At 706 Union Avenue, on the corner of Union and Marshall, sits the small storefront where Sam Phillips opened his recording service in 1950 and launched the Sun label. Many call it the birthplace of rock and roll: in 1951 Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats cut 'Rocket 88' here, often cited as the first rock-and-roll record. In July 1954 a teenage truck driver named Elvis Presley recorded 'That's All Right' in this room, and the rest followed — Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, and the famous 'Million Dollar Quartet' jam with Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Still a working studio by night and a tour stop by day, the original acoustic-tile room remains, with the worn floor where Elvis stood at the mic.

10.4 mi away

Stax — The Soul of Memphis RoadyGoat

1957

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music sits at 926 East McLemore Avenue, on the exact spot where Stax Records cut some of the grittiest, greatest soul music ever made. Founded in the late 1950s in a converted movie theater, Stax was the house that built the raw 'Memphis sound,' with Booker T. & the M.G.'s as the in-house band and a roster that included Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes, and Wilson Pickett sessions. Redding recorded '(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay' just before his death in a 1967 plane crash. The original studio was demolished in 1989, but the museum, opened in 2003, is a faithful re-creation on the same ground, complete with a recovered Stax marquee and Isaac Hayes' gold-trimmed Cadillac. It's a short hop from downtown.

11.6 mi away

Graceland — Elvis's Mansion RoadyGoat

1957

Graceland, at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the Whitehaven neighborhood, is the Colonial Revival mansion Elvis Presley bought in 1957, when he was just 22, for about $100,000. He lived here until his death in August 1977. Inside are the rooms that became legend, including the green-shag, tiki-themed Jungle Room, which he later used to record parts of two albums. The Meditation Garden beside the house holds the graves of Elvis, his parents Gladys and Vernon, his grandmother, and a memorial to his stillborn twin Jesse; his daughter Lisa Marie was later laid to rest here too. Opened to the public in 1982, Graceland draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and is one of the most-visited private homes in America, second among houses only to the White House.

15.1 mi away

History of Marion

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

West Memphis, Arkansas, exists because of the river. Sitting just 220 feet above sea level in the flat expanse of the Mississippi Delta, its fate has always been intertwined with that mighty waterway. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 left an indelible mark, spurring massive levee projects that still shape the landscape today. Even its name, adopted in 1927, reflects its proximity to its larger neighbor across the river. But while Memphis, Tennessee, grew into a major metropolis, West Memphis maintained a different pace. Its strategic location, however, ensured its survival and growth. As a major transportation hub, it became a vital link in the nation's supply chain. Logistics and transportation are key industries, a modern echo of the riverboat era. But the past lingers. And though the roar of the crowds at the old greyhound track has faded, a palpable sense of history mingles with the slow pace of life, evoking a quiet nostalgia for a different time. Even the distant cheers for Scotty Thurman's championship-winning three-pointer remind you of the surrounding area's impact on the larger world.

4.7 mi away

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

West Memphis, Arkansas, hums with a low, steady rhythm, a place where the past feels close enough to touch. Sitting just across the Mississippi from its namesake city, its flat Delta landscape, barely 220 feet above sea level, betrays its history of flooding – a history that demanded the massive levee system that now defines its riverfront. You can imagine the crowds that once flocked here for greyhound racing, a vanished spectacle that speaks to a different era.

4.7 mi away

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

West Memphis owes its existence to the Mississippi. The land itself is the flat, fertile delta, built up over millennia by the river's relentless flow. At just 220 feet above sea level, it's a landscape defined by water, a place where the river's moods have always dictated life. That defining flood of 1927 reshaped everything, leading to the construction of the levees that now stand as a constant reminder of the river's power, but also the resilience of its people. The river made it a natural crossroads, a place where goods and people flowed, which explains why logistics are still so important to the town today. That location, just across the river from Memphis, shaped its destiny, too. Named West Memphis in 1927, the town became a convenient spot for things that were frowned on across the river, like greyhound racing. It drew crowds and money, becoming a piece of the Mid-South’s story. Even now, there's a palpable sense of history, a feeling that the land remembers its past, and that past still echoes in the present.

