Lifestyle

Cultural enrichment is available around every corner of the metro area, where popular night spots contrast with elegant venues that seat thousands of patrons for world-class productions. Memphis is home to Graceland, the elaborate estate of Elvis Presley. The arts scene includes Opera Memphis, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Memphis, Playhouse on the Square, and the Orpheum Theatre. The past is preserved in wonderful venues including the Memphis Rock N’ Soul Museum, the Memphis Children’s Museum, Mud Island River Park Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum, Soulsville USA, the Fire Museum, and the Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium. Aficionados of the fine arts will want to explore the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the National Ornamental Metal Museum, and the South Main Historical Art District. Several rapidly growing suburbs have developed their own stellar entertainment complexes and performing arts centers.

Recreational opportunities are abundant throughout the metropolitan area and in nearby state parks in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Shimmering lakes for boating and water sports, rolling rivers for kayaking and canoeing, open space and woodlands for outdoor adventure, and developed sports amenities all encourage an active lifestyle. Biking, hiking, camping, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, and nature studies are a few of the common pastimes. Municipalities offer lush parks filled with sports facilities and provide a kaleidoscope of supervised programs for all age groups. Rodeos, fairs, and special events fill the calendar with exciting dates to remember, including the Southern Cooking Festival, the World Championship Barbecue contest, and the Beale Street Music Festival.

The housing throughout the metro area is as diverse as the population, combining new construction with turn-of-the-century grandeur. Long-established urban neighborhoods, new planned communities, country estates and manors, hobby farms, horse properties, and lovely country homes on generous acreage are all possibilities in this vast region. With its eclectic blend of hometown friendliness and gracious Southern charm, Metropolitan Memphis offers an exceptionally rich quality of life that seems to grow more endearing with every passing year.