Destination attractions things to do in memphis

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Do you feel a need to sing the blues? Would you like to go rollin on the river? Would you like to see Elvis? If so, Memphis is the city for you. Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi all claim parts of Memphis, and for good reasons. Memphis is a great city to visit, and there are many interesting attractions. Here are some of my favorite places in Memphis:

Mud Island River Park is located alongside the Mississippi River, and includes a river walk, the Mississippi River Museum, which displays a steamboat and 18 galleries of exhibits, and a ? mile scale model of the river. All of the exhibits in this park explore the history of the river, and its fun to walk along the model and find the 20 cities that are located on the lower Mississippi. There are pedal boats for rent in the pool that represents the Gulf of Mexico, and a shop also rents bikes, canoes and kayaks. There are several food venues, a gift shop, and a walkway (featured in the end of the movie The Firm) that takes you across the river. A monorail runs underneath the walkway and will take you to downtown Memphis. Its free to visit the park, although the museum has a fee, and its open from April through October.

The Beale Street Entertainment District includes four historic blocks of shops, restaurants, nightclubs, and other entertainment. There is live music nightly, and festivals are frequently held in this area. Check out A. Schwab, a general store that has some of the weirdest stuff Ive ever seen, and the Rum Boogie Caf, for catfish, gumbo, ribs, red beans and rice, and rum, of course. Silky OSullivans has a beer garden with a tower on which beer-drinking goats climb; youve got to see this to believe it! Its always party time on Beale Street.

The Peabody Hotel, an elegant, 4-star hotel, is located downtown. The Peabody was built in the 1880s, and restored to its original grandeur in 1981. Crowds congregate in the beautiful, ornate lobby each day at 11 am and 5 pm to see the Peabody ducks march either to or from their duck palace on the roof. The duckmaster will tell you the story of the ducks; they spend the day in the fountain in the center of the lobby. If you go up to the roof, you can see great views of downtown and the river, and visit the duck palace too. There are restaurants and gift shops in the hotel, and Peabody Place is nearby.

Downtown Memphis is undergoing a rebirth, and Peabody Place is the center of those efforts. It offers shopping, movies, music, dining and other entertainment, and also includes an office tower and apartments. Peabody Place covers 8 blocks and is composed of a group of historic buildings connected by skywalks. The centerpiece is Peabody Place Entertainment and Retail Center, which was designed to be like an enclosed town square. Shop there at stores such as Tower Records, Ann Taylor Loft, or The Gap, or have a treat at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory or Maggie Moos Ice Cream.

Along the Mississippi River you will see riverboats that offer sightseeing tours and evening dinner cruises. As you cross the bridge on Interstate 40 from Arkansas into Tennessee, youll also see a huge, 32-story high stainless steel pyramid on your left. The Pyramid Arena is the home of the NBA Memphis Grizzlies (until the construction of the FedEx Forum is finished downtown) and University of Memphis basketball and is also used as a venue for concerts and other shows. Its the third largest pyramid in the world and pays homage to Memphis namesake (Memphis on the Nile).

Graceland Mansion, former home of Elvis Presley, is probably the most visited tourist attraction in Memphis. It is open for tours every day, except on major holidays, and you can also tour Elvis two custom jets, his automobile museum and the Sincerely Elvis Exhibit. If you want to spend the night Elvis-style, theres the Heartbreak Hotel across the street, with Elvis-themed rooms and suites. If youre a sincere Elvis fan, youll want to attend Elvis Week, which is held in August. A candlelight vigil on August 16, the date of Elvis death, lasts into the night as fans walk single file past his grave. Across the street from Graceland are several souvenir shops, a restaurant, a theater that shows an Elvis documentary, and a visitors center that sells tickets to the various attractions. The thing I found most interesting at Graceland was the brick and stone wall surrounding it; its covered with graffiti from all over the world. You can probably find your name on it if you look hard enough, or at least your hometown.

If youre an Elvis fan, you will probably want to visit Sun Studio, where Elvis recorded Thats All Right Mama at age 18. Take the tour and you will see pictures and hear recordings of some of the legends who have recorded at Sun Studio. See the famous picture of Elvis jammin with Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. There is lots of early Elvis memorabilia, such as his social security card, high school diploma, etc., and your tour guide will probably resemble Elvis too. Theres a great gift shop, and also a soda fountain in this building that has been declared a National Historic Landmark.

There are lots of great restaurants in Memphis, which is known for its good ole Southern cooking and barbecue. A few of my favorite casual places are Corkys, for ribs, pecan pie, and other yummy BBQ treats, Finos From the Hill, for Italian and deli treats, and Kudzus Bar & Grill. Kudzus is located very close to Sun Studio and has interesting dcor; its interior is covered wall-to-wall with signs of all kinds, and the food (burgers, sandwiches and such) is delicious.

The Stax Museum of Americal Soul Music tells the history of Memphis soul music and has exhibits of such legendary stars as Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, and Otis Redding. Its at the site of the original Stax Records, and even Elvis recorded there. There are more than 2,000 artifacts of soul music, such as Tina Turners clothing and Isaac Hayes Cadillac, and traveling exhibits are also shown.

The South Main Historic District has over 40 shops, art galleries, a museum, restaurants, designers, and live music. The area is between the Central Train Station and The Orpheum Theater, south of Peabody Place and Beale Street, and is considered to be Memphis art district; the district also includes the National Civil Rights Museum.

The National Civil Rights Museum is on the site of the old Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. It has exhibits and interactive displays that explore the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. Photographs, profiles of civil rights leaders, statues, and documents help to tell the story, and the museum is expanding to examine what has happened in the civil rights movement after the death of Dr. King, Jr. Check out their excellent website before or after visiting for more of the stories behind the exhibits.

Memphis is a great city to visit and theres much more to see; its hip and sophisticated, and I thoroughly enjoy the uniqueness of its attractions. If you plan to visit Memphis, check out its website for more attractions, maps and general tourist information, or visit the visitors center close to the Pyramid for brochures and maps.