☰Southaven

Southaven's real value is its proximity to bigger places. Memphis is twenty minutes north and unmissable — Graceland, the Stax Museum, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, and Beale Street are all within easy reach. The Tunica County casinos along the Mississippi River are around forty minutes south for anyone wanting a Vegas-style evening, and the Mississippi Delta blues trail begins not far beyond. Across the river to the west, the wide cypress swamps and bird life of the St. Francis National Forest in eastern Arkansas make a quieter contrast.

Southaven's restaurant scene is dominated by national chains along Goodman Road, but a handful of locally owned places are worth seeking out — and the great Memphis barbecue houses are a short drive across the state line.

For genuinely local cooking, try Cafe Olé for Tex-Mex, Bonne Terre Café at the country inn of the same name for upscale Southern, and Genghis Grill for build-your-own Mongolian stir-fry. The local Memphis Barbecue Co. on Goodman Road, started by competition pitmasters John and Melissa Cookston, does some of the best pulled pork on the Mississippi side of the line. For breakfast, Bryant's Breakfast in Memphis is twelve minutes north and worth the drive.

Southaven sits at the intersection of Interstates 55 and 69 just south of Memphis. Most visitors fly into Memphis International Airport (MEM), which is fifteen minutes north of Southaven and one of FedEx's main global hubs — flights from across the United States are easy to find.

The car is essential. Public transit is minimal and ride-share covers Southaven but is more expensive than in Memphis proper. From Nashville the drive south on I-40 and then I-269/I-55 takes about three and a half hours.

Southaven is one of the Mid-South's biggest retail destinations. Shoppers from rural Mississippi, west Tennessee, and east Arkansas converge here for the sales-tax differential and the sheer choice on offer along Goodman Road and Airways Boulevard.

The Tanger Outlets Southaven opened in 2015 and is the centrepiece — an open-air outlet centre with around 75 stores including Nike, Coach, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Levi's. The Southaven Towne Center is the adjacent lifestyle centre with department stores, restaurants, and a multiplex. Between the two you can fill a serious afternoon and a serious car boot.

Southaven is a suburb, not a sightseeing destination, but a handful of places give it some character of its own. The Snowden Grove area on the west side of town is where most of the civic energy lives — parks, ball fields, the city's main event venue, and a pair of outlet shopping centres that pull traffic in from across the Mid-South.

The real attractions are over the Tennessee line in Memphis: Graceland is barely twenty minutes north, Beale Street and the Civil Rights Museum are half an hour. Use Southaven for cheaper rooms and quicker drives, and treat its own POIs as filler between bigger plans.