4.7 mi away

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

1968

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, while in Memphis supporting striking sanitation workers.

9.6 mi away

Beale Street

1860

The birthplace of the blues, Beale Street in Memphis served as the cultural and commercial center for Black life in the Mid-South for over a century.

9.6 mi away

Sun Studio

1950

Sam Phillips opened Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in 1950, launching the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.

10.5 mi away

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

1957

Stax Records at 926 East McLemore Avenue was the home of Southern soul music, producing Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and the Staple Singers.

11.7 mi away

Graceland

1957

Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in 1957 for $102,500 and lived there until his death in 1977; it is now the second most-visited private home in America after the White House.

15.0 mi away

Things to Do in Marion

historical 9.6 mi away

National Civil Rights Museum

Built around the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated. Powerful and essential.

historical 16.4 mi away

Graceland

Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion. The King's jumpsuits and pink Cadillac.

historical 9.6 mi away

Beale Street

The home of the blues. Neon-lit clubs and BBQ joints where B.B. King got his start.

food 9.7 mi away

Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

Memphis' underground rib palace since 1948. Down an alley under a hotel. Dry rub ribs charcoal broiled. No sauce needed.

historical 10.5 mi away

Sun Studio

Where rock and roll was born. Elvis Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded here.

historical 11.6 mi away

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Where Otis Redding Isaac Hayes and Booker T recorded. Memphis soul lives here.

quirky 9.5 mi away

The Peabody Ducks

Five ducks march through the Memphis Peabody Hotel lobby to their rooftop palace. Daily at 11 AM and 5 PM.

food 9.8 mi away

Central BBQ

Memphis dry-rub ribs and pulled pork nachos. Locals' favorite over the tourist spots.

Everything Near Marion

45 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Marion, AR · Local history
Marion, Arkansas sits squarely in the Mississippi Delta, a place sculpted by the river's relentless work over millennia. The land is almost perfectly flat, a fertile floodplain built from layers of sediment deposited…
West Memphis, AR · 4.7 mi
West Memphis, Arkansas, exists because of the river. Sitting just 220 feet above sea level in the flat expanse of the Mississippi Delta, its fate has always been intertwined with that mighty waterway. The Great…
Wilson Power and Light Company Ice Plant · 4.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Before refrigerated trucks, how did West Memphis keep cool and ship perishable goods? The answer lies in this building, the Wilson Power and Light Company Ice Plant, later known as Delta Ice. Built in 1930, this plant…
Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas) · 6.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Feel the adrenaline of the races at this historic speedway, where legends were made on the Gumbo clay oval. Riverside International Speedway opened on June 10, 1950, built by C L Montgomery to showcase midget car…
Turrell, AR · 6.8 mi · Local history
Turrell, Arkansas, a town nestled in the flat expanse of the Arkansas Delta, draws its name from James Turrell, a landowner who held sway in the area. Incorporated in 1888, the name itself speaks to the foundational…
Crawfordsville, AR · 7.3 mi · Local history
Crawfordsville, Arkansas, whispers a story of the Delta, a story etched in cotton fields and the slow drawl of its residents. Incorporated in 1882 and named for a local landowner, John Crawford, the town's character was…
Memphis & Arkansas Bridge · 9.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Check out that impressive steel structure! That's the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge, a vital link connecting Tennessee and Arkansas across the mighty Mississippi. Completed in 1949, this cantilevered through truss bridge…
You Can Go to Hell, I Will Go to Texas · 9.3 mi
Davy Crockett's road west ran right through Memphis. After he lost his last election in the fall of 1835, he was done with politics and done with Tennessee. In his farewell to the voters of his district he is remembered…
Hotel Claridge (Memphis, Tennessee) · 9.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This grand hotel, built in 1924 for $1.5 million, once hosted Memphis's elite. It was the vision of Charles Levy and Morris Corn, businessmen from St. Louis, who hired architectural firms from both Memphis and St. Louis…
Memphis, TN · 9.5 mi · Local history
Memphis occupies a peculiar space, geographically and historically. Loess soil, blown in over millennia, forms bluffs high enough to offer a commanding view of the Mississippi, a natural vantage point that made it a…
Orpheum Theatre (Memphis) · 9.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a vaudeville palace rising from the ashes – literally! The Orpheum Theatre, standing proudly on South Main, has a story of resilience etched into its very walls. Originally opened in 1890 as the Grand Opera…
The Peabody Ducks · 9.5 mi · Things to Do
Five ducks march through the Memphis Peabody Hotel lobby to their rooftop palace. Daily at 11 AM and 5 PM.

