RV arrival guide · Tennessee
RV rental in Memphis, Tennessee
What should an RV traveler know about Memphis?
We have not yet quoted Memphis's own parking, dump or propane pages, so this guide states no unverified figures for those. The Tennessee guide carries the facts we have checked for the state, plus what is live to rent there.
Parking, dump and propane in Memphis
We have not yet quoted Memphis's parking rules, dump stations or propane stops from their own pages, so this section prints no figures. The guide's field notes further down keep what we could match to a live page. The Tennessee guide has the figures we have checked.
Coming to Memphis? Tell us the nights.
Owners in Tennessee can submit listings for review. Give us the window you want — you get one email the day a rig covers it, and nothing else.
Around Memphis
More for Tennessee: Tennessee RV laws · Events in Tennessee
Road trips from Memphis: Great Smoky Mountains Loop
Frequently asked about Memphis
Can I rent an RV in Memphis now?
No RV is available to book here yet. Owners in Tennessee can submit listings for review. Tell us your dates on this page and you get one email the day a rig covers them.
When is the best time to bring an RV to Memphis?
Best: April through May and September through October. Skip: July through August.
Keep Memphis on your list
- Save a rig search for Memphis to your account.
- Your trips and host messages, in one place.
The long reads
The Memphis guide
The downtown Beale Street and Tom Lee Park corridor has no oversize parking — even day-use Class C drivers must use peripheral lots. The closest serious campground is Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park (16 mi N of downtown) with 49 hookup sites in second-growth hardwood forest on the Mississippi River bluffs.
Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park (West Memphis AR, 5 mi W across the bridge) is the river-front commercial option — sites flood seasonally per the USACE Mississippi River stage forecast and the operator publishes a stage-dependent operating advisory.
Major event windows: Memphis in May (Beale Street Music Festival first weekend, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest third weekend), and the Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration (early January) and Death Anniversary (mid-August) bring Graceland-area saturation. The city sits at 337 ft. Plan dump and propane in town, base out of Meeman-Shelby SP or Tom Sawyer's, and time Mississippi River-side stays around the USACE stage forecast.
When to come
Best: April through May and September through October: highs 70-85 F, low humidity, all parks operational. Trade-off: Memphis in May fills supply.
Skip: July through August: highs 90-95 F + humidity; tornado risk peaks during spring/fall transitions.
Your first hour in Memphis
Before you leave the lot
- Confirm Meeman-Shelby SP, Tom Sawyer's, or Graceland RV Park reservation BEFORE driving in; Memphis in May and Elvis Week fill 6-12 months ahead.
- Top off propane at U-Haul (2440 Covington Pike) or AmeriGas Tchulahoma before any Natchez Trace run.
Before you park overnight
- Do not park overnight on Beale Street or Tom Lee Park streets — §21-9-1 enforced.
Also worth doing
- Check USACE Memphis River stage forecast March-May before booking Tom Sawyer's lower sites.
- Fuel diesel + DEF at Pilot/Flying J Lamar Ave (5400 Lamar) before any push south to Mississippi or east to Nashville.
- Park at Graceland RV Park and walk to Graceland Mansion (across the street).
- Check NWS Memphis tornado watch in Mar-May and Oct-Nov shoulder seasons.
The mistake renters make
Booking a Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park lower-site for March or April without checking the USACE Memphis gauge stage forecast. Memphis gauge above 28 ft floods lower sites within 48 hours; Tom Sawyer's enforces relocation but may not refund if the renter's site is below stage trigger. Higher sites cost more.
The guide's field notesCampgrounds, propane and events, each matched to its own page
From this guide's research, compiled Jun 4, 2026. On Sep 24, 2026 we opened each linked page and kept only the entries it names and the figures it prints; a quoted line is the page's own words. Confirm hours and fees there before you drive.
Campgrounds that take rigs
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park
Run by Tennessee State Parks
tnstateparks.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River RV Park
Full hookup; on Mississippi River; sites flood-staged.
Our RV sites are easy access pull-thrus with 30 or 50 amp power, city water, and city sewer.
tomsawyersrvpark.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
Memphis-Graceland RV Park
Full hookup; pool; walking distance to Graceland Mansion.
graceland.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
T.O. Fuller State Park
Run by Tennessee State Parks (South Memphis)
tnstateparks.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
Propane and diesel
U-Haul Moving & Storage of Memphis
uhaul.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
AmeriGas Propane (Memphis)
Propane refill + bulk delivery. Industrial yard; phone ahead.
amerigas.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
Events that fill campgrounds
Elvis Presley Birthday Week
Whitehaven district congested.
graceland.com · page opened Sep 24, 2026
Road trips from Memphis
- Natchez Trace Parkway
Memphis is the natural northern bookend for the Natchez Trace Parkway — fuel and dump in Memphis before dropping south to Tupelo and Jackson MS.
- Great Smoky Mountains Loop
From Memphis, I-40 east to Knoxville stages the Great Smoky Mountains.
Sources behind this guideCompiled 2026-06-04
Tennessee rental rules
Tennessee rules · last verified 2026-05-10
- State rental tax
- 7% · not collected by PickRV
- Min driver age
- 21+ std · 25+ Class A
- Gravel roads
- Allowed — disclosure required
- Generator quiet
- 22:00-07:00
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