his journey to stardom.

However, that's not all there is to see while visiting Tupelo, which is located just under 2 hours from Memphis. This bustling little town is right smack in the middle of an elongated national park that stretches from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, known as the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Don't forget to stop by the Tupelo Automobile Museum, while in town. This museum features 120,000 square feet of automobile displays and open viewing restoration bays, so you can see the masters of this art at work. It's home to over 100 antique, classic, and collectible cars, which are chronologically displayed for your convenience. The order of the display also helps to demonstrate how far the industry has come in over 100 years of automobile designing and engineering. The collection is valued at over $6 million, and includes a car that belonged to Elvis Presley, as well as other vehicles that belonged to celebrities.

Clarksdale, Mississippi

Clarksdale, Mississippi is just over an hour and a half from Memphis, Tennesse, but is worth the drive, because while Memphis is the birthplace of rock & roll, Clarksdale is the home of the blues.

The most popular attraction in Clarksdale, is probably the Delta Blues Museum, and with good reason. For any Muddy Waters fan, this is your Graceland. Inside the museum, they actually have the cabin that Muddy Waters grew up in. While this museum is the most well known attraction in Clarksdale, it's certainly not the only one.

The Hopson Plantation Comissary stands today in much the same condition as it did 50 years ago, during it's glory days in Clarksdale. The building is full of antique and historical items which recreate an atmosphere reminiscent of of the deep south Delta. In 1935 this plantation became the first in the world to be a completely mechanized cotton operation. Tours of this plantation are available.

Be sure to check out the area cemeteries for the blues pioneers that are now buried there, and to pay your respects to the forefathers of such a well known and widely enjoyed genre of music that is native to America.