A car makes Memphis much easier to navigate. The city sprawls, and the most interesting places — Overton Park in Midtown, Shelby Farms to the east, Graceland to the south, the Stax Museum in Soulsville — are spread across a wide area. Parking is generally plentiful and cheap by big-city standards, even downtown. Rideshares (Uber and Lyft) cover the whole city and are a practical alternative to renting a car if you're based downtown.
Downtown itself is walkable, and the South Main arts district, the National Civil Rights Museum, and Beale Street are all close enough to cover on foot. MATA (Memphis Area Transit Authority) operates a bus network across the city, with routes covering most major destinations, though service is infrequent by urban standards. The Main Street Trolley — a restored vintage streetcar line — runs along Main Street through downtown and connects to the South Main district. A bike share scheme (Explore Bike Share) operates in and around downtown and Midtown, with stations near Overton Park and the Cooper-Young neighborhood. The riverfront and Mud Island are best reached on foot from downtown.