Beale Street is...uhhhhh...a street....with bars, restaurants and LOTS of bums. I was with the wife and my 2 year old; not the ideal companions for a booze blowout weekend. We did Starbucks, took some pics (love that neon), forked over $$$$ to the homeless and headed back to the motel. I would have loved to have done the Gibson Guitar... more

The weather was absolutely perfect! Our morning was a Graceland--what a tasteful exibit--much better than what the TV shows. Beale Street was exactly what should be expected. Oh, yes, there were the panhandlers around but they were clean, well mannered and gave directions even after I said I could not help them today! I think I have heard about folks... more

If you enjoy music and good food in a relaxed atmosphere, Beale Street is the place to be. Check out BB King's Blues Club and Rum Boogie Cafe. Street performers are always entertaining and the open air concerts in between buildings are awesome. I love the rooftop cafe at Alfred's to listen to all the different types of music being... more

My husband and I were surprised at the pushy beggars. Please be careful with handbags, wallets. These folks are pretty handsy, and we were sober! I can't imagine the poor partiers that get taken by the con men.They also pull the ' I'm a veteran" routine, and point to their hats. You can buy a USMC cap. Otherwise, we thought... more

Beale Street is exactly what you would expect. Crowded, smelly, music blaring from every open door. I mean, it's Beale Street! But Memphis has done a good job of making it safe and attractive without taking the character away. It's three blocks of bars, restaurants (mostly bbq, all very basic), and novelty and music shops. The buildings are old and,... more

Obviously, on a street full of bars, there are going to be people drinking. That is a given. In the middle of a city, in a tourist area, there will be panhandlers. I wouldn't take my family there late at night, but honestly Beale is not at all as bad as it is made out to be on this site.... more

We had a great time in Beale Street. The atmosphere and live music was excellent. The cars have to be seen to be believed (Tuesday night) and the motor bikes (Wednesday night) were something else. BB Kings is a must.The food and live music were VERY good more

Beale Street was a wonderful experience, where else can you get to listen to music like that and to have it all for free. There was the odd panhandler about but once they knew you weren't going to give them anything they left you alone. The Harley nights were absolutely great the noise and atmosphere fantastic would like to go... more

Memphis was an aweful experience for my family! Beale street was very unsafe, panhandlers galore. There was not much to do for a family and it was dirty and unsafe. My husband was stationed in Millington while in the Marines so he wanted to show the kids his stomping grounds on our 3000 mile vacation. Please beware if you are... more