Memphis, Tennessee

I saw a PBS episode about Memphis, TN, so I decided that my friend and I should just go there and explore.  So we did.

Beale Street in the daylight.

We stayed in downtown Memphis and did A LOT of walking.  We didn't get to do all of the things that were recommended to us, but it was still very enjoyable.  The other benefit was that on all of the days we were there, the weather was hot, humid, and sunny.  I loved the weather (I heard that it was wet and miserable in MN while I was on my trip).

More of Beale Street.

We stayed near Beale Street, which is home to several blues and jazz clubs.  There were nightly street performances and lots of live music.  If you love live musical performances, then Beale Street would've been a great place to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere.  There were lots of interesting signs and of course I wanted to go to a voodoo shop, but there was none to be found.  

What I found so interesting about downtown Memphis was that there was a lot of different styles of buildings, with the old meshing in with the new.  At the same time, there were areas that really needed to be developed that sat next to places that were super modern and developed.  They also had trolleys that went up and down the business district in the downtown area.

Downtown Memphis, complete with trolleys and horse drawn carriage rides.

We also walked down to the National Civil Rights Museum.  While on our way there, we met some guy named Hollywood.  He showed us his tattoo of his name and joked with us for a little bit.  Did I mention that the people in Memphis were generally really friendly?  People would say "hi" to us or just chatted up with us as we passed by.  

Hollywood in his red suit.  The Lorraine Hotel is in the background.

 As Hollywood went on his merry way with his bottle in a paper bag, we headed towards the Lorraine Motel.  It was at this motel that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  The museum and the motel were undergoing renovations when we were there.  Even though I didn't go into the museum, I was profoundly moved by just being in the same vicinity where Dr. King was assassinated.  It felt as if all of history was coming and hitting me all at once, and the impact was overwhelming.

Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel, the site where Dr. King was assassinated.

We also went to Mud Island, which boasts an exact scale of the lower Mississippi River (from Illinois to the Gulf Coast).  It was a wonderful walk and I really loved walking on and about the replica of the Mississippi River.

A view of a portion of the replica of the Mississippi River on Mud Island.

The celebrities at the Peabody Hotel.

We also went to the Peabody Hotel and saw the live ducks in the hotel's fountain.  There's a story as to why the hotel keeps live ducks in its fountain, but the most relevant thing is that every day, at 11:00 a.m. there is the marching of the ducks from the elevators (from the roof top) to the fountain, and at 5:00 p.m. the ducks are marched from the fountain and back into the elevator.  And, the ducks are given a red carpet to march.  My gosh, there were a lot of pomp and sooo many people that come out to just watch the marching of the ducks.  One could've of easily thought that people were flocking to see a movie star or something.

A pale comparison to the "original" Voodoo Doughnut (in my opinion).

Now, my friend and I didn't get a chance to go to Graceland (Elvis' home), but we did get to go to Nashville.  That, will be another story for another day.

The "blues" will follow you, regardless of where you go.

Have you ever been to Memphis, TN?  Would you like to go or what was your experience like?

If you want to find out more information about the Civil Rights Museum, check out this website:  http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/

More information about Mud Island can be found here:  http://www.mudisland.com/

If you want to know more about the Peabody Hotel and its ducks, go to this website:  http://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody-ducks/