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Sun Studio

Sun Studio

10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:15 PM
About
Sun Studio - The place where an 18 year old Elvis Presley recorded his first song. It’s well-known in the music industry as "The Birthplace of Rock 'N' Roll" and the most famous recording studio in the world. Opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips in 1950, this national Historic Landmark is where superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and countless others started their recording careers. Today, Sun Studio still serves as a recording studio in the evenings while hosting public tours during the daytime hours.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Linda d
    75 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A lovely experience
    This was one of the best things our family enjoyed on our trip . Such a small studio with lots of history , our tour around guided by Mark who was so knowledgeable was great . I would recommend a trip here , just to see where music history was made .
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 4, 2023
  • abroadwithashley
    Minneapolis, Minnesota1,722 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    #1 Stop in Memphis
    This is a tight 40-minute tour and there are set tour times. We came about 45 minutes before the tour started so we headed over to the Edge Motor Museum to wait. You get $2 off per ticket if you’ve been to Sun Studios first and you can leave and come back so it’s the perfect place to wait until the next tour. But back at Sun Studios…the tour was great. Tons of amazing memorabilia and the studio itself is essentially unchanged - I mean the tile work is still there. Truly amazing and truly a place of history. If you’re a guitar/amp person, there’s tons of amazing pieces as well. An absolute must-do in Memphis.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 8, 2023
  • Carie V
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great venue for music lovers of all kinds!
    We went back in April and had a fantastic docent named Drew-highly recommend checking out the venue if you love music if any kind and if you can get in on Drews group-he’s knowledge, enthusiastic and his vibe was on point! I do not know this person at all for the record . We just really enjoyed our tour!
    Visited April 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 11, 2023
  • JT7171
    Calgary, Canada2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great tour - good value
    Josh H was our tour guide - the tour was very informative and interesting. Josh was very passionate and his enthusiasm was infectious. Thanks for the suggestion to search out Conway Twitty's song "Lonely Blue Boy" - love it!
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 11, 2023
  • Batmancop
    201 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great history. Worth the stop.
    Quick tour of this authentic site. Great collection of items. Our guide was enthusiastic and provided all the rich history we needed to understand the importance of Memphis music. The tour is only 1/2 hour and limited to about 25 people at a time.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 13, 2023
  • Jenifer C
    White Settlement, Texas66 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An amazing step back into history
    Our tour guide did an amazing job of sharing interesting and unexpected stories. Being in the recording room, that so many great artists recorded in left us with goose bumps. The small snippets of music made the experience so much more enriching. We were able to go in at 2:15 PM and purchase tickets for the 4:30 tour. we did call ahead to see if they still had tickets so that we did not waste a trip down there. However, anything you do here is not wasted. You enter in the old Taylor’s restaurant, and then are lead upstairs and shown so many amazing memorabilia, last you head downstairs to hang out in the recording room. A truly memorable experience!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 14, 2023
  • lunalea
    Bethlehem, Pennsylvania13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Goosebumps
    This tour was fascinating and well done. The tour guide (a woman) was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the history of sun studio. Also, we were able to touch the same microphone that so many great musicians have touched and that gave me goosebumps! I highly recommend doing this tour ! ——> I made sure to get there when they opened to buy my ticket (and there was already a large tour group in the building)! I’d say get there first thing to make sure you get the tour time that you want. ——-> There are two (single person) bathrooms available to use before / after the tour
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written October 14, 2023
  • Dave C
    Pipestem, West Virginia4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unforgettable. So glad we went!
    An intimate tour in a surprisingly small and humble museum that includes a modest collection of memorabilia, the seemingly untouched recording studio, and a small gift shop. It is the real thing, and you can even touch the same recording microphone used by the recording artists that made this place historic. Our guide, Graham, brought it all to life with wit, enthusiasm, and extensive personal knowledge. He made the tour a fantastic experience for all 27 members of our group.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled on business
    Written October 15, 2023
  • Lori D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Must see for music fans!
    Awesome walk through rock and roll history. Graham (tour guide) gave us a close up look to how Elvis was discovered, the Million Dollar Quartet jam session… Sam Phillips AND Marian should be revered across the world for bringing us so many greats (Johnny Cash, BB King, Elvis and more). Truly a highlight of our time in Memphis! Plus The BBQ Shop for local favorite, The Beauty Shop for dinner, Beale Street, National Civil Liberties Museum and, of course, Graceland!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 15, 2023
  • Ann K
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Josh Hurles was awesome!
    This tour was awesome! Josh Hurles did an excellent job telling his stories! He was very knowledgeable and made the tour feel as if the singers were present. Telling the story of Elvis’ first visit actually gave me goosebumps!! Thank you so much!!!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 17, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles12,633 reviews
Excellent
10,173
Very good
1,961
Average
401
Poor
68
Terrible
33

