Things to Do in Downtown Memphis

Things to do in downtown Memphis is a query the tourism sites answer with listing grids — none of which mention that Beale Street charges $5 on weekend nights, that Sun Studio's tour price went up, or that the trolley is literally free right now. Locals deserve the current version, so we verified all of it.

Here's downtown by the block: Beale, the riverfront, South Main, and the museums — with the free days marked. Deeper dives live in our Mud Island guide, the kids guide, the museums roundup, and what's happening this week. Downtown is one neighborhood of many, so the citywide things to do in Memphis guide covers the rest, and our neighborhood guide explains how the city fits together. And since half of any downtown plan is where to eat: the downtown restaurant guide works block by block, the rooftop bars guide handles the view, and the BBQ guide settles the Rendezvous question.

Beale Street, honestly

The most famous street in Memphis, with the fine print the brochures skip.

• Beale Street itself

  Free to walk by day — and know the 2026 rules after dark: a $5 security fee applies on select Friday, Saturday, and holiday nights from 9pm; all ages until 8pm, under-21s need a parent 8–11pm, and it's strictly 21+ after 11. Bag checks when the fee's on.

• Handy Park

  The free stage on Beale — buskers and open-air blues most days, plus seasonal series. The no-cover way to hear the street's actual soundtrack.

• A. Schwab

  The 1876 general store that outlived everything else on the street — three free floors of oddities and an old soda fountain. Daily from 11am.

• The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery

  Ernest Withers' civil-rights and music photography at 333 Beale — open Tue–Sun (till 9pm Fri–Sat), donation-based at the door.

The riverfront

Free, walkable, and better than it's been in decades.

• Tom Lee Park & River Garden

  The rebuilt riverfront: the Life on the River playground, the Sunset Canopy, hammock swings, and an all-ages treehouse — free, dawn to dusk-ish (Tom Lee runs 5am–8pm).

• The Mighty Lights

  The bridges light up every night, top and middle of each hour from sundown to the 10:30pm finale — free from anywhere on the riverfront.

• Big River Crossing

  Walk or bike the longest pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi — free, 6am–10pm daily.

• Mud Island & Baron Von Opperbean

  Memphis's newest attraction opened here in May — a free-roam immersive world in the old river museum — plus the walkable Riverwalk scale model. The pedestrian bridge is closed for construction, so drive in. Full Mud Island guide.

• Memphis Riverboats

  The 90-minute Mississippi sightseeing cruise, 2:30pm daily in season, from $25 at Beale Street Landing.

The icons & the museums

With the current prices — two of these changed recently.

• The Peabody Ducks

  11am down, 5pm up, every day, in the hotel lobby — no ticket needed. Arrive 30 minutes early; the rail fills.

• The Main Street Trolley — free right now

  The vintage rail cars are still parked, but the trolley buses run the Main Street loop seven days a week — and rides are currently $0 under MATA's Zero Fare pilot. The cheapest tour in Tennessee.

• Sun Studio

  The birthplace-of-rock tour runs daily on the half-hour, 10:30–4:30 — now $20 adults / $18 teens / $15 kids 5–11 (prices rose in 2026 — budget $20, not the $15 you may have seen), and famously no kids under 5. First come, first served.

• National Civil Rights Museum

  Essential — at the Lorraine Motel, open 9–6, closed Tuesdays, free for Tennessee residents Mondays from 3pm (state ID).

• Rock 'n' Soul + Memphis Music Hall of Fame

  The Smithsonian-built Memphis music story (daily 10–5, free all-day Tuesdays for Shelby County residents) and its $8 sibling at Second & Beale — the $21 combo covers both.

• Blues Hall of Fame

  The Blues Foundation's shrine on South Main — Tue–Sat 10–5, small admission (check blues.org). Pairs perfectly with a Trolley Night.

• Belz Museum of Asian Art

  Downtown's quietest wonder — a serious Qing- and Ming-dynasty collection under Main Street. Wed–Fri 10–5, weekends 12–5, and just $6 adults / $4 students.

• The Cotton Museum

  Inside the old Cotton Exchange trading floor on Union — the story of the crop that built the city, with a self-guided Cotton Row audio walk. Mon–Sat 10–5, Sun 1–5, $10 adults.

• South Main & Trolley Night

  The arts district struts on the last Friday of every month, 6–9pm — galleries and shops open late, music on the sidewalks, Memphis's longest-running street party. Also home to the renovated Cossitt Library (Mon–Thu 10–8), the city's oldest — its riverfront rooftop wing is still under redevelopment, so don't go hunting for it yet.

• Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park

  Downtown's easiest summer night: minor-league baseball with a free kids zone, Sunday base-running, and $8 parking. Tickets are digital-only.

• The Orpheum

  The grande dame of Main Street: the 2026–27 Broadway season brings Clue, Spamalot, The Great Gatsby, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — plus $10 behind-the-scenes tours (Mon–Wed mornings, book ~4 weeks out).

The honest answers