Girls Trip Beale Street / Alex Shansky

Girls' Weekend Getaway

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing day of pampering at the spa, an evening bar crawl with a side of dancing, or an outdoorsy group weekend trip, we've got you covered. Memphis is a prime spot for a girls’ getaway weekend or a bachelorette party. Here are some ideas for a memorable trip with your besties.

Planning Tip: Before you dive into the weekend, consider which hotel is right for your friend group. Whether you want to stay within walking distance of Beale Street, check into a stylish boutique hotel, take advantage of luxurious amenities at "the South's Grand Hotel" or get a good deal, you'll find your perfect stay in Memphis.   

Catch Live Music 

Memphis offers what seems like infinite live music options, from blues to jazz to rap. If the ladies want that down-home Memphis blues vibe, you won’t want to miss iconic Beale Street. B.B. King’s Blues Club and Blues City Café are fun spots to catch live music while chowing down on some Southern grub. But be sure to stop and lend your ear to Beale Street’s talented street musicians. 

You could also see who's playing at Hernando's Hide-A-Way, but this place has much more than  just live music — see the Bar Hop section for more details.

The Hi-Tone in the Crosstown neighborhood offers rock, punk and emo shows for a very affordable admission fee. You can also catch live outdoor music from local and regional artists at Railgarten in Midtown. The Overton Park Shell, an outdoor amphitheater that hosted Elvis’ first live public show, offers free seasonal concerts.  

Let's Get Festive

Festivals happen year-round in Memphis – arts festivals, food festivals, music festivals, even Harry Potter and Bob’s Burger Festivals. In the fall you can catch Mempho Music Festival at Memphis Botanic Garden with past performers such as Jason Isbell, Cage The Elephant, Anderson Paak and Cold War Kids.   

If you really want to dig into Memphis’ roots and party with the locals, check out the annual Soulsville USA Fest, a fall blowout party featuring soul, jazz, trap jazz, gospel, and hip hop artists on four stages, plus vendors, food, art, and dance. It’s a party in the streets of South Memphis’ historic Soulsville neighborhood celebrating the city’s rich African American musical heritage. The party happens just outside the STAX Museum of American Soul Music, hallowed ground for music fans from around the world and home to a one-of-a-kind collection that includes Isaac Hayes superfly custom-made Cadillac Eldorado with 24-carat gold exterior trim. You and your girls can boogie on the museum’s dance floor, inspired by the moves of dancers in vintage episodes of Soul Train playing on the surrounding screens. 

Sip Craft Brews & Spirits

If your girlfriends are beer lovers, they’re going to love Memphis, home to several craft breweries that produce some of the South’s best beer. Some say the secret is in our water, which comes from artesian wells. 

Memphis Made Brewing in Cooper-Young is a small craft brewing company whose tap room is open to the public on weekends. The adjacent outdoor area is home to one of the city’s most photographed spots – the I Love Memphis mural – and a group photograph is a must for every visitor. Grab a delicious bite from the popular food trucks parked outside. 

Hit up High Cotton Brewing Co. in the Edge District. Taste their Scottish Ale and IPA in the cozy taproom and take a photo at the I Love Memphis mural across the street!

Wiseacre Brewing on Broad offers a variety of popular, flavorful beers, including the award-winning Tiny Bomb. They’ve got a dog-friendly deck, offer brewery tours most Saturdays, and host special events such as Oktoberfest. Or, swing by Wiseacre HQ, the new downtown location, to pair their craft concoctions with delicious pizza creations from Little Bettie Pizza

Also check out Memphis’ original craft brewery, Ghost River Brewing, which has a tap room Downtown that offers 12 beers and daily visits from food trucks, and a new taproom on Beale Street. 

Grind City Brewing specializes in more than craft beer. Along with pilsners and IPAs, you can sample house-made malt liquor and hard seltzers at their North Memphis taproom with great views of the Pyramid.

If you’re not into beer, raise your glass at the Old Dominick Distillery, where you can taste vodkas, whiskeys, and the 60-proof Memphis Toddy – a high-rye bourbon drink inspired by an old family recipe from the historic distillery. Tours, cocktail hours, and live music are also on tap at Old Dominick. 

Go For A Piano Singalong or drag show

Memphis is a music mecca, and participation is strongly encouraged! Head to The Zebra Lounge in Midtown’s Overton Square, where piano players accompany everyone from college students to retired folks to tourists. Enjoy sips of specialty cocktails between belting out tunes from artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Al Green to Beyoncé. 

