Backbeat Tours Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets & Reservations
Advance purchases are highly recommended, as many tours do sell out. If you have not purchased your ticket in advance, please call us at (901) 527-9415 before heading for the tour to make sure that we have availability.
Many of our tours sell out, so we are unable to give refunds for cancellations or for late-arriving customers. We may be able to reschedule you to another tour with enough advance notice, though. If you know you will not be able to make your tour and your tour is more than 24 hours away, give us a call at (901) 527-9415 and we’ll do the best we can!
Directions, Parking, Hotel Pick-Ups
Within a few blocks there are four different parking garages, and several open-air parking lots. The closest garage to our location (just two blocks away) is at 149 Peabody Place between Second Street and BB King Blvd., next to the Hampton Inn.
You can try your luck with on-street metered parking, too, on Second Street just south of Beale; on Beale between Front and Second; or along Peabody Place from Front to Fourth Street.
Our physical address is 197 Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103.
Sorry, we do not offer pick-ups for any of our public tours.
Tours and Buses Generally
We only cancel bus tours if it is dangerous to drive, which, in Memphis, is very rare. We occasionally cancel walking tours when there is a serious rain event (but not for light rain). We do our best to contact our walking tour customers when there is a high chance of a downpour that could cause the tour to be cancelled. However, we aren’t always able to reach all of our customers, so please call us at (901) 527-9415 if you’re concerned about inclement weather for a tour you’ve booked.
No, we’re sorry, we can’t hold a tour for latecomers. Please try to be at our ticket podium at least 10 minutes before your tour. If you’re driving to our location and don’t know your way around Memphis, make sure you give yourself plenty of extra time and always allow extra time to find parking. We don’t want you to miss all the fun!
Yes!
The bus does not have a wheelchair lift, but if you have a collapsible wheelchair, have some mobility and can sit in a bus seat, we should have no problem accommodating you. There are four stairs from the curb up into the bus. Our drivers and guides will be happy to assist you in getting on and off. Please make a note in your booking or contact us at (901) 527-9415 to let us know what you need.
Yep, you can bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board. No ice chests, please, without prior approval. (We frequently don’t have room for ice chests.) If your group would like to bring an ice chest on the bus, please call us at (901) 527-9415.
Sorry, we ask that you do not bring food of any kind on the bus.
Yes! We love animals. We’ve had dogs, cats, parrots, and even a monkey on board. If the bus isn’t too crowded and our other passengers don’t object, well-mannered pets are welcome. Just keep your pet on a leash and/or in your control at all times. Ask at the ticket window or call (901) 527-9415 for approval.
If you enjoyed the trip, then by all means, yes! Our tour guides very much appreciate tips, not just because they need the money (who doesn’t?), but because it lets them know that you had a good time. The standard tip for a tour guide is 10-20% of the ticket price, depending on how much you enjoyed your tour. If you need cash for a tip, ask for change at our ticket window or ask your tour guide. We’ll even run the tip through on your credit card if you don’t have cash.
Private Tours & Charters
Yes. Both our music guides and our non-music guides are available on a step-on basis.
We don’t have a specific minimum, and it all depends on the tour. We also offer discounts to groups of 10 or more who wish to join any of our public walking or bus tours.
For transportation only, we can accommodate very large groups up to 1,000. We can usually accommodate up to 200 people at once on guided bus tours, and up to 100 at once on guided walking tours. If your group is larger than that, we may be able to work with you to stagger the starting times and accommodate more folks. Contact us at backbeattours@gmail.com or (901) 527-9415 for more information.
Yes! Contact us at backbeattours@gmail.com or at (901) 527-9415 for rates and information.
Other
If you ever have a question, give us a call at (901) 527-9415 or email us at backbeattours@gmail.com. We’ll help you with whatever information you need and you’ll already have made a friend in Memphis!
Two excellent sources for learning more about Memphis history are A History Lover’s Guide to Memphis and Shelby County, and The Guide to Historic Downtown Memphis. Copies are usually available for purchase at our ticket podium.
We always have room for talented guides. To see our current employment opportunities and apply for positions, click here.