Organized Tours

River Tours

Although the economic heart of Memphis has moved to the eastern suburbs, this is still a Mississippi River town; no visit to Memphis would be complete without spending a bit of time on Ole Man River. Memphis Riverboats, 45 S. Riverside Dr. (tel. 800/221-6197 or 901/527-5694; www.memphisriverboats.net) operates several paddle-wheelers, all of which leave from a dock on "the cobblestones" at the foot of Monroe Avenue in downtown Memphis. From March through November, there are 1 1/2-hour sightseeing cruises, and in the summer, there are sunset dinner cruises and party cruises. The barbecue-buffet dinner cruises include live music.

The 1 1/2-hour sightseeing cruise costs $18 for adults; $16 for seniors, military, and students; $10 for children 4 to 17 (free for children under 4). The evening dinner cruise costs $45 for adults, $43 for seniors and military, and $30 for children.

City Tours

You'll find half a dozen or more horse-drawn carriages lined up in front of The Peabody Memphis hotel most evenings, operated by Carriage Tours of Memphis (tel. 888/267-9100 or 901/527-7542; www.carriagetoursofmemphis.com). Gentle equine giants with names like Chester, Marley, Doc, and Jane proudly clop along city streets while human tour guides -- accompanied by big, friendly dogs, sometimes wearing funny hats -- regale passengers with Memphis trivia. Tours are offered year-round (see-through plastic canopies keep you relatively dry during rainy weather); and rates vary.

If you're just in town for a short time, or if you prefer to let someone else do the planning and navigating, L and A City Sightseeing Tours (tel. 901/370-6666; www.l-a-sightseeingtours.com), will pick you up at your hotel and shuttle you around the city and make sure you don't miss any important sights. Two 3-hour tours are offered, including the Memphis city tour ($26 adults, $18 children) and the Graceland tour ($40 adults, $30 children). A combination tour with both Graceland and the city of Memphis lasts 8 hours. Prices are $60 for adults, $31 for children.

Blues City Tours of Memphis, 325 Union Ave. (tel. 901/522-9229; www.memphisite.com/bluescity), offers tours similar to the Gray Line tours. There is a half-day city tour that takes you past all the city's most important attractions, and there are also Graceland tours, Beale Street night-on-the-town tours, and casino tours to Mississippi. The city tour costs $20 for adults and $10 for children; the Elvis Graceland Tour, $30 for adults and $19 for children; after-dark dinner tour, $60 for adults and $50 for children (includes an evening on Beale Street with 2 clubs, 2 shows, 2 drinks, 2 meals with a choice of barbecue, chicken, or catfish and any cover charges). They also offer tours to the Tunica, MS casinos -- a smart bet if you plan to drink alcohol while you're there.

For a thoroughly unique tour of Memphis, book a tour with American Dream Safari (tel. 901/527-8870; www.americandreamsafari.com). This is your chance to be chauffeured around town in a '55 Cadillac, with stops at such key Elvis sites as Humes High School (where he went to school) and Poplar Tunes (where he used to buy records). Other popular itineraries include a Sunday morning gospel tour and brunch, or the irreverently named (given Memphis's high crime rate) "Drive-By-Shooting" photographers' tour. Really, though, what American Dream Safari offers would be better described as authentic experiences than mere tours. Prices vary, from the Jukejoint Full of Blues for $75 per person (which includes admission to three Delta-area clubs), to $225 per person for an 8-hour pilgrimage along historic Highway 61. It includes blues-museum admission and lunch in Clarksdale, MS.