Memphis, explained
Access Memphis Editorial Team 
Memphis is in the Central Time Zone, the same zone used across most of the central United States. That means the city is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time during daylight saving months (UTC-5) and five hours behind standard time in winter (UTC-6). It is one hour behind New York and Atlanta, and two hours … Read more
Memphis is a mid-priced American city, not a cheap one and not an expensive one. A visitor can see the major museums, eat well and get around without a car for less than comparable trips to Nashville or New Orleans — but a few specific costs (Graceland’s paid tours, a rental car, and any hotel … Read more
What are Tennessee’s alcohol laws, in practice? Tennessee splits alcohol sales into three separate systems, each with its own rules on where, when and by whom something can be sold: grocery and convenience stores, licensed retail package stores, and on-premise bars and restaurants. In Memphis, all three operate, but what’s allowed shifts by container type, … Read more
Tipping in Memphis follows the same broad American convention as the rest of Tennessee: tips are expected in restaurants, bars and for many personal services, and they are not optional add-ons but a structural part of how service workers are paid. This is true for visitors and residents alike, and it holds whether the setting … Read more
The Beale Street Music Festival is a multi-day, multi-stage music festival held each spring as the opening weekend of Memphis in May, the city’s month-long international festival. Despite the name, it does not take place on Beale Street. It is staged on the Mississippi River bluff downtown, historically at Tom Lee Park, and draws touring … Read more
Elvis Week is Graceland’s annual commemoration of Elvis Presley, held around the anniversary of his death on August 16, 1977. It is organized by Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that operates Graceland, and its central event is the Candlelight Vigil at the Meditation Garden where Presley is buried. Exact dates shift slightly each year, and … Read more
The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is a multi-day pork barbecue competition held each May in Memphis, organized by the nonprofit Memphis in May International Festival as one of the festival’s three signature events. Teams from across the country and abroad cook whole hog, shoulder and ribs under a formal judging system, competing for trophies … Read more
Memphis in May is the name of a nonprofit organization, Memphis in May International Festival, and of the month-long calendar of events it runs each spring. The best-known pieces are the Beale Street Music Festival and the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, both usually staged on or near the riverfront downtown, drawing large crowds, road … Read more
Memphis has a genuine tornado season, running roughly from late winter into early summer, with a secondary risk window in autumn. The National Weather Service forecast office that covers the city, based in Memphis and known as NWS Memphis (weather.gov/meg), issues watches and warnings for Shelby County the same way it does for the rest … Read more
A Memphis winter is short, mild on most days, and punctuated by sharp cold snaps rather than a sustained freeze. Snow falls most years but rarely amounts to much and usually melts within a day or two. The bigger disruption, when it comes, is ice — not snow depth. How cold does it actually get … Read more
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