Although the economic heart of Memphis has moved to the eastern suburbs, this is still a Mississippi River town; no visit to Memphis would be complete without spending a bit of time on Ole Man River. The Memphis Queen Line, 45 S. Riverside Dr. (tel. 800/221-6197 or 901/527-5694) operates several paddle-wheelers, all of which leave from a dock on "the cobblestones" at the foot of Monroe Avenue in downtown Memphis. From March through November, there are 1 1/2-hour sightseeing cruises, and in the summer, there are sunset dinner cruises and party cruises. The dinner cruises include live Dixieland and big-band music.

The 1 1/2-hour sightseeing cruise costs $15 for adults $11 for children 4 to 17, and is free for children under 4; the sunset dinner cruise costs $40 for adults and $30 for children; party cruises are $10 per person.

You'll find half a dozen or more horse-drawn carriages lined up in front of the Peabody Memphis hotel most evenings, operated by Carriage Tours of Memphis (tel. 888/267-9100 or 901/527-7542). The carriages hold at least four people, and you can tour the downtown area, passing by Beale Street and Cotton Row. Tours cost $30 per half hour for two people ($40 for 4 people).

If you're just in town for a short time, or if you prefer to let someone else do the planning and navigating, Coach USA, 5275 Raleigh-LaGrange (tel. 901/370-6666), will shuttle you around the city and make sure you don't miss any important sights. Two 3-hour tours are offered, including the Memphis city tour ($25 adults, $22 children 7-12, $10 children 4-6) and the Graceland tour ($37 adults, $10 children 4-11). A combination tour with both Graceland and the city of Memphis lasts 8 hours. Prices are $58 for adults, $28 for children 7 to 12, and $10 for children 4 to 6.

Blues City Tours of Memphis, 325 Union Ave. (tel. 901/522-9229), offers tours similar to the Gray Line tours. There is a half-day city tour that takes you past all the city's most important attractions, and there are also Graceland tours, Beale Street night-on-the-town tours, and a casino tour to Mississippi. The city tour costs $18 for adults and $10 for children; the Elvis Graceland Tour, $26 for adults and $19 for children; after-dark dinner tour, $50 for adults and $40 for children includes an evening on Beale Street with two clubs, two shows, two drinks, two meals with a choice of barbecue, chicken, or catfish and any cover charges; the casino tour, $20 per person with a minimum of 6 people.