Memphis music hits different in a car. This self-guided driving audio tour keeps you moving with offline maps, and I love how it spotlights legends like Ma Rainey II and Aretha Franklin at stops you can actually visit. One heads-up, the route runs over 11 miles, and a few streets along the way may feel less comfortable if you prefer to keep things strictly postcard-clean.

For the price, $16.99 per group (up to 4), it is strong value versus a bus or private guide day, especially since you get hands-free audio that plays based on where you are. I also like the lifetime access part, meaning you can reuse it on future trips without buying again.

This is not a guided tour with a person to handle logistics. You do the driving, and you will want to set up the app on solid wifi first so it runs cleanly without cellular service.

Key things I’d focus on before you go

• Offline maps, no signal stress: Download while connected, then rely on the app later.
• 25+ location-triggered audio stories: The audio plays as you reach story points.
• Music icons in real places: Ma Rainey II, Aretha Franklin, Stax, Sun, and Royal Studios are front and center.
• Free-entry listed stops: Elmwood Cemetery, Aretha Franklin’s birthplace, and Royal Studios are shown with admission ticket free.
• Buy per group, not per person: $16.99 covers up to 4 in your car.
• Go at your own pace: Start anytime during the window, pause for photos, and take detours when you want.

How the Memphis audio tour actually works in your car

You start at 1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105, then follow the route through a mix of cemetery time, studio visits, and downtown street viewing. The tour is designed for about 2 to 3 hours and covers over 11.2 miles with 25+ audio stories that trigger by your location.

After booking, you get an email and text with setup instructions and a password. You download Action’s Tour Guide App, enter the password, then make sure you download the tour while you have strong wifi or cellular, because the whole point is that it should work offline after that.

On-site, no one meets you. You open the app, pick the tour version that matches your starting point and direction if needed, then go to the first story point. From there, the audio starts automatically and keeps going as you follow the cues.

If you are using a car, I recommend connecting your phone to your stereo. The tour supports Bluetooth, USB, or AUX, and audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is noted as coming soon). If you plan to walk some areas, headphones can help you stay locked into the story without cranking your car volume.

Elmwood Cemetery: Ma Rainey II’s story in the graveyard air

Your first major stop is Elmwood Cemetery, where Singer Ma Rainey II is buried. The audio story does not just name the famous performer, it gives you the path that led there. You hear how her father, a pastor, forbade her from singing, and how she ran away to join a traveling show. In that world, she worked as a fortune teller and as a ragtime performer, with Beale Street showing up as part of her larger Memphis arc.

This segment is scheduled for about 40 minutes, and it is marked with admission ticket free. That free entry matters, because it lets you spend more time on the story and less time worrying about lining up ticket steps before the real driving day begins.

Practical tip: cemeteries are usually quiet and rules-based. Drive in, park, then slow down your pace. Use the audio as your guide, but also take a few minutes to look around on your own terms. Even if you are not a deep cemetery person, Ma Rainey’s story lands better when you are not rushing between parking lots and loud attractions.

Aretha Franklin’s birthplace: church, gospel caravan, and talent you can hear

Next up is the Birthplace of Aretha Franklin. The audio focuses on how her talent was recognized early, and how her family pulled her into music through church. You learn that after her parents separated, Franklin moved to Detroit with her father, and that she took to singing in his church. The story also touches on her father’s “gospel caravan,” where they performed in churches around the area.

This stop also runs about 40 minutes and is listed as admission ticket free. That makes it one of the easiest wins for your time budget, because you can park, walk in, and let the story do the heavy lifting.

If you care about authenticity, this is where you should take your hands off your phone for a minute. The birthplace context gives you the why behind the music. Even if you only know a few Aretha songs, you will understand how church performance, travel, and repetition shaped her sound.

I also like that the tour gives you enough time to actually feel present. A lot of drive-by audio tours skim. Here, the Franklin stop is treated like the main event, not a quick photo stop.

Beale Street downtime: parking, walking, and bonus audio moments

After the earlier stops, the tour points you toward the Beale Street area. The directions suggest that if you drive straight, you will reach Beale Street, which it describes as the downtown heartbeat. From there, the plan is simple: find parking and walk through the pedestrian-only area straight ahead.

There are also bonus stories included here if you choose to check it out. This is a smart design choice for self-guided travelers, because it lets you either speed up and keep moving or slow down and treat Beale Street like a real hangout zone.

Practical tip: parking is usually the limiting factor in Beale Street mornings and afternoons. Treat this portion like an opportunity to park once and then walk a loop, rather than parking, driving two blocks, then repeating. The audio helps you stay oriented, but you still decide how much time you want to spend on foot.

Stax Museum area: soul music names you already know

As you get back on the route, you are directed toward the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The story angle is clear and specific. It highlights artists like Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and it even mentions Reverend Jesse Jackson recording there.

When you reach the area, the audio tells you to turn into the parking lot coming up on your right. Once parked, you can tap Learn More for additional context related to soul music.

The tour does not spell out entry pricing in the notes you provided, so your best move is to treat Stax as a potential inside visit based on what you see when you arrive. The audio still gives you value even if you choose to do only an exterior look, because it focuses on names and the why behind the studio and museum reputation.

What I like about this stop is that it anchors Memphis music in institutions, not just legends. You are not only hearing about famous performers, you are learning where that sound was shaped and preserved.

Sun Studio: spotting the massive guitar and the rock ignition

Soon after Stax, the audio guides you past a brick building with a massive guitar out front. That landmark signals Sun Studio, described as the birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

This stop feels built for people who want the iconic Memphis photo without turning the entire day into ticket lines. The tour frames Sun Studio as a visual and story stop: you recognize it first, then the audio gives you the cultural connection.

