Enjoy Memphis your way, on a budget or a splurge

BUDGET

Getting there

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Peabody Hotel

The Peabody Hotel’s infamous ducks waddle through the lobby twice a day.

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Stax Museum of American Soul Music

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music honors artists such as the late Otis Redding, best known for the hit ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.’

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Mark Humphrey / AP

Elvis won’t be there, but no Memphis visit is complete without a stop at Graceland.

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Hop in the car. Memphis lies just under 400 miles (or about six hours) from Atlanta. Assuming 20 miles to the gallon, you’ll spend about $150 round trip in gas.

Stay

Elvis fans on tight budgets can pitch a tent at Elvis Presley Boulevard RV Park for just $15 a night. Yes, the sites are primitive, but you’ll be just two blocks from Graceland. www.elvispresleyblvdrvpark.com or 901-332-3633.

Eat

The Bar-B-Q Shop’s décor may not impress you, but its menu will. It even includes Bar-B-Q Spaghetti. The portions are huge, and you can buy a bottle of Dancing Pigs sauce as a souvenir. Entrees run around $10. 1782 Madison Ave. 901-272-1277.

Experience

Stroll through the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, an estate-turned-museum devoted largely to French and American impressionists and post-impressionists (Monet, Manet, Degas, Chagall, Pissarro). Nature lovers will appreciate the formal, woodland and cutting gardens spread over 17 acres. $7 adults, $3 children. Free Saturday mornings. 4339 Park Ave. www.dixon.org or 901-761-5250.

MODERATE

Getting there

Choose from Northwest, AirTran or Delta, which all offer direct flights to Memphis starting at just under $200 round trip, including taxes.

Stay

Embrace your inner kitsch at the Heartbreak Hotel, featuring retro décor, a heart-shaped pool and free, in-room Elvis flicks. Regular rooms start at $110 a night. 3677 Elvis Presley Blvd. www.elvis.com/epheartbreakhotel/ or 901-332-1000.

Eat

Give your palate (and your arteries) a break from barbecue at Jasmine Thai and Vegetarian Restaurant. The Chinese-born, Thailand-bred Fong family opened the restaurant in 1990 and has been experimenting and expanding since. Try the green-curry tofu or the Masaman. Be sure to save room for some mango-and-sticky-rice for dessert. Entrees run $15-$20. 916 S. Cooper St. 901-725-0223.

Experience

Sure, Memphis has rock ‘n’ roll and the blues. It also has soul. Pay your respects to the city’s less-heralded musical genre at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The museum stands on the site that was home to the record label that launched the careers of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Booker T. and the MGs. Inside, you’ll find musical instruments, costumes, photos, videos, a souped-up ’70s Cadillac owned by Isaac Hayes, even a transported 100-year-old Mississippi Delta church. $10 adults, $7 children. 926 E. McLemore Ave. www.soulsvilleusa.com or 901-946-2535.

SPLURGE

Getting there

Sip a glass of champagne before the boarding door closes in First Class on Northwest, AirTran or Delta. Tickets run about $650 round trip, including taxes.

Stay

Each morning at 11, to the delight of throngs of visitors, the Peabody Hotel’s five mallard ducks descend from their rooftop home and waddle across the swanky hotel’s lobby to its marble fountain. Each evening at 5, they waddle back home. This year, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the duck march, guests have a chance to serve as an honorary Duckmaster. A one-night stay with valet parking, free cookies and a Duckmaster cane costs $395 for a family of three, $460 for a family of four. www.peabodymemphis.com or 901-529-4000.

Eat

Treat yourself to the five-course tasting menu at the new Restaurant Iris, only the sixth restaurant in 10 years to be given four stars by the Commercial Appeal newspaper. Iris’ seafood-heavy fare is the creation of a New Orleans transplant. The tasting menu is $75, including wine pairings. 2146 Monroe St. 901-590-2828.

Experience

Pretend you’re a NASCAR driver at Memphis Motorsports Park. The Driving Experience, which includes orientation and a track introduction, costs $299 for 10 laps or $424 for 20. Or, you can go for the Advanced Driving Experience, which includes instruction from professional drivers and 80 laps around the track, for $1,224. Other packages also are available. www.4raceon.com or 1-866-472-2366.