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Memphis, TN
Weekend getaways can be a reasonable solution to that feeling of wanderlust when your time is limited. It is a wonderful way to rejuvenate the spirit any time of the year! For those of us living in southern Indiana, Tennessee is a spot to consider, and Memphis is an interesting city to visit with much to offer children as well as adults.
Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, one of the downtown attractions is Mud Island, accessible by monorail or through an enclosed walkway. There you may visit the Pavilion which houses the famous restored airplane, The Memphis Belle. You may also visit the interesting Mississippi River Museum, or perhaps walk the five-block long scale model of the Mississippi River. Mud Island has a 5000 seat amphitheater, gift shops, and restaurants. Also located on the Island, The Memphis Queen Line offers sightseeing cruises, dinner cruises, and moonlight music cruises featuring local bands.
The Peabody Hotel is a famous landmark of the downtown district--famous because of its ducks! Every day at 11:00 AM the ducks come down the elevator from their penthouse suite atop the hotel. After marching into the beautiful lobby of the old hotel to the tune of "King Cotton March", they spend the day swimming in the elegant marble fountain in the lobby. At 5:00 PM they return to their penthouse suite, again to the ceremonial music and a lobby full of tourists.
Memphis offers many restaurants where a tourist may find good food. A comprehensive list is provided by Memphis Mojo. If you are downtown and have a craving for barbecue ribs, however, The Rendezvous is just a block from the Peabody Hotel. It is located in a basement, not fancy at all, but any Memphis resident will recommend it as the place to go for ribs. And don't forget to ride the antique trolleys on Main Street while you are downtown.
The Hunt-Phelan Home is a fully restored ante-bellum home which would be of interest to antique lovers and Civil War buffs. In spring, summer, and fall, it would also appeal to garden enthusiasts.
There are several museums in the city. The Pink Palace Museum houses the Imax Theater, and the Sharpe Planetarium is on the same grounds. Among other attractions for families are The Children's Museum, and the Memphis Zoo.
If the kids are focused on theme parks, Liberty Land comes to the rescue. And for the family that likes ice skating, the Memphis Ice Chalet is a year round ice rink located inside the Mall of Memphis. It is available for public skating, or you may just watch from the food court area on the floor above the rink. That in itself is an interesting way to pass the time! If you become bored with the skating, the large Mall is filled with many department and specialty stores for your shopping pleasure.
We are told that outlet shopping is a favorite activity of tourists everywhere. For those who possess the passion for outlet shopping, the Belz Factory Outlets are located nearby.
Graceland is a prime attraction for many tourists to Memphis and offers a detailed Website--the Mother of all Websites!--including a picture of Elvis and Graceland. It tells you everything you would ever need to know if you want to visit the place.
The Memphis Pyramid is capable of handling large exhibits, so the very special traveling exhibits appear in the this facility. Check out the Wonders: The Memphis International Cultural Series website to view highlights of past exhibits such as Titanic, Catherine the Great, the Imperial Tombs of China, the Lost Civilization of the Incas and previews of possible exhibits to come in the future.
"Memphis in May" is a cultural community celebration in the city and honors a different country each year. The event is usually the first week of May, with musical performances in the park as well as on Beale Street.
As you can see, there are more than enough attractions and events in the city to fill a long weekend. What accommodations does Memphis offer? There are many nice hotels and motels to serve as your base of operations.
The only thing Memphis was missing on our last visit there was W.C. Handy style blues music, although our visit was in November which is not the peak tourist season. (Actually, there were few people along Beale Street in the evenings until Friday night, when the tour buses flocked to the place like gamblers to a riverboat.) At that time the only lasting reminder of W.C. Handy was the statue in his nearby park. The scene in Memphis seems to have its highs and its lows, however, so hopefully someone will bring back the W.C. Handy style blues to Beale Street which is what made Beale Street famous in the beginning!
Last updated 10/13/98
