Add Some Memphis Mojo To Your Event
Don’t just visit Memphis, experience it! Backbeat Tours can take care of all your group’s tour and transportation needs. For large groups, we offer sightseeing tours, step-on guide service, bus charters, and walking tours. Our staff of trained professionals knows Memphis like no one else and is happy to arrange custom itineraries, dining, transportation, and admissions for your group. For conventions, we offer private shuttle bus and tour transportation, custom-designed tour itineraries, online ticketing and discount codes. Smaller groups of 12 to 30 may arrange for discounted admission to our public tours or a private charter. Most tours can be custom-tailored to include pick-ups from your location and visits to attractions or restaurants of your choice.
Don’t know where to start? Scroll down for ideas.
MUSIC
HISTORY
GHOSTS
DAY TRIPS
NIGHTLIFE
FOOD AND DRINK
OUTDOORS
TEAMBUILDING
TRANSPORTATION
MUSIC
Memphis Mojo Tour: Our most popular tour highlighting the best of musical Memphis. Click here for more info. (2-4 hrs.)
Graceland: The Home of the King; a must-see for any visitor to Memphis! (2-4 hrs.)
Memphis Music Attractions: One special tour that combines visits to three great musical attractions – Sun Studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum. (3 hrs.)
Hound Dog Tour: Follow in the footsteps of Elvis Presley on this exclusive tour of the city he called home. Click here for more info. (2-3 hrs.)
The Man in Black Tour: a fascinating look at the life and early career of Johnny Cash in Memphis. Click here for more info. (2 hrs.)
Sunset Tour: Let our musicians entertain you on this quick tour of Memphis’ downtown sights. A great pre-dinner activity. (1-1.5 hr.)
HISTORY
Memphis Historic Places Bus Tour: See the historic side of the city, including the Mississippi riverfront, Cotton Row, Fourth Bluff Park, Beale Street, St. Jude’s, Court Square, the Lorraine Motel, and Victorian Village. (1-4 hrs.)
Memphis Discovery Tour: A little bit of everything you love about Memphis. All the sights on our Historic Places Tour, plus visits to the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, the Peabody Duck March, Central BBQ for barbecue tasting, and Lansky’s or Schwab’s for souvenir shopping. (Cocktail or bourbon tasting may be added or substituted for another activity.) Click here for more info. (3-4 hrs.)
African American Heritage Tour: Visit the National Civil Rights Museum and Stax Museum of American Soul Music as we tell the story of African Americans in Memphis. This tour can be tailored to include visits to Slavehaven (a stop on the Underground Railroad), the W.C. Handy House, and/or a walking tour of Beale Street. (3-4 hrs.)
Downtown Walking History Tour: Learn the history of our colorful town as you walk through beautiful and historic downtown Memphis. Click here for more info. (1-2 hrs.)
Beale Street Walking Tour: Our tour guide will delight you with stories of bootleggers, bluesmen, gamblers and rakes as we show you the places that made this street the Home of the Blues. (45-60 mins.)
GHOSTS
Memphis Ghost Tour: Explore the world of ghosts, lost souls, and phantoms on this tour of paranormal Memphis. Available as a walking or bus tour. Click here for more info. (1.5-2 hrs.)
Dark Side of Memphis Tour: Death, disease, crime, and corruption come to life as we search for ghosts and dark tales from the city’s distant and not-so-distant past. (1 hr.)
DAY TRIPS
Tupelo Tour: Journey to Tupelo, Mississippi to tour Elvis’ birthplace and the town that shaped his early childhood. (7 hrs.)
Dyess Tour: Visit the Depression-era Dyess Colony and the boyhood home of Johnny Cash just an hour away in Arkansas. (7 hrs.)
Mississippi Delta Blues Highway: Take a road trip through the heart of the Mississippi Delta and explore the roots of the Blues. Visit the B.B. King Museum in Indianola and tour the Grammy Museum on the beautiful campus of Delta State University in Cleveland before having lunch near historic Downtown Main Street. Stop at evocative sites such as Dockery Farms, home of the blues pioneer Charlie Patton, and the nearby locations of the supposed final resting place of Robert Johnson (yes, there are multiple!), and explore Clarksdale’s Blues Alley as well as the infamous crossroads where the blues was born. (7-8 hours)
Faulkner Country: Experience the small-town charm of Oxford, Mississippi, the cultural capital of the South. Tour Rowan Oak, home to author William Faulkner, and see the locations that inspired many of his most famous novels. Explore Oxford’s historic courthouse square with its quaint shops and world-renowned bookstore, Square Books. (7 hrs.)
Shiloh National Battlefield: This tour will take you to the Civil War Interpretive Center and the National Military Park to tour one of the most well preserved battlefields in the country. (9 hrs.)
NIGHTLIFE
Mississippi River Dinner Cruise: Re-live the days of old with a romantic dinner cruise along the Mississippi River. Enjoy a Southern style BBQ buffet, dance the night away to the live band, and bask in the beauty of the city lights. (2 hrs.; available Mar-Oct.)
Memphis Nightlife Pub Crawl: There’s nothing like a night on the town with your own personal entertainer. Beware, though; with food, drinks, and music on the bus, your group may not want to get off! (3-4 hrs.)
Tunica Casinos or Southland Casino Racing: Feeling lucky? You can’t lose with a trip to Tunica, Mississippi – the Las Vegas of the South – or Southland’s casino and greyhound track in Arkansas. Enjoy dining, nightlife, and the best gaming action between Atlantic City and Vegas. (3-4 hrs.)
FOOD AND DRINK
Taste of Memphis BBQ: You can never get enough Memphis BBQ! Visit three of our favorite BBQ spots and sample some great Southern cuisine. (3-4 hrs.)
Blues and BBQ: We’ll take you on a one-hour sunset tour of the city (with live entertainment, Backbeat- style, of course), followed by dinner and live music at a Beale Street nightspot. A great icebreaker! (2-3 hrs.)
Memphis Brewery Tour: Enjoy live music on the bus in between stops where you’ll tour some of Memphis’ best craft breweries and meet the brewmasters. You’ll get a sample tasting and souvenir glasses at each stop; pizza can be delivered at the last stop if desired. (3-3.5 hours)
OUTDOORS
Gardens and Galleries: Visit the Memphis Botanic Gardens to explore the beautiful grounds encompassing lakes, woodlands, and twenty-three display gardens. Then see the Dixon Gardens and Gallery featuring formal, woodland and cutting gardens accented with fine sculpture and a gallery known for its superb collection of French and American Impressionist art. (3-4 hrs.)
Wolf River Canoe/Kayak Trip: Canoe or kayak the Wolf River as it winds through lush, primeval stands of bald cypress, sycamore, catalpa and oak trees, and enjoy the scenic beauty of this American Heritage River. (7 hrs.)
TEAMBUILDING ACTIVITIES
Memphis Scavenger Hunt: It will take more than just wits to collect the obscure objects on this challenging scavenger hunt. Problem-solving, persuasion, and downright craftiness will rule the day. A challenging adventure for young and old! Available both in the Downtown/Beale Street area as well as Midtown’s Overton Square. (2-2.5 hrs.)
Amazing Memphis Race: Challenge your body and mind on this exciting race through the streets of downtown Memphis! It’s a great way to really get to know the city and a great bonding experience for your group! (1.5-2 hrs.)
TRANSPORTATION
“Love & Happiness” Charter: Our buses are available for rental even without a tour guide. The distinct and beautiful vehicles are the perfect way to arrive at your event. Also available for shuttles.