Photo of tug pushing barge down the Mississippi River at the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge

Find What’s Nearby

Memphis’s MidSouth location makes the city a perfect home base for those who love exploring on the weekends.

Bluff City is a short drive from several great American destinations, from Atlanta, Georgia to St. Louis, Missouri. Here, you’ll find guides to a few places of note—and most are less than a six-hour drive from downtown. 

Destination

Travel time

Statue of James Meredith

Music, art and college life define the culture of Oxford, MS, home of the University of Mississippi—known more commonly as Ole Miss. The town of roughly 26,000 boasts a wealth of galleries and performing arts venues, many of which are celebrated during a monthly art crawl, held the fourth Tuesday of every month. In spring, the Double Decker Arts Festival showcases talented local artists as well as the region’s top bands and singer-songwriters.

Explore Oxford
View of Broadway Bridge from Below

Situated on the Arkansas River, Little Rock is teeming with historical sites and major arts institutions. Take a tour of Little Rock Central High School, where desegregation began, or visit the newly renovated Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. For an authentic Delta diner experience, try Doe’s Eat Place, serving hot tamales and chili, once the unofficial headquarters of former President Bill Clinton’s campaign staffers.

Explore Little Rock
Wooden pews in the Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music in Nashville Tennessee

The state capital is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, legendary music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and other lively honky-tonks that make Nashville a must-visit destination for country music lovers. But the state capital also boasts a thriving arts community, a critically acclaimed food scene, three professional sports teams and plenty of recreational activities.

Explore Nashville
Budweiser Clydesdales in parade in St. Louis, M0.

Situated along the Mississippi River, St. Louis offers plenty to satisfy curious travelers, from sports history and action to signature cuisine, blues music and craft breweries. Anheuser-Busch was founded here in 1852 and its local brewery is a national historic landmark open for public tours; and blues aficionados flock to St. Louis to learn about the city’s influence on American song. 

Explore St. Louis
World of Coca Cola in Atlanta, Georgia.

The state capital and most populous city in Georgia, Atlanta has grown into a modern metropolis since hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics. The city’s world-class cultural scene boasts a Grammy-award winning symphony orchestra, the renowned High Museum of Art and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. 

Explore Atlanta
photo of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Located at the end of the Mississippi River, New Orleans is where Caribbean, Spanish, French and African cultures come together to forge a city full of history, culinary experiences, incredible architecture, and festival fun. Take a self-guided food tour in the historic French Quarter, where you’ll find a mix of traditional French restaurants and delicious authentic African fare.

Explore New Orleans
 Ivana Cajina | Unsplash

A national park whose forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains offers camping, hiking, and nature-peeping. A drive from the Smoky Mountains to Memphis includes exciting stops along the way, such as in Nashville and Knoxville, where you can visit the Johnny Cash Museum or the Market Square District with its 19th-century buildings housing shops and restaurants.

Explore the Great Smoky Mountains
Pensacola Beach Florida water tower in front of sandy beach, blue ocean and boardwalk

Memphians looking for a vacation spot will find paradise in the pristine beaches of Pensacola, located in the Florida panhandle. But there’s more to this paradise than its sugar-white sands and cerulean seas, with a downtown city center that’s buzzing with restaurants and boutiques selling fine art, handmade jewelry, and eclectic home furnishings. The Frisky Mermaid offers daily dolphin boat tours.

Explore Pensacola
Statue of James Meredith

Music, art and college life define the culture of Oxford, MS, home of the University of Mississippi—known more commonly as Ole Miss. The town of roughly 26,000 boasts a wealth of galleries and performing arts venues, many of which are celebrated during a monthly art crawl, held the fourth Tuesday of every month. In spring, the Double Decker Arts Festival showcases talented local artists as well as the region’s top bands and singer-songwriters.

Explore Oxford
View of Broadway Bridge from Below

Situated on the Arkansas River, Little Rock is teeming with historical sites and major arts institutions. Take a tour of Little Rock Central High School, where desegregation began, or visit the newly renovated Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. For an authentic Delta diner experience, try Doe’s Eat Place, serving hot tamales and chili, once the unofficial headquarters of former President Bill Clinton’s campaign staffers.

Explore Little Rock
Wooden pews in the Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of Country Music in Nashville Tennessee

The state capital is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, legendary music venues such as the Grand Ole Opry House and other lively honky-tonks that make Nashville a must-visit destination for country music lovers. But the state capital also boasts a thriving arts community, a critically acclaimed food scene, three professional sports teams and plenty of recreational activities.

Explore Nashville
Budweiser Clydesdales in parade in St. Louis, M0.

Situated along the Mississippi River, St. Louis offers plenty to satisfy curious travelers, from sports history and action to signature cuisine, blues music and craft breweries. Anheuser-Busch was founded here in 1852 and its local brewery is a national historic landmark open for public tours; and blues aficionados flock to St. Louis to learn about the city’s influence on American song. 

Explore St. Louis
World of Coca Cola in Atlanta, Georgia.

The state capital and most populous city in Georgia, Atlanta has grown into a modern metropolis since hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics. The city’s world-class cultural scene boasts a Grammy-award winning symphony orchestra, the renowned High Museum of Art and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. 

Explore Atlanta
photo of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

Located at the end of the Mississippi River, New Orleans is where Caribbean, Spanish, French and African cultures come together to forge a city full of history, culinary experiences, incredible architecture, and festival fun. Take a self-guided food tour in the historic French Quarter, where you’ll find a mix of traditional French restaurants and delicious authentic African fare.

Explore New Orleans
 Ivana Cajina | Unsplash

A national park whose forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains offers camping, hiking, and nature-peeping. A drive from the Smoky Mountains to Memphis includes exciting stops along the way, such as in Nashville and Knoxville, where you can visit the Johnny Cash Museum or the Market Square District with its 19th-century buildings housing shops and restaurants.

Explore the Great Smoky Mountains
Pensacola Beach Florida water tower in front of sandy beach, blue ocean and boardwalk

Memphians looking for a vacation spot will find paradise in the pristine beaches of Pensacola, located in the Florida panhandle. But there’s more to this paradise than its sugar-white sands and cerulean seas, with a downtown city center that’s buzzing with restaurants and boutiques selling fine art, handmade jewelry, and eclectic home furnishings. The Frisky Mermaid offers daily dolphin boat tours.

Explore Pensacola