Where to stay in Memphis: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Beale Street is three blocks of neon, noise and music history. By day you can wander between the Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the souvenir shops; by night the street is closed to traffic, the bands strike up in every club and the whole thing turns into one long party. FedExForum, where the Grizzlies play basketball, and the AutoZone Park baseball stadium are both a few minutes' walk away.

This is the obvious place for a first visit. The hotels range from good-value suites half a block off Beale to the Peabody, the grand dame of Memphis, where a troupe of ducks parades to the lobby fountain twice a day. It is lively until late, especially at weekends, so ask for a high floor if you like your sleep.

South of Beale, Main Street quietens into the South Main arts district: handsome old brick buildings filled with galleries, cafés, bars and boutiques, with vintage trolley cars clanking down the middle. At its heart is the National Civil Rights Museum, built around the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. Give it half a day; it deserves it.

The hotels around here have real character. You can sleep in the city's century-old railway station, where trains still call, in a former bank from 1905, or in a restored 1902 building on the trolley line. The Orpheum Theatre and Beale Street are a few minutes' walk, so you get the music without living on top of it.

The northern end of downtown runs along the Mississippi towards the Memphis Pyramid, the vast glass landmark that now houses an outdoor-goods superstore, an indoor swamp and, improbably, a rustic lodge-style hotel with a restaurant at the summit. The convention centre is close by, with large modern hotels beside it and a free shuttle or trolley ride to Beale Street, about a mile south.

Across a short bridge, Harbor Town is a calm riverside neighbourhood of clapboard houses and tree-lined streets. Its small boutique hotel has gas lanterns, antique fireplaces and Mississippi views from most rooms. It is a lovely choice if you want Memphis by day and peace by night.

Graceland is in the Whitehaven district, south of the centre, and for Elvis devotees there is only one place to stay: the resort hotel a few steps from the mansion gates, with a southern colonial facade and suites whose design was overseen by Priscilla Presley. You can be first through the door in the morning and back for a peanut butter and banana sandwich by lunch.

Otherwise, this is airport-hotel territory. The terminals are minutes away and there are plenty of inexpensive rooms, some about five minutes from Graceland by car. It works for a one-night Elvis stop or an early flight. For anything longer, stay downtown, because there is little else to see or do in the area and Beale Street is a 10 to 15-minute drive.

East Memphis is where the city keeps its offices, its smartest shopping centres and many of its best restaurants. It is suburban and car-based, strung out along Poplar Avenue and the I-240 ring road, with skyline views from the taller hotels.

What you get for giving up walkability is space and value: full-service hotels with indoor and outdoor pools, all-suite places that include a cooked breakfast, and free parking almost everywhere. Beale Street, Graceland, the zoo and the airport are each a short drive, which makes this a sensible stop on a road trip between Nashville and New Orleans.

Germantown is an affluent small city on the eastern edge of Memphis, about 25 minutes from downtown. It is tidy, green and calm, with a performing arts centre, parks and a good supply of shops and restaurants within walking distance of the hotels.

Nearly everything here is a modern suite hotel with a kitchen, a pool and breakfast included, which suits families and anyone staying a week or more. You will need a car for sightseeing. Come for a peaceful night, not for the blues.