Show all 45 nearby places

Greenlaw Addition Historic District · 9.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a minute, you've stumbled onto a little piece of Memphis history tucked away in the Greenlaw Addition Historic District. This neighborhood offers a real glimpse into the city's past. Between 1885 and 1915,…
National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968, while in Memphis supporting striking sanitation workers.
National Civil Rights Museum · 9.6 mi · Things to Do
Built around the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated. Powerful and essential.
Beale Street · 9.6 mi · Historical Marker
The birthplace of the blues, Beale Street in Memphis served as the cultural and commercial center for Black life in the Mid-South for over a century.
Beale Street · 9.6 mi · Things to Do
The home of the blues. Neon-lit clubs and BBQ joints where B.B. King got his start.
A. Schwab's · 9.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time at A. Schwab's, the last original business on Beale Street, a legendary hub of blues music. A. Schwab's opened its doors in 1876, founded by Abraham Schwab, an immigrant from Germany. It started as a…
James Lee House (239 Adams Avenue, Memphis) · 9.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Built for a steamboat tycoon in 1869, this house whispers tales of river commerce and Memphis's gilded age. James Lee, Sr., a riverboat magnate and ironworks founder, commissioned this grand house around 1869. It later…
Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous · 9.7 mi
Charlie Vergos opened the Rendezvous in a basement down an alley beneath the Peabody Hotel in Memphis in 1948. The dry-rub ribs — charcoal broiled, not smoked — broke every rule of Southern barbecue and created a…
George Collins Love House · 9.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here for a second; this is where George Collins Love lived. He stepped in as mayor of Memphis for a short but critical time. Love took office in 1915 after Mayor Thomas Ashcroft's death and served until 1916.…
Medical Arts Building and Garage · 9.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Check out that building! It's a piece of Memphis healthcare history, all wrapped up in 1920s architecture. Completed in 1926, the Medical Arts Building, also known as the Hickman Building, was designed to house Memphis'…
Central BBQ · 9.8 mi · Things to Do
Memphis dry-rub ribs and pulled pork nachos. Locals' favorite over the tourist spots.
Sun Studio — Where It All Started · 10.4 mi
At 706 Union Avenue, on the corner of Union and Marshall, sits the small storefront where Sam Phillips opened his recording service in 1950 and launched the Sun label. Many call it the birthplace of rock and roll: in…
Lowenstein House · 10.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
This grand house, the Lowenstein House, offers a glimpse into Memphis history, from wealthy merchants to the changing roles of women. Built around 1890 for German-born merchant Elias Lowenstein, it stands as a testament…
Sun Studio · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker
Sam Phillips opened Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in 1950, launching the careers of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins.
Sun Studio · 10.5 mi · Things to Do
Where rock and roll was born. Elvis Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded here.
Interstate Barbecue · 10.7 mi · Things to Do
Jim Neely's legendary Memphis dry-rub ribs and BBQ spaghetti. A soul food institution.
Speedway Terrace Historic District · 10.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a neighborhood rising from farmland, reflecting Memphis's growth at the turn of the century. That's Speedway Terrace. Starting around 1905, this area transformed into a residential district. Over the next four…
Chucalissa · 11.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a bustling village here centuries ago, a place called Chucalissa, now a window into a lost world. Between 1000 and 1600 AD, this site was a thriving Mississippian culture settlement. People built houses, farmed…
Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee) · 11.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Step back in time at Elmwood Cemetery, the final resting place for generations of Memphians who shaped the city. Established in 1852, Elmwood was designed as a 'rural' cemetery, a peaceful, park-like setting away from…
