First things first, don't get too excited about Memphis. It's a city built on industry and although the Downtown area is pleasant enough, I would say that you only need 2 days max there.

In saying that Graceland is awesome, make sure you book the full combo tour which allows access to his cars and planes. You will certainly need the good part of a day to fully appreciate the place (although it can be done much quicker), especially if you go at a peak time. Pre booking will avoid the queue for tickets but you will still have to queue for the actual tour at your allocated time. The system works well and it isn't long before you are on the short bus ride across the street to Graceland itself. I won't go into detail about the tour, it is just amazing and I'm not really old enough to fully appreciate Elvis (my Mum is a huge fan).

Graceland aside there isn't really anything else that is going to take up major time. Beale Street is just ok, the neon is good and of course the music coming out of the bars is great but it is a similar street to the likes of Duval Street in Key West and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, i.e. lots of drunk Americans. We hit a couple of bars but soon got bored.

Sun Studio is a must do if you are an Elvis fan but what surprised me was just how small the place is. Tours are literally half hour in duration and you see the whole studio. It's a memory trip for some people, a must do, but it's not going to need any longer than the allotted tour time and maybe some pictures from the outside. It is also a fair trek from the Downtown area, so if you have a car, great, if not look into public transport because walking there and back would take an age.

Other stuff to consider:-

National Civil Rights Museum
Lorraine Motel (where Martin Luther King was shot)
Court Square is a nice area in Downtown
A ride on the tram which does a loop in Downtown (hardly San Francisco but still good fun)

And that's about it. There is a Zoo and Botanic Gardens as well but we never went, I'm sure they are very similar to other US cities offerings though. Finally, the Memphis Redbirds have a fairly new ballpark near Downtown which might be worth a visit for a game if you fancy see some sport whilst in the city (there are tours also).

I would consider spending some time in Nashville also. A far nicer city and Downtown with some nice buildings and being the home of Country Music, some major attractions dedicated to that genre.

As for a beach to combine with Memphis/Nashville how about somewhere on the Carolinas? Myrtle Beach or my particular favourite Hilton Head. If you do choose Hilton Head you are just one hour drive from Savannah in Georgia, one of the best cities in the whole of the USA.

My itinerary would be something along these lines:-

Fly into Memphis (you will have to connect on a flight from the UK)
2 further nights in Memphis
2 nights Nashville
3 nights in Savannah (you really won't regret it)
and finish up with a week on Hilton Head

HTH

Agree that Memphis can be done in 2 or 3 days. Loved Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum really is a "must do". Absolutely loved the music on Beale Street. If you are into music I would combine that with New Orleans, which has a lot more IMO to see than Memphis. We didn't combine that with a beach destination but did on our first trip choose somewhere with a nice pool to relax by.

We didn't like New Orleans at all Fiona, probably our least favourite city in the USA we've been to along with Miami. In saying that, I might be doing it an injustice due to the fallout from Katrina still being present but it seemed like a city in shock (every right to be of course) and although they were encouraging people to visit, it just didn't feel like a city that was quite ready at that point. I'm glad we went but I'm in no rush to go back, much like Miami and LA to be honest.

I can imagine. We saw it before and after. But the second time we went they were up and running more or less.

Many many thanks for the prompt replies and the very helpful advice. I will probably have loads more questions though regarding this over the time i am researching.

Do you have to wait a long time in the queue for the bus to Gracelands, and where do you buy the tickets from for Gracelands tour?
What is the best way to travel from Memphis to Nashville to Savannah then Hilton Head please? I have never driven abroad before.
Also which is the best time of year to do this holiday?

Thankyou so much for any help

Silver Angel

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the centre where you buy the tickets is just opposite Gracelands. I can't remember if it was that long a wait. What you have to take into account is that once you are in the house you are never rushed and can spend as long as you like in each room( but you can't go back the way). Its well worth the wait I found it surprisingly emotional when we reached the grave. I am not even a particular fan.
The house is also surprising. Not anything like the size I had imagined it to be.

I would seriously consider booking tickets online prior to travelling. We did this and it was a simple pick up from the Will Call desk, therefore avoiding the quite lengthy queues for ticket purchase. Of course it all depends on the time of year. Our friends went in December last year and just walked up to buy tickets and walked on the bus.

