Car Hire Memphis - Mini guide to Memphis

Overlooking the Mississippi River, Memphis is Tennessee's largest city and the cultural centre of the state. It's a blend of southern tradition and modern efficiency, and is perhaps best known for its music and for the two extraordinary men who introduced that music to the world: W C Handy, the 'Father of the Blues', and Elvis Presley, the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll'.

Peabody Place, a collection of offices, shops, restaurants and apartments is a development in the area surrounding the Peabody Hotel at Second Street and Union Avenue. The downtown trolley system runs a north-south route down Main Street, connecting major attractions. A new loop adjacent to Riverside Drive completes the eight-kilometre circle.

Take the Main Street trolley south to South Main Street and Peabody Place, to visit the Center for Southern Folklore, where the region's colourful past is chronicled in poignant exhibits. Continue south on foot to Beale Street, where you'll find the stately Orpheum Theatre, which hosts outdoor concerts. The Gibson Guitar Plant, where the famous instrument is manufactured, is located behind Beale, on Third Street.

A few blocks east on Beale is Handy Park, where the 'Father of the Blues' is immortalized. You can learn all about him at the nearby W C Handy Memphis Home and Museum. From here, heading south on the trolley will take you to the National Civil Rights Museum, at the site where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968. Heading north leads you to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum.

'The most famous recording studio in the world', Sun Studios, is just outside the town centre. Here you'll find displays of microphones,which were used by the former heavyweights of the industry, including renowned artists Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison.

The nightlife between Second and Third streets is excellent, and Beale Street is the place to go for entertainment, with music covering every genre. The street is lined with bands playing live music, and is very popular with locals and tourists alike.