Meandering Through Memphis

When Bob and I returned to Texas in 2017, after living in Korea, we promised all of our children that we would take them on a family trip.  Chelsea and Thomas were the last to take us up on the offer, but decided that it would be fun to visit the Smokey Mountains with us the end of July into the first part of August 2022. Bob and I were excited about the opportunity to see some parts of the country that we had never visited together. We planned a fun road trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with short stops at Memphis and Nashville along the way.

Memphis is known as the birthplace of rock-n-roll. Beale Street is considered one of the most iconic streets in America and it's the official Home of the Blues. We arrived in Memphis the afternoon of July 27, 2022 and walked around the downtown area prior to eating dinner at the Blues Street Cafe. It was fun to get a taste of that good ole soul music.

After dinner, we went to see "My Fair Lady" at the Orpheum Theatre, a national historic building first opened in 1928. After the performance, a stroll down Beale Street took on an entirely different feel.

The following day we visited a few of the most famous places in Memphis, beginning with Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. Although we did not purchase tickets to tour the mansion, we did wander around the grounds. We had just recently watched a new movie about Elvis and learned a lot of new things about the American legend, Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, so it was interesting to try to envision his life here in Memphis. 

We went to the Arcade Restaurant for brunch, famous for being one of Elvis's favorite eateries.  He even had a table that was dedicated just for his use.

We hopped on the trolley and explored other parts of town. We finished at Sun Studio which is the discovery location of musical legends and genres of the 50's from B.B. King and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis; from Blues and Gospel to Country and Rock'n'roll.

We visited the Legendary Peabody Hotel, made famous by it's "royal" ducks, which live in their palace on the rooftop and are ushered down to the lobby two times daily for a red carpet walk into the fountain for a swim.  It's an event that is heralded with much pomp and circumstance.

We took a quick look at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was assassinated. It is now the National Civil Rights Museum. On our way out of Memphis, we took a walk along part of the mile long Big River Crossing, which is the longest public pedestrian and cyclist bridge across the Mississippi. It was a nice way to see Memphis from a different vantage point.