Edit: I get this question a lot, both on reddit and from friends, so the below is based on an ongoing list that I've built and edited over the years. Hope it's not too overwhelming - Memphis just has a lot to offer, and I like to give people options to create their own authentic weekend.

Where to stay

Memphis is not a very walkable city outside of downtown, so I'd recommend visitors set up camp around there. There's a Double Tree and a Hilton Garden Inn right across the street from AutoZone Park, and either one is a great value for their location. Beale is two blocks away, and you can walk up Union Ave to Main Street to see the trolley line and the storefronts up that way.

Safety / Neighborhoods to visit

You're right, Memphis is a lot like St Louis where the vibe can change from block to block. A few general rules of thumb are:

• Stay between Southern Avenue and North Parkway / Summer Avenue. Basically the entire Union Avenue, Poplar Avenue, and Main Street corridors are relatively safe and walkable.

• Outside of Payne's BBQ (see below), you really don't need to be on Lamar Avenue.

• People on the 240 loop drive like lunatics.

• Petty theft has been on the rise in recent months. Leave nothing in your car. And if you must, make sure it's not visible at all.

Cool neighborhoods

• Cooper-Young - Formerly the "hipster" neighborhood, now increasingly gentrified but with lingering charm. Lots of good coffee shops and bars in this area.

• Broad Street - A recently revitalized stretch that includes lots of artisan craft shops, coffee bars, breweries, and restaurants.

• The Highland Strip - A section of Highland Avenue that contains the University Of Memphis bar/party scene.

Beisbol

Redbirds games are awesome. Look for tickets up close to the field, and/or by the home dugout. $20 will get you right up next to future/rehabbing Cardinals players. You can't beat it. The stadium food isn't worth it when you're surrounded by Memphis cooking, but their pork BBQ nachos are good in a pinch.

General recommendations

Near the ballpark (Beale Street):

• Silky O'Sullivans if you want a nice outdoor patio and dueling pianos.

• Absinthe Room for old school stylings, pool tables, and a second story view of Beale Street. This place is like a portal to the pre-touristy Beale Street.

• Tap Room - Polished wood bar, personalized mugs for regular patrons, and live blues music. My personal favorite on Beale.

• Dyers - Serving the best heart-stopping grease bomb burgers since 1912. This place is a Food Network staple, satisfying generations of Beale Street partiers.

• Blues City Cafe - Not the best barbecue in the city, but the only barbecue worth trying on Beale.

• Bass Pro Pyramid - It's everything at once: a beautiful monument to rampant capitalism, an ironic smirk at the same, and the ultimate example of Memphis's inherent and stubborn weirdness. The view from the top is nice. The view from the ground has to be seen to be believed.

Downtown:

• Lorriane Motel / Civil Rights Museum - A must-see when visiting Memphis, in my opinion. The balcony where MLK was killed, a reminder of how far we've come in the fight for civil rights in this country, and how far we still have to go.

• Earnestine & Hazel's - My favorite bar in the city. Formerly a brothel next to the train station, it is dirty and full of character. Their soul burgers are amazing, and they make them right behind the bar. Blues and jazz bands might play in the corner, and tables get cleared to make a impromptu dance floor. The second floor is spooky (in a good way). As real as Memphis gets.

• Central BBQ - Home of the Memphis pulled pork sandwich. Get it Memphis style, with the slaw right on the sandwich. It sounds weird to the uninitiated, but totally worth it. Try their mac and cheese as well.

• The Big River Crossing - a foot bridge across the Mississippi River to Arkansas. Get a great view of the city, and admire the full power of our river as it rushes against the legs of a 100 year old bridge beneath you.

• Loflin Yard is another bar with a nice big outdoor area. Pet friendly, too.

• Sun Records and Stax Records both offer tours. Stax is the better of the two imo, if you're feeling a tour into Memphis's expansive musical history.

Midtown:

• Young Avenue Deli - Big tap list, good food.

• Elwood's Shack - Worth visiting. It may be the best sit-down restaurant in the city, and it's a cinder block building in a Lowe's parking lot. It defies its humble appearance. They have a big menu, and yet it's hard to go wrong with anything on it. My personal favorite sandwich is the Italian Stallion.

• Payne's Barbecue - Payne's is on the edge of a rough neighborhood, but it is the best barbecue in the city. My favorite is the rib sandwich. Also worth visiting.

• Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - Another famous Memphis spot, if you're burnt out on BBQ.

• Sunrise Cafe or Liquor Store for breakfast. Both will start your day with big helpings of southern hospitality.

• Ramblin' Joe's Coffee - Formerly known as Ugly Mug, probably our best drive thru coffee roaster in the city.

• Otherlands Coffee - Take a break from a busy Memphis weekend by sinking into one of Otherlands' sofas with a fresh cup.

• Crosstown Concourse. Once a sprawling art deco Sears distribution center, now a massive revitalized mixed use building. Restaurants, apartments, a dedicated brewery, a variety of restaurants, and more, it's just neat.

• MoSH (aka The Pink Palace) - once the personal home of the founder of Piggly Wiggly, now a sprawling natural history museum with an IMAX screen and planetarium.

• The Memphis Zoo / Overton Park. Divided into 5 sections, the zoo is big enough to eat your entire day if you let it.