Dru’s Place hosts karaoke nights and late-night drag shows with local Queens and Kings on weekends, and Alchemy bar in Cooper Young hosts a drag brunch with food and fun once a month. Your crew can sip on mimosas and sing along with the show, just be sure to tip the performers well.

Let's Do Brunch

Brunch is the quintessential meal of the girls’ getaway package, and Memphians love their brunch. For upscale fare, head to Owen Brennan’s in East Memphis. Raise a mimosa and toast to your girlfriends at this spectacular Sunday brunch, where the menu includes a seafood bar, bread station, dessert station, and creole and Cajun specialties. Enjoy a side of live jazz with your crawfish étoufée. If you’re looking for something trendy and fabulous, The Beauty Shop is your Sunday brunch spot. Located in the hip Cooper-Young neighborhood, the restaurant’s motto is “Look Good. Eat Good.” Here, in what used to be Priscilla Presley’s styling salon, you and your girls can sip classy brunch cocktails while you dine on beignets, fried oysters and Egg Sardou while seated under vintage hooded Belvedere hair-dryers. 

Just as The Beauty Shop is housed in a former beauty shop, and The Liquor Store on Broad Avenue is housed in what used to be a liquor store. The foodies in your group will appreciate this colorful diner-style restaurant that serves up Latin-infused cuisine and a delicious array of brunch cocktails. 

Bar Hop

Whether you’re out for one more hurrah before wedding bells ring or you’re just kicking it with your girlfriends, our neighborhoods offer plenty of spots for bar hopping. Plan your own Memphis bar crawl in one of the city’s nightlife-friendly neighborhoods like Cooper Young, Overton Square, or South Main.

In Cooper Young, make one of your stops Alchemy where you and your girls can share small dishes such as charcuterie or truffle deviled eggs with house smoked salmon and crispy capers and indulge in trendy cocktails with names like the Fall Fashion, Floating Butterfly and No Name #3. 

Another fun option is South of Beale in Downtown Memphis. Enjoy cocktails like The Bobcat and The Golden Dawn and nibble on chicken and waffles and tempura turnip fries at this contemporary gastropub in the city’s trendy South Main Arts District

And of course, Beale Street is the quintessential girls’ trip spot for late night adventures; try a boozy slushie at Wet Willie’s, tip the piano player and request a song dedicated to the bride-to-be at Silky O’Sullivan’s piano bar, or get down to some live music at B.B. King’s Blues Club, Rum Boogie Cafe, or any of the many clubs on the city’s most famous street. 

In South Memphis, Hernando's Hide-A-Way promises a whole lot of fun with live music and all kinds of can't-miss events, like Velvetina's Blue Moon Revue burlesque show, Chicken Shit Bingo and Country Queens Drag Revue.

If you're looking for upscale cocktail spots and spirits lounges, try Hen House Wine Bar in East Memphis, Art Bar at Crosstown Concourse, Knifebird wine bar in Midtown or Bar Ware in Downtown Memphis. 

Memphis also boasts some excellent rooftop bars and lounges, where you can take in the sights of some of the city's liveliest entertainment districts while enjoying craft cocktails and small bites. Downtown's Hu. Hotel rooftop and Beck & Call at Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis both offer fantastic views of the Mississippi River and Hernando De Soto bridge. Both are great locations to watch the nightly Mighty Lights shows. In Midtown, take in the views of Overton Square Theater District from Tiger & Peacock at The Memphian Hotel. This is the perfect spot to pop in for cocktails before or after a show.

How about a Dance Party?

What’s a party without dancing? Whether you’re in Memphis for a group weekend break, a girls-only getaway, or a combined bachelor-bachelorette party, the city has some of the best dance floors you’ll find anywhere. The entrance to Paula & Raiford’s Disco, a two-story nightclub Downtown, is lined with a red carpet, velvet rope, and pink neon. The venue features fog machines, disco balls and leather couches, and is covered with balloons, streamers and handprints. The dance music is an eclectic mix of old and new, and it’s the ideal spot to bring your friends and your boogie shoes.  

Take your dance party late into the evening at Tin Roof on Beale Street. Tin Roof offers live music every night of the week, including DJs at the Green Room Thursdays - Saturdays. Tin Roof offers a full bar and restaurant so you can enjoy a wide-ranging menu of craft cocktails and bites in between songs. 

