--- description: Find out why Memphis is on TIME’s 2021 list of the World’s 100 Greatest Places. title: Memphis: The World’s 100 Greatest Places of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fba591a4f0970e/698a1df316d88460cec39dab/worlds-greatest-places-2021-Memphis-Tennessee_001.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Jul 20, 2021 # Memphis Expanding on a legacy by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  A view of the lobby at Central Station Hotel in Memphis. A view of the lobby at Central Station Hotel in Memphis.Courtesy Jamie Harmon—Central Station Memphis, Graceland’s home, is in the midst of an exciting evolution. In the historic South Main Arts District, the Memphis Central Station gleams after a careful restoration. Now, in addition to serving rail customers, the station also houses the Hilton-run Central Station Hotel, which features both a listening lounge with 500 vinyl albums celebrating the city’s musical legacy, and Bishop, a French fine-dining spot from local James Beard darlings Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman. Meanwhile, the Hyatt Centric Beale Street—the first hotel on that famed stretch—has opened its doors. New dining options abound as well: sip in-house roasted coffee while mastering your Queen’s Gambit at the Memphis Chess Club’s downtown outpost; or consider stopping by the recently arrived Bain BBQ food truck for Texas-style smoked beef ribs and brisket. _—Jenny Peters_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079327/memphis/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079327/memphis/"},"headline":"Memphis","datePublished":"2021-07-20T10:33:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:50:47.927Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079327/memphis/","keywords":["franchise","Magazine","World's Greatest Places"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fba591a4f0970e/698a1df316d88460cec39dab/worlds-greatest-places-2021-Memphis-Tennessee_001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fba591a4f0970e/698a1df316d88460cec39dab/worlds-greatest-places-2021-Memphis-Tennessee_001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2021/6079327/memphis/","name":"Memphis"}}]}] ```