Memphis Ranks On National Geographic List Of Top 20 Must-See Places in the World

Memphis has something to be excited about, National Geographic has named Memphis, TN as one of the top twenty places to see in 2013 for it’s “Best Trips 2013” among Quito, Malawi and Great Bear Rainforest and others.

According to National Geographic Traveler, Stax Museum efforts seem to be part of the reason why, after all, Stax Museum, along with the Stax Music Academy and the Soulsville Charter School, will be celebrating it’s tenth anniversary in 2013 with concerts, parties, and Stax to the Max.

Just don’t leave it solely to Stax — local Memphis grassroots projects are also helping capture the eye of tourists and conscience people such as the Project Green Fork, which focuses on strengthening homegrown restaurants to help reduce environmental impacts.

The Shelby Farms Park is also eyed upon due to being one of the largest urban parks in the United States (4,500 acres), which is stated to be 5x’s larger than New York’s Central Park. Shelby Farms is a great spot for tourists looking for horse riding, hiking, bike trails, lakes, wildlife, golf and a place to hold outdoor functions (BBQ’s, etc.).

National Geographic, makes mention that although the collective memory of Memphis is Elvis Presley and Graceland, B. B. King, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beale Street — Memphis has more to offer.

Others on the “Best Trips 2013” list include:
1. Crimea (south of Ukraine)
2. Marseille (second largest city in France)
3. Raja Ampat Islands (on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia’s West Papua province)
4. Ravenna (capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy)
5. Great Bear Rainforest (rain forest in Canada, on the British Columbia Coast between Vancouver Island and Southeast Alaska)
6. Malawi (country in southeast Africa)
7. Quito (capital city of Ecuador)
8. Bagan (located in the Mandalay Region of Burma)
9. Cape Breton (island on the Atlantic coast of North America)
10. Uganda (East Africa)
11. Hudson Valley (eastern edge of New York)
12. Thessaloniki (second-largest city in Greece)
13. Grenada (southeastern Caribbean)
14. Bodø (Nordland county, Norway)
15. Valparaíso (city and commune of Chile)
16. Missouri River Breaks (north-central Montana)
17. St. Augustine (Florida)
18. Memphis
19. Kyoto (capital of Kyoto Prefecture located in the central part of Honshu, Japan)
20. Jarash (capital and largest city of Jerash Governorate north of Jordan)