If you want your day to stay smooth, treat the Sun Studio segment as a quick “pause and reset” between larger stops. You get the meaning, you get the landmark, and then you can keep rolling instead of spending half the day stuck in one location.

Royal Studios and Hi Records: from silent films to recordings

One of the best value pieces in the route is Royal Studios. The audio explains that it started as a movie theater showing silent films all the way back in 1915. Later, it was converted into the Royal Recording Studio in 1957, and it became the official recording studio for Hi Records.

This stop is marked for about 45 minutes, and it is also listed with admission ticket free. That combination is rare. You get a meaningful time block and a major music connection, without the usual feeling that you are paying extra just to stand where history happened.

I like the angle because it shows that Memphis music did not grow in a vacuum. Entertainment spaces changed jobs over time, and studios often start where people already gather. That’s part of why you can feel the city’s creative continuity even when decades pass.

Elvis street moment: the quiet neighborhood becomes a fan zone

The drive includes a story about Elvis living on a relatively quiet street in 1956. Then, fans discovered the home, and the neighborhood changed overnight. The audio describes neighbors as not having a personal issue with Elvis, but dealing with the practical reality of crowds and parked fans.

This is not a museum stop where you will spend 45 minutes. It is a human-scale story that helps explain why Memphis music became a world-class phenomenon. The point is less about a specific building and more about the social ripple effects of fame.

If you are the kind of traveler who likes context, this segment can be a nice emotional brake after studio and cemetery information. It turns the music story into a neighborhood story, which often feels more real than a timeline.

Price and route value: why $16.99 can make sense

At $16.99 per group up to 4, this is a rare format that fits families and small groups without forcing a per-person premium. You are paying for a self-guided day that blends driving orientation, audio storytelling, and offline map support.

Your time is also flexible. The tour is designed for about 2 to 3 hours, but the app format supports pausing and starting again, so you can stretch it if you want more walking or tighter photo breaks. The route includes 25+ audio stories, so you are not paying for a handful of facts. You are getting an audio ride with multiple stops and multiple story beats.

The biggest value booster is the lifetime access with no expiry. That means you can use the same purchase on future Memphis trips. For people who come back once they catch the music bug, that matters.

One practical value note: the tour includes story and route guidance, but it does not include attraction passes or entry tickets. A few stops are marked as admission ticket free, yet not every location in the general area is automatically covered. Still, the free-listed stops help you build a day that does not rely on paid entry to feel complete.

Navigation, “rough streets,” and how to keep the drive comfortable

Because this is a driving tour, your comfort level matters. The route includes parts of the city where the streets can feel more residential and less polished than the tourist core. If you do not like driving in unfamiliar areas, keep your speed conservative, stick to the app’s cues, and do not turn onto side streets just because you see something interesting on the map.

The instructions emphasize that the tour plays based on location, and that the app shows turns and cues so you do not have to rely entirely on Google Maps. That matters, because some people get frustrated when they double-navigate and end up fighting two different direction systems.

Here’s the best way to protect your day: download the tour in advance on solid wifi, then start at the correct place, then trust the app cues. If your experience starts behaving oddly, a smart troubleshooting step is to delete the tour from your app and redownload the updated version so you are running the latest navigation layer.

Also, plan your parking mentally. Downtown stops like Beale Street and museum areas can take longer than the audio suggests, because parking availability changes by time of day.

Who this Memphis tour fits best

This works well for:

• Music fans who want to connect names to physical places without booking a full guided day
• Budget-minded groups in one car, since it is per group up to 4
• Travelers who like audio guidance and offline reliability
• People who want a flexible start, pause, and stop pace rather than a fixed group schedule

It might not fit as well if you want:

• A person to explain every stop with high-detail history and answers to questions
• A day built entirely around inside museum time at multiple paid attractions
• A route that never passes through less familiar driving environments

Should you book the Memphis self-guided driving audio tour?

I’d book it if you want a practical Memphis day that mixes major music landmarks with story-driven context, and you like the idea of offline self-guidance. The strongest selling points are the location-triggered audio, the free-listed stops early in the route, and the fact that you can replay it later thanks to lifetime access.

If you hate driving in the city or you want a guide to handle parking and routing, you may prefer a traditional guided tour. But if your goal is to hit multiple music touchpoints, keep costs controlled, and let great narration pace your day, this is a solid way to see Memphis on your own timetable.

FAQ

How long does the Memphis self-guided driving audio tour take?

It’s designed for about 2 to 3 hours to complete.

What does the $16.99 price include?

It’s priced per group up to 4, and includes the audio tour access through the Action’s Tour Guide App.

Does the tour work offline?

Yes. The tour is set up to work offline after you download it on-site while you have strong wifi or cellular.

Do I need cellular service during the tour?

No. After downloading, you should be able to use the audio stories and offline maps without relying on cellular or wifi.

Where do I start and where does it end?

You start at 1 Bass Pro Dr, Memphis, TN 38105. The end point is listed as 2XXF+3H, Memphis, Tennessee.

Do I need to download an app before I go?

Yes. After booking, you’ll receive instructions and a password, and you must download the Action’s Tour Guide App and the tour content while you have strong wifi or cellular.

Are admission tickets or attraction entry included?

No. Attraction passes, entry tickets, or reservations are not included.

Can I pause the tour and start again later that day?

Yes. The app is set up for you to go at your own pace, start anytime, and pause wherever you want.