Day 4 continued: Then we got back on I-40 and headed to Memphis (209 miles). More competition tractor trailers on the road.
We arrived at Springhill Suites Memphis and turned the car over to the valet. We hauled luggage up to room and then headed out to explore Memphis. The backside of the hotel led to the trolley tracks. We chatted with some locals about the city and the trolley and then walked down toward Beale Street.
The first stop was the Peabody Hotel. We wanted to arrive in plenty of time to get good seats for the duck parade. Situated in the middle of the lobby is a fountain in which about five Mallards, one male and four girls, have made it their home. Twice a day after the Master of Ceremonies relates the story of the Peabody ducks, the ducks march from the fountain, over a step stool and down a red carpet to relocate to their rooftop residence. It's a popular event and fun to witness.
After the duck affair, we headed down to Beale Street. Beale Street is home of the Blues with many music venues in a three-block area. It used to be the center of African American commerce, entertainment and life. Many of the businesses along Beale Street used to be Black-owned. James Baldwin wrote a novel called If Beale Street Could Talk, a reference to the song Beale Street Blues, which in itself is a reference to this street in Memphis. We were lucky to find seats at BB King's Blues Club. We ate dinner and enjoyed a couple of hours of live music from the second floor looking down onto the stage.
Day 5: After breakfast, we headed back down to Beale Street, stopping to photograph some street art along the way. We had a 10 am appointment with Memphis Discovery Tours for a two-hour bus tour of the city. There were six of us on the tour - a couple from Florida (a retired cop who packed some heat and his wife) and two women from England who were big Elvis fans. On the tour, we visited Elvis' apartment when he was a teenager (from the exterior); Victorian Village or Millionaires' Row, consisting of about five mansions with an interesting architectural design; I Am A Man Plaza dedicated to MLK and the Civil Rights Movement; and then the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated and the National Civil Rights Museum. We did not visit the museum at this point. The tour included lunch at Central BBQ, purportedly the best BBQ in Memphis.
At the end of the tour, we were dropped off at the Memphis Rock and Soul Museum. The museum tells the story of music in Memphis. The entrance fee includes a headset so that you can hear the audio presentations of the many displays of music memorabilia and the accompanying music. It's possible to spend hours here listening to the music history and the songs that made Memphis great
At 2:30 pm, we had the Memphis Riverboat Cruise. The dock is down a steep embankment with few amenities to ease the descent. The 90-minute cruise on a diesel-powered riverboat provides a feel for life on the Mississippi River. A narrator provides some history of Memphis, the Mississippi, and the surrounding area. We were lucky to have a pleasant, sunny day for a nice cruise.
After the cruise, we headed back into town and found the trolley stop for the red line. In theory, the trolley runs every 15-20 minutes, in practice it runs every 30-45 minutes. After waiting for about 45 minutes, we finally boarded the trolley. The old-fashioned cars have wooden seats whose backs can be adjusted so that you can face the direction in which the trolley is moving, if you so desire. The trolley is cheap, about $1.00, but infrequent. We rode it to the end of the line and then back to our hotel.
At the hotel, we asked the person at the check-in desk for recommendations on where to eat. We ended up at Huey's, a casual sports bar with numerous TV screens showing the sports competitions of the day. The food was fine and the beer was good.
After dinner, we walked to the edge of the Mississippi river to watch the light show at the Dolly Parton Bridge. The two arches and the beams of the bridge changed colors and patterns and patterns of colors in the western sky. On the return to the hotel, a multi-colored walkway behind the University of Memphis building drew us to a serendipitous find - an outdoor exhibit on Equality Trailblazers Honoring 100 Years of Woman Suffrage. The exhibit featured stories about the many women and man who fought for women's right to vote in Tennessee when the deciding vote for ratification took place in Nashville. The spot also provided a better vantage point to watch the Dolly Parton Bridge light show. Then back to the hotel.
Day 6: Today begins with a tour of the Memphis Cotton Museum. The museum is housed in what was the Memphis Cotton Exchange. There is a replica the chalkboard in the Western Union office where cotton traders made bids and offers on bales cotton. In addition to the exhibits, there were several terminals to watch videos on the history of cotton as well as the history of slavery. Cotton was hugely important to the southern economy in general and to Memphis specifically. The gift shop had a t-shirt that said, "We put the riot in patriot." Hmm. I guess we're in the South.
Afterward, we drove to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel. This is where MLK was assassinated. The museum is a must-see. It presents the history of the civil rights movement from slavery to the present day, the actors and players in the movement, and lots of memorabilia. Visitors can see the rooms where MLK stayed and where he passed away. We returned to Central BBQ and had the chicken BBQ sandwiches again for lunch.
Our final stop in Memphis was the Stax Museum of American Soul Music on the outskirts of town. The museum exhibits begin with the birthplace of soul music, a real Mississippi Delta church dating back to 1906. With so much music in the air, it's hard not to shake your booty. Then back to the hotel to get ready to head out the next day.
Day 7: After breakfast, but before departing Memphis, we made the requisite drive-by visit to Graceland. Not being crazed Elvis fans, we weren't going to pay $50 to enter the shrine. The façade visit was just fine. Then on to Gatlinburg (431 miles).
Author: Jackie