BlaakLane.com offers chauffeur service in Memphis for Memphis International Airport (MEM) transfers, Graceland and Beale Street visits, conventions at the Renasant Convention Center, games at FedExForum, medical visits in the Midtown hospital district and one-way trips to Nashville, Tunica and Oxford. The booking engine shows a fixed fare before you confirm. A vetted local affiliate drives the trip, and the confirmation names the operator and chauffeur.
Booking a Memphis chauffeur
Enter a flight number, hotel or address in the booking engine, add the destination and time, and choose a vehicle. The fare you see is fixed and covers the chauffeur, fuel and the included waiting time, with no meter and no event-night surge; gratuity and any parking at Memphis International are added to the booking at actual cost. The 24/7 reservations desk in Toronto assigns a vetted Memphis affiliate held to the BlaakLane.com written standard, and the confirmation names the operator, chauffeur and vehicle. Conventions, music tours and multi-vehicle programmes for the barbecue festival are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Memphis International Airport (MEM): the terminal and pickup point
MEM is about 12 miles southeast of downtown and roughly 10 minutes from Graceland. After a modernisation completed in 2021, all airline gates are consolidated in Concourse B, with baggage claim below. Pre-arranged cars pick up on the lower drive in the commercial area outside B baggage claim, reached by the crosswalk from the claim hall; that is the standard BlaakLane.com pickup point. The chauffeur texts the vehicle details once you land. Meet and greet in the baggage hall with a name board is an add-on; add-ons are only available in selected locations. The airport authority's Memphis International Airport site has current terminal details.
Pickups are flight-tracked. Waiting included from actual landing: 30 minutes for domestic flights, 60 minutes for international arrivals and 15 minutes for other pickups, then 15-minute blocks. The airport is also home to the FedEx World Hub, so overnight cargo traffic is heavy on the surrounding roads, though passenger traffic is modest and the run into downtown on I-240 and I-40 or Airways Boulevard usually takes 15 to 25 minutes.
Drive times across Memphis
| Route | Approx. distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| MEM to downtown and Beale Street | 12 miles | 15-25 min |
| MEM to Graceland (Whitehaven) | 4 miles | 10 min |
| MEM to the Medical District and St. Jude | 11 miles | 15-25 min |
| MEM to East Memphis and Poplar Avenue offices | 10 miles | 15-25 min |
| Downtown to Germantown | 18 miles | 25-35 min |
| Downtown to Tunica casinos (Mississippi) | 35 miles | 40-50 min |
The booked fare stays fixed whatever the traffic.
Downtown, Beale Street and the riverfront
Beale Street, with its blues clubs, is the heart of downtown nightlife and is closed to cars on weekend evenings, so the chauffeur drops at a corner such as Second Street or B.B. King Boulevard and meets you there later. The Peabody Hotel on Union Avenue, known for the ducks that walk to its lobby fountain each morning and return each afternoon, is a few blocks away. Other hotels near the river include The Guest House at Graceland in Whitehaven, the Hu. Hotel and The Central Station hotel in the South Main district. The National Civil Rights Museum at the former Lorraine Motel sits in South Main, the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid anchors the north end of downtown, and Sun Studio is on Union Avenue east of the centre. River cruise vessels on the Mississippi dock at Beale Street Landing on the riverfront.
Graceland and Elvis Week
Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, is in Whitehaven on Elvis Presley Boulevard, just west of the airport. Visitors arriving at MEM can go straight there, with luggage kept in the car during the tour on an hourly booking. Elvis Week, usually in mid-August around the anniversary of his death, brings fans from around the world and fills Whitehaven hotels. Tour details are on Graceland.
Conventions, arenas and the medical district
The Renasant Convention Center, formerly the Memphis Cook Convention Center, is at the north end of downtown near the Pyramid. FedExForum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, is a block off Beale Street. The Memphis Medical District and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital campus lie just north and east of downtown, and families travelling for treatment use car service between MEM, hospital accommodation and appointments. Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in the Fairgrounds hosts University of Memphis football and the Liberty Bowl, usually in late December or early January. Companies with teams in town set up corporate accounts for invoicing and traveller profiles, and event transportation covers multi-car plans.
Memphis events by month
- May: Memphis in May, including the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which has moved from the riverfront to Liberty Park in Midtown. See Memphis in May for current dates.
- August: Elvis Week at Graceland.
- Autumn: University of Memphis football at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and cooler weekends for Beale Street and the museums.
- November to April: the Grizzlies season at FedExForum.
- Late December or early January: the Liberty Bowl.
The official visitor bureau, Memphis Travel, keeps an event calendar.
Choosing a vehicle in Memphis
- Standard Sedan: one or two passengers, the standard airport run.
- Luxury Executive Sedan: executives visiting logistics and healthcare companies in East Memphis.
- Executive SUV: three or four passengers, or families with luggage visiting St. Jude or Graceland.
- Standard Black SUV and Sprinter Van: barbecue teams, bands, bachelor and bachelorette weekends on Beale.
- Minicoach and motorcoach: conventions and tour groups.
Stretch limousines and Rolls-Royce, Maybach or Bentley cars come from partners. See the fleet and rates.
One-way trips from Memphis
Memphis sits where Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas meet, and long transfers are common:
- Nashville: about 210 miles on I-40, 3 to 3.5 hours.
- St. Louis: about 285 miles, 4.5 to 5 hours.
- Birmingham: about 240 miles via I-22, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours.
- Little Rock, Arkansas: about 135 miles west on I-40, around 2 hours.
- Oxford, Mississippi (Ole Miss): about 80 miles, 1.25 to 1.5 hours.
- Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis's birthplace: about 110 miles, 1.75 to 2 hours.
Intercity transfers covers one-way pricing and rest stops. Nashville arrivals can also start at Nashville International.
Rail at Memphis Central Station
Amtrak's City of New Orleans stops at Memphis Central Station in South Main on its daily run between Chicago and New Orleans. The train is often scheduled in the early morning or late at night, and the chauffeur tracks its running time. See Amtrak.
Driving notes
Driving is on the right, and Memphis is on Central time. I-240 loops the city and I-40 crosses the Mississippi on the Hernando de Soto Bridge into Arkansas; there are no road tolls. Summers are hot and humid, with frequent thunderstorms from spring to autumn. Poplar Avenue and I-240 are busiest at the weekday peaks.
Cancellation and changes
Free cancellation more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Child seats are free on request.
