Top 5 must-visit pop culture sites in USA

From petting a dragon and admiring the hat of the Wicked Witch of the West, to examining Eric Clapton’s weathered guitar and recording your own masterpiece in a sound proof studio pod, there’s enough to do at MoPOP to keep you busy all day long. With a quirky architecture and even quirkier exhibits, it’s the perfect home of pop culture to add to your list of USA things to see. 

The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley lived here and that is enough reason to make it one of the best places to visit in the USA. Immerse yourself into the life of the king in the mansion where he grew up. From Elvis’ parents’ bedroom to his private jet with gold plated seatbelts, you’ll get the chance to peek into the private life of the legend.

Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum and Presley Motors Automobile Museum also deserve a mention for their wide range of artefacts and vintage cars that were a favourite of Presley.  

If you ever find yourself in the Deep South, and are wondering about what to do in America, we recommend popping into the house of the Pulitzer Prize winning writer of the cult classic, Gone with the Wind.

Visit the place Margaret Mitchell penned the first words of the book – at the bottom floor of her apartment, and learn more about its feisty writer, lovingly called Peggy Marsh.   

The home of the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ is also shared by the ‘King of the Blues’, B.B. King. Memphis is known as ‘Blues City’. It was on Beale Street, Memphis that King landed his first blues gig and quickly went on to become a household name, and it is here that the genre is preserved. The flagship B.B. King’s Blues Club and the neighbouring B.B. King’s Company Store have become something of a pilgrimage site for blues lovers from all around the world.

Step into the club to be blown away by incredible live blues performances accompanied by a delicious barbeque meal. As the website states, “words can’t describe the vibe of this place”.  

If your taste veers more towards country music, you should certainly add Grand Ole Opry, Nashville – the country music capital, to your USA things to see list. Committed to honouring and preserving country music’s glorious past and vivacious present, the Grand Ole Opry is known as the home of American music. It all started in 1925 with a radio show called WSM Barn Dance, which eventually became “the show that made country music famous” and launched many a country musician’s career.

Book a backstage tour of Grand Ole Opry and top it off with an outstanding evening concert that will stay with you long after you’ve returned home.