Earnestine & Hazel’s Juke Joint, which has one of the best vintage jukeboxes of soul, blues and rock n’ roll this side of the Mississippi, is another great spot to get down on the dance floor. The bar is said to be one of the most haunted in the country, and employees and regulars say the jukebox sometimes plays of its own accord, and it has great taste. The bar also sometimes hosts live bands, and the dance floor can get pretty lively. Before you leave, treat yourself to one of the bar’s famous Soul Burgers – a favorite late-night treat for Memphis revelers. 

Get Your Fitness On

Although known for its beer and barbecue, Memphis is also home to a great selection of yoga and fitness studios. Delta Groove Yoga in Overton Square offers yoga classes, workshops and training, and healing arts services like reiki, energy healing and crystal therapy to soothe your body, mind and spirit. 

Book a salt relaxation session at Better Bodies Yoga in East Memphis, which has a salt cave packed with Himalayan pink salt, which is said to improve overall health and wellness, or relax and escape with a session at RelaxH20 Aqua Massage Therapy and Oxygen Bar in Downtown Memphis. 

Find Your Outdoor Adventure

Beyond the bright lights of Beale, Memphis offers great opportunities for hiking, biking, kayaking, canoeing and more. You and the girls can bike or walk to Arkansas over the Big River Crossing, the longest pedestrian and bike bridge across the Mississippi River, which offers spectacular views of the river and cityscape. You can also explore the city by bike on the Shelby Farms Greenline, a paved urban trail that takes you to Shelby Farms Park, one of the nation’s largest city parks. Shelby Farms offers canoeing and kayaking on the lake, guided horseback tours through the woods, and enchanting forest trails for hikers. 

Get Creative 

Creative girls will love Seize the Clay in East Memphis, which offers painting and pottery making lessons, including a BYOB Adults-Only Wine and Cheese Night – perfect for a bachelorette party. 

Take the girls to Five in One Social Club on Summer Avenue for some unique arts and crafts workshops where you can make everything from sunprints to beeswax candles to nostalgic shrink-dink charms. On Broad Avenue, you’ll find Bead Couture, which sells beads and jewelry making supplies and hosts workshops your crafty girlfriends will appreciate.  

Treat Yourself

For a luxurious girls’ weekend trip, treat yourself to an indulgent spa experience at Gould’s Salon Spa in the heart of Downtown Memphis. Pamper yourself with a day of massage, facials and mani-pedis, and ask for a blowout before you leave so you can step onto South Main Street looking fabulous. Head to The Peabody, the South’s Grand Hotel, for afternoon tea at Chez Phillippe. You’ll feel like real Southern belles as you savor hot tea, dainty sandwiches and petite, dreamy desserts at one of the city’s most opulent dining establishments. Or, stop into 17 Berkshire in Overton Square. The patisserie also offers afternoon tea Tuesdays - Sundays, featuring sandwiches, scones and petit pastries. C'est magnifique!

Shop 'Til You Drop

If your idea of a girlfriend getaway centers on retail therapy, especially throwback and vintage style, you’re in luck. Check out Lansky 126 inside The Peabody Hotel, which has been dressing Memphians – including Elvis – since 1946. They’ll dress you like a rock star in vintage Memphis music tees, classic denim and leather jackets. 

On South Main, shop barware, home decor, clothing and a variety of locally made goods from Stock & Belle. Don't stop there. Up and down this street lined with mid-20th-century architecture, you'll discover a fun collection of boutiques just right for trying on with the girls.  

Next, head over to Fox + Cat Vintage to shop for vintage clothing, shoes and accessories, or Flashback retro department store with apparel, house ware, decor, and more. Then head to Broad Avenue Arts District, which features an array of unique boutiques. Bingham and Broad sells local art, jewelry, pottery and gifts. Mbabazi House of Style uses traditional African fabrics to create modern apparel, accessories and home decor. Falling Into Place offers handcrafted jewelry, botanicals, ceramics, original art, and leather goods. Be on the lookout for a variety of classes from local makers as well! Then, shop an eclectic mix of goods like stationary, woodworkings, accessories and clothing at modern general store City & State.

Wrap up with cocktails and oysters at The Cove, the neighborhood’s nautical-themed bar or some boba from Sugar Ghost.

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