When visiting a city it's great to hit all the main attractions. Memphis has plenty of must-see spots; just check out this list.

But what makes the Bluff City unique is all the experiences around town, from music and barbecue festivals to celebrations in The Grindhouse. The top 11 experiences in Memphis is your guide.

Grizzlies Playoffs:

Attending a Memphis Grizzlies playoff game at FedExForum, aka The Grindhouse, should be on every must-experience list.


More than 18,000 passionate fans wear crazy shirts, cheer wildly for a madman on defense, watch Super Grizz pile drive opposing fans into the floor and generally make it the loudest arena in the NBA. No two games offer up the same experience, but there is a general madness that is part civic celebration, part rockers-trashing-a-hotel-room bash, and part grit-and-grind basketball that reads All Heart and All Memphis.

Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest:

This is the biggest party of the year for Memphians, but might not be as fun for out-of-towners who don't have a way to get into a booth. This barbecue competition is all business by day, but it's a crazy party at night. If you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone on a barbecue team, well, you're in for the fun.

Mud Fest:

Officially called Beale Street Music Festival, the kick off to the month-long Memphis in May International Festival typically is bombarded with rain storms that turn the party at Tom Lee Park into a pile of mud mixed with awesome music.

It should be experienced by every true Memphian at least once. And if you attend when it's sunny all weekend, well, you have to go again when it rains. The sunny visits don't count.

Levitt Shell Concert Series:

The Levitt Shell is an outdoor concert venue in Midtown's Overton Park that once was known as the Overton Park Shell and location of Elvis Presley's first concert. Today it features free music concerts and films most weekends from late spring to early fall. Bring your picnic, a bottle of wine or growler of beer and enjoy great music with a couple thousand of your closest friends.

Enjoy a Local Beer:

The Memphis beer scene is a hopping experience, and the fun is in full swing at Wiseacre Brewing, Memphis Made and High Cotton where these breweries all have great taprooms to enjoy a pint or two with friends.

Attend South Main Art Trolley Tour:

The last Friday of every month sees Downtown's South Main Historic Arts District become a street party with all the art galleries, restaurants, boutiques and more open until at least 9 p.m. with art showings, sales, drinks, music and more. 

Bike or Run the Greenline:

The Shelby Farms Greenline is a seven-mile stretch of a former railroad line that connects Midtown to the massive Shelby Farms Park. Bike the full distance or just run part of the shaded trail.

Enjoy North Parkway in Bloom:

Every March and April North Parkway between East Parkway and Downtown is a beautiful sight of colors as all the trees are in their spring bloom, particularly along the stretch between Rhodes College and the Memphis Zoo.

Tennessee Brewery:

Eventually the Tennessee Brewery will be a renovated residential and commercial property, but for now the former brewery on Downtown's Tennessee Street has been reimagined as a beer and food truck garden and typically Memphis social gathering spot.

Attend a Festival:

Memphis is full of festivals during all times of the year. Whether its Cooper-Young Festival, Hot Wing Fest or one of the random single-day pop-up fests, Memphians know how to get together to celebrate a moment or cause.

Visit the Tomb of Doom:

Once known as the Tomb of Doom when it was the home of the University of Memphis basketball team and later Memphis Grizzlies, The Pyramid is now known as the Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid. Not everyone in Memphis cares about a Bass Pro store, but most everyone is at least relieved that our massive former basketball arena now has a use again. And for $10 a ride up the world's tallest freestanding elevator will get you to the rooftop observation deck.