Car Rental Memphis - Exploring Memphis

From the home of 'the King', and the hometown of the author of Roots, to the majesty of the Mississippi and points east of Memphis, such as Jackson and Shiloh National Military Park, the Memphis area has many worthwhile attractions to entice drivers.

Most visitors to this wonderful city have a certain amount of affection for the great man himself, Elvis, and a visit to his former residence, Graceland, is of paramount importance. There are regular daily tours to this lavishly decked out museum/shrine, complete with shag pile carpets, his gold albums, and his flower-lined tomb. Elvis' cars and motorcycles are also on display.

The Full Gospel Tabernacle, where Reverend Al Green preaches and sings with his backing choir for the two-hour sermon every Sunday, lies just outside the city. Visitors are always welcome but should be dressed accordingly and are expected to leave a donation.

Driving northwards through the fertile Mississippi River bottomlands brings you into the heart of King Cotton's domain. Less than an hour from Memphis is Henning, a friendly little town remarkably untouched by its world acclaim as the boyhood home and burial place of Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots. The Alex Haley House Museum, the only state-owned historic site in western Tennessee, displays family portraits, mementos and furnishings.

Scenic Savannah, to the east of Memphis on the bluff of the Tennessee River, is a small, quiet town that exemplifies the charm and grace of southern life. The historic Cherry Mansion, built in 1830, served as General Grant's headquarters during the Battle of Shiloh.

The house is privately owned, but visitors are allowed to walk around the grounds and take pictures.

Alternatively, the Tennessee River Museum has exhibits on the Civil War, the river, and fossils from 65 million years ago when this area was underwater.

Site of one of the Civil War's grimmest and most pivotal battles, Shiloh National Military Park (160kms east of Memphis) is the resting place of almost 4,000 soldiers, many unidentified. A self-guided auto tour leads you past markers explaining monuments and battle sites. The visitor centre runs a 25-minute film explaining the battle's strategy and has a display of Civil War artefacts.