Exploring Memphis' music history: 6 museums you should visit, from Graceland to Stax

You can't tell the story of Memphis, or really understand the magic of the Bluff City, without knowing about its music.

No city on Earth packs as much musical history as Memphis, and for those visiting the city, you can experience much of that story through its musical museums and tourism sites.

Here are six spots worth checking out that tell the tale of Memphis music.

Sun Studio

706 Union Ave.; sunstudio.com

Known as “The Birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll," Sun Studio helped launch musical legends from B.B. King and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. The historic home of producer Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service and his Sun Records label, this modest little studio helped reshape the story of American music and culture in the 1950s. Today, Sun Studio spreads the story of the sounds that put Memphis music on the map. Visitors can stand in the very same spot that Elvis first recorded, while tour guides give you the inside scoop on other luminaries including Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and more. The tour is filled with unique memorabilia, rare recording session outtakes and other elements that will bring the Sun story to life.

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

926 E. McLemore Ave.; staxmuseum.com

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Stax Records and American soul music. Located on the original site of the Stax Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, the museum pays special tribute to the artists who recorded there, as well as other American soul legends, with interactive exhibits, films, stage costumes, musical instruments, vintage recording equipment used at Stax, records, photographs, permanent and changing galleries, and a rare and amazing collection of more than 2,000 items of memorabilia and artifacts.

Blues Hall of Fame Museum

421 S. Main St.; Blues.org

Opened in May 2015, The Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame Museum is a Memphis gem for both serious blues fans and casual visitors. With robust exhibits and in-depth history, the museum exposes, educates and entertains visitors with all that is blues culture while highlighting more than 400 inductees in five key categories: Performer, Individual, Album, Single and Literature. Visitors will enjoy 10 individualized galleries with interactive touchscreen displays along with three master databases where you can hear the music, watch videos and read the stories of each of the Blues Hall's inductees.

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Graceland/Elvis Presley's Memphis

Along Elvis Presley Boulevard; Graceland.com

You've heard the music, now see the place Elvis called home: Graceland. Explore the beautiful mansion, walk the gardens where he found peace, tour the aircraft that he traveled on from show to show, and visit Elvis Presley's Memphis entertainment complex for an unforgettable experience featuring legendary costumes, artifacts and personal mementos from Elvis and his family.

Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum

191 Beale St., inside the plaza of FedExForum; Memphisrocknsoul.org

The Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum’s exhibition about the birth of rock and soul music, based on one created by the Smithsonian Institution in 2000, tells the story of musical pioneers who, for the love of music, overcame racial and socio-economic barriers to create the music that shook the entire world.

Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum

126 Beale St.; memphismusichalloffame.com/museum

The Memphis Music Hall of Fame — operated by the Smithsonian-branded Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum — was launched in 2012, as a way of honoring musical greats from or associated with Memphis and the Mid-South. Today the Memphis Music Hall of Fame numbers nearly 100 members, a roll call that features local and international music icons from B.B. King to Elvis Presley to Justin Timberlake. Located at 126 Beale St., the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Museum — which is open seven days a week — features a fun, fascinating and educational exhibition. The collection includes never-before-seen memorabilia, rare video performances and interviews, interactive exhibits and much more detailing the lives and careers of Bluff City’s greatest artists.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Things to do while visiting Memphis: Top music museums to go to | List