Depending on the number of people visiting, you will be allocated a tour time and during this half hour (I think) you are allowed to head to the buses at any point. Of course most people go straight up, and if this is the case you will find the queues quite long but they do move quickly.

As Fiona pointed out it is well worth it. As I said I'm not a huge fan either but I think it is an essential "must do" in the USA. Interestingly at the grave the audio tour plays "If I Can Dream", which is my favourite Elvis song purely because Sky Sports played it at the end of their coverage of the Play Off Final in 2000, when my team Ipswich beat Barnsley at Wembley.

Ok now onto transport:-

Memphis to Nashville or vice versa is an easy 2.5hr journey along the Music Highway. We hired a car in Nashville and just drove to Memphis for our 2 nights, this also opens up a number of different areas you could stay in Memphis. We stayed East Memphis, which was about 20-25mins drive to Downtown but then again we were on a budget and only paid $44 a night!!! There are some nice properties Downtown though which are going to be more expensive but more suitable really as you are on a proper holiday and not on a 9 month trip like we were. The Peabody looks very nice and there is a new Westin I believe.

It gets trickier getting to the South Carolina Coast and Savannah. It's a fairly long 500miles to Savannah from Nashville, which would take just shy of 8hrs according to Mapquest. I've driven longer distances in the USA and once you get going the time flies, however I appreciate it might not be your cup of tea. One bonus of this is that if you drive you will dissect Atlanta on the way to Savannah, which would make a nice stop overnight and a chance to see the Georgia Aquarium (the biggest in the USA), World of Coca Cola and the CNN tour, not forgetting Olympic Centennial Park which was out of bounds when we went due to the first tornado ever to rip through Downtown Atlanta in history (just our luck). Atlanta is a big city, it's not particulaly attractive but some the attractions are fantastic.

From Atlanta it's about 3.5 hrs to Savannah along a fairly dull road.

An alternative could be to fly from Nashville to Savannah of course and then hire a car again for the second part of your trip in Savannah and Hilton Head. Bear in mind that a lot of the Historic District of Savannah is very walkable, so you might not need a car until you leave for Hilton Head.

I'm not sure which airlines fly that route but another alternative could be to fly Nashville to Jacksonville in Florida, which is a short 1hr flight, followed by a 2hr car journey to Savannah. It all comes down to cost, when I looked flying into Savannah seemed to be very expensive for some reason. Worth a look at all the choices I reckon.

Lastly, best time to do the holiday? If you want the beach, then it's got to be April onwards. We went in March to Savannah and it was much warmer than we expected in the high 60's low70's, so t-shirts definitely but shorts were touch and go. Over at Hilton Head people were sunbathing and swimming but it would be too cold, plus you want to go back with a tan. I would say May/June. July & August are going to be peak time on Hilton Head Island and traffic comes to a standstill but of course when the sun comes out it will be very hot. I would think summer is going to be very hot in Memphis and Nashville also, but as we were there in November I can't really comment for sure.

Don't just take my word on the beach options though. There are plenty of other beaches in the USA, but obviously none that close to Memphis or Nashville. Fortunately you are close enough to take a pick, but the Carolina coast would be my option, or maybe even Florida?

HTH, have fun planning

when we went to memhis,we were supposed to be there for 3 nights,but left a day early.our main reason for going,was to go to graceland,so once we had done that & beale street,there wasn't alot to keep us there.it has been my least favourite place,in the US,however,i would never have missed visiting graceland.
we done a 2 week tour,then flew to florida,for a week.
we went to new orleans,nashville,memphis,texas.oklahoma.atlanta,then florida,but i can't remember which order.memphis,as a city,was definately,the least interesting for me.i don't recall the line,being very long,for the tickets to graceland,but it would be worth it,even with long lines.
my one regret is not having any photos.we didn't have a digital camera then, & when we went to southfork ranch,in texas,i dropped my camera & broke it,so my sister said,we would just get double prints,from hers.anyway she gave it to me,cos i love taking photos & i went & lost all the rolls of film,which included southfork & graceland.i was devastated & terrified to tell her,because graceland,was her part of the trip.i still think of those lost photos,but i suppose we still have the memories.
enjoy your planning,we did ours d.i.y & really enjoyed the planning,
tracy