Nicole A
Staten Island, NY170 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
Alright, as long as you understand that this site served numerous other establishments over the decades after being SUN Records, you can REALLY appreciate that the owners have beautifully restored this space to its original origin. The tour was very thorough. You start in the cafe lobby, which in itself was a cool space with lots of memorabilia, then you transition upstairs to see more memorabilia. Finally, you end up in the record studio! This was a surreal experience. Not only are you in the space where some of the best records were made and the some of the World's BEST singers were born, so to speak, but this is a functioning recording studio. The tour guide was very good. He sang a song and I am told played the piano, too, but I was in the back of the tour and by the time I made my way down the stairs the mini concert was over. I took my time reading the articles that lined the staircase. This tour is well worth the ticket price, which was only about $16 per person. Also, their tee shirts were the least expensive in the entire city. We bought 4 for the price of what two would have been at Graceland or one of the other museums. Do yourself a favor and take a tour at Sun Records.
Written April 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AvWriter
Rochelle, IL863 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
We dropped into Memphis to visit the Graceland Shrine (and make no mistake, it is one) and Sun Studio, where it all seems to have began.

We walked over from our hotel. It was a solid mile, but a comfortable walk.

The place is air conditioned. You sign up for your tour, and a tour guide will take you through the building on what was an impressively informative tour. (Don't forget to tip the tour guide at the end).

There are plenty of things to see, and buy. They have soft drinks behind the counter for sale, and records that you can buy that are as expensive as they are rare.

If you go to Memphis, you simply have to stop here. It's a must-do.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sara M
Denver, Colorado47 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
We arrived into Memphis on Saturday of Labor Day weekend approximately noon and went straight to Sun Studios to buy our tour tickets. We were able to purchase 3 tickets for the 4:30 tour though they did have tickets for an earlier time if we had wanted. You can only get tickets in person so make it your first stop and plan everything else around it. Lydia (I hope I have her name correct) was exceptional! Knowledgeable and passionate about the history surrounding Sun Studios!!HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
Written September 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

rdsm77
Tucson, AZ395 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
Area seems sketchy with limited parking behind the building. They are taking temps for Covid, masks required and they're only letting a certain number of people inside at a time. The cashier was delightful. Mark was our tour guide. The tour was very enjoyable. Kids on the tour seemed incredibly bored though. They don't care about Elvis or the other greats. Neat standing in the same spot where such famous musicians recorded music.
Written July 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian F
Goffstown, United States4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
The tour is a lot of narration about the history of Sun studios, combined with music samples etc. They have a lot of artifacts upstairs but of course the studio is the main event. Unlike the sound stage version in another museum, you get to go in and walk around and spend time in the actual original studio while you hear more history. Overall a great time.
Written March 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cindy S
Woodruff, WI14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
Our tour guide, Mark, being a musician himself, added enthusiasm to his presentation of Sam Phillips story and the story of the greats who came to be recorded to make what we now know as Rock & Roll. The stars aligned in Memphis where black and white came together to make music history. It could not have happened anywhere else; Sun Studio...see it and experience the music!
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

zann44
Washington, DC21 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
We visited Sun Studio while in Memphis for the International Blues Challenge, so our particular tour was full of like-minded folks. Our guide, the personable and talented Lydia, was knowledgeable and managed the capacity crowd with ease and humor. We were surprised by how much we learned on the tour, especially about Sam Phillips’ foresight and good fortune in connecting with the young Elvis Presley. The shuttle bus back to Beale Street was an added bonus.
Written February 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Amy N
Westminster, CO58 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Friends
We visited Sun Studios because you can’t go to Memphis without seeing all things Elvis! The tour was $14 and you don’t need a reservation. Tours begin about every 45 minutes. The front of the studio has an old style soda fountain and gift shop. Once on the tour a tour guide explained the rooms and the memorabilia. It is a very small place. Parking is tricky. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and there is minimal walking. However there are stairs so if you can’t do stairs you may need to ask about any accommodations they can make. I enjoyed the history and seeing it for myself. It was worth the money but I wouldn’t do it a second time as we saw everything it had to offer.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Linda H
25 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
Enjoyed seeing the very first place Elvis recorded a song. They have an upstairs display of the history of Sun Records. No elevator however & stairs are steep. Downstairs is the gift shop & famous actual recording area. Tours every 30 min Was $15.00 a person April of 2021.
Written May 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dave T
Huntington Beach, CA14 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Family
Our visit to the legendary Sun Studios was literally a walk back in time. Our guide Drew was a wealth of knowledge and his passion for the subject matter really showed. Throughout the tour, Drew would play songs that correlated with the artifacts and his descriptions helped bring you back to each time period. Standing in the footsteps of so many musical legends gave me goose bumps. This tour was a great warm up for Graceland, which we visited the next day. Tour was about 45 minutes and we were able to buy tickets without reservations. The kicker for me was my 17 year old son (who can be hard to impress) said the tour was “epic” and that made it all worth while. He even bought a souvenir shirt.😉👍🏽
Written June 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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SUN STUDIO (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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