Memphis at a glance

STAFF WRITER

GETTING THERE. Nonstop round-trip fares start at $311 on Northwest Airlines, which offers the only direct service from LaGuardia. Several other airlines offer one-stop flights from New York airports.

GETTING AROUND. Our Thrifty three-day rental of a Ford Mustang convertible cost about $125, including taxes and fees. Weekly rates for economy cars reserved in August range from $118 at Enterprise to $179 at Alamo.

WHERE TO STAY. Memphis has more than 20,000 hotel rooms at all price levels. The 464-room Peabody Hotel (149 Union Ave.; 800-732-2639, peabodymemphis.com), one of the South's grand dames, tops the list. Rates start around $245 double occupancy.

Also in the heart of downtown, the Comfort Inn (100 N. Front St., 901- 526-0583, comfortinns.com), overlooking the Mississippi River, has rooms starting at around $130.

Near Graceland, regular guest rooms at the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel (3677 Elvis Presley Blvd.; 877-777-0606 or 901- 332-1000), begin at $110. Themed suites begin at $545. For reservations and information about all things Elvis, including Graceland, check out elvis.com.

Fifty yards away from Graceland is a Days Inn (3839 Elvis Presley Blvd.; 901-346-5500, daysinn.com) with a guitar-shaped pool and free Elvis movies 24 hours a day. Rates start at around $100 in August.

WHERE TO EAT. Restaurants also abound in Memphis. For barbecue and down-home Southern cuisine, check out The Rendezvous (52 South St., 901-523- 2746); Dyer's Burgers (205 Beale St., 901-527-3937); King's Palace Cafe (162 Beale St., 901-521-1851); and Gus's World-Famous Fried Chicken (510 Front St., 901- 527-4877), which serves Southern-fried chicken known to make people swoon.

WHAT TO DO. Beale Street nightclubs worth checking out include B.B. King's Blues Club (143 Beale St., 901-524-5464); Rum Boogie Cafe (182 Beale St., 901-528-0150); and Silky Sullivan's (181 Beale St., 901-522-9596), famous for its "Diver" drink -- a gallon-sized yellow plastic bucket filled with a potent alcoholic concoction -- and an outdoor patio with live goats (yes, goats).

INFORMATION. Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, 800-873-6282 or memphistravel.com.