Some good news out of Memphis! Memphis’ Sun Studio is one of the top three attractions in the United States, according to Tripadvisor’s recent Traveler’s Choice awards.
The travel site recognized the famed studio right after the Empire State Building and ahead of Central Park. The ranking of 25 top attractions is based on travelers’ reviews and awarded to locations that received “a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period,” according to the site. NASA Kennedy Space Center nabbed the top spot in the survey.
Known as the “Birthplace of Rock N’ Roll,” the studio was the recording site for the biggest legends in music history, including B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. It was also the site of the “Million Dollar Quartet,” a recording of a jam session including Carl Perkins, Presley, Lewis and Cash.
The studio served as the base of operations for Sun Records label founder Sam Phillips, who launched the careers of several early rock artists.
Another Memphis locale, the iconic estate of Elvis Presley at Graceland, also made the prestigious list. Graceland came in at number 23.
Other notable attractions that made the list include: the Brooklyn Bridge (#7), New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (#9), Alcatraz Island on San Francisco (#10), and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs (#14).