Central High School (Memphis, Tennessee) · 11.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Ever wonder where Memphis got its first high school? You're getting close! Central High School, founded in the early 1900s, is often considered just that, though three others existed before it. It's affectionately…
Stax — The Soul of Memphis · 11.6 mi
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music sits at 926 East McLemore Avenue, on the exact spot where Stax Records cut some of the grittiest, greatest soul music ever made. Founded in the late 1950s in a converted movie…
Stax Museum of American Soul Music · 11.6 mi · Things to Do
Where Otis Redding Isaac Hayes and Booker T recorded. Memphis soul lives here.
Stax Museum of American Soul Music · 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
Stax Records at 926 East McLemore Avenue was the home of Southern soul music, producing Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and the Staple Singers.
Old Turrell City Hall · 11.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over near this unassuming metal building for a quick history lesson about resourcefulness in post-war America! This is the Old Turrell City Hall, a Quonset Hut. After World War II, Quonset Huts were sold as…
Eli Rayner House · 12.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine living in a grand house like this in the years before the Civil War. The Eli Rayner House, built in 1856, offers a glimpse into that era. It was built for Eli Rayner, a wealthy planter, and his wife, May A.…
Treadwell High School (Penny Hardaway) · 14.3 mi
Treadwell High School (920 N. Highland St., Memphis, TN) is where Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway became a Memphis playground legend. As a senior he averaged roughly 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists, and was named…
Graceland · 15.0 mi · Historical Marker
Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in 1957 for $102,500 and lived there until his death in 1977; it is now the second most-visited private home in America after the White House.
Graceland — Elvis's Mansion · 15.1 mi
Graceland, at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the Whitehaven neighborhood, is the Colonial Revival mansion Elvis Presley bought in 1957, when he was just 22, for about $100,000. He lived here until his death in August…
Graceland · 15.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
You're near Graceland, the place where a music legend both lived and died. It's more than just a house; it's a pilgrimage for millions. Elvis Presley bought Graceland in 1957 for just over $100,000. He lived there until…
George Berry Washington Memorial · 16.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over here for a sec; this unassuming field holds a powerful story of resilience and achievement. It's the final resting place of Reverend George Berry Washington, and his memorial is one of a kind in this county.…
Graceland · 16.4 mi · Things to Do
Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion. The King's jumpsuits and pink Cadillac.
Bartlett, TN · 18.2 mi · Wikipedia
This place began as Union Depot, the final major stop in Tennessee for westward stagecoaches traveling from Nashville. When the stagecoach route gave way to the Memphis & Ohio Railroad, it transitioned into a rail…
Baron Hirsch Synagogue · 19.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Did you know that at one point, the largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in North America called Memphis home? That congregation is Baron Hirsch Synagogue, and its story is a testament to the growth and evolution of…

Explore Marion on the Map

All music from Arkansas → Find another town Vote on city songs

Marion, Arkansas

Music in Marion

Songs About Marion

Artists From Marion

Rivers & Roads in Song near Marion

Musical Heritage

Sun Studio — Where It All Started RoadyGoat

Stax — The Soul of Memphis RoadyGoat

Graceland — Elvis's Mansion RoadyGoat

History of Marion

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

West Memphis, AR RoadyGoat

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Beale Street

Sun Studio

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Graceland

Things to Do in Marion

Everything Near Marion

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