MEMPHIS: Home of the Blues
BY CLAY
LARROY
The preparation for a vacation is almost as
exhilarating as the vacation itself. I love printing out the tickets and
confirmations while thinking about how much fun I will have on vacation. I
enjoy researching all the sights at the location I will see once I arrive at my
destination. When you want to plan a
vacation contact me!
Memphis is known
the world over as the cradle of the blues, the birthplace of rock ‘n' roll and
the hometown of Elvis Presley. This sweet Southern Belle is the largest city in
Tennessee, but it still retains an enticing small-town feel, with a revitalized
downtown that is teeming with energy and life.
The story of America's musical capital is entwined with the
history of the South - slavery and plantations, the American Civil War, the
Civil Rights Movement. The city witnessed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther
King, but also desegregation and the launching of black music onto the world
stage.
Modern Memphis is an intriguing mix of old and new, with graceful
Victorian villas jostling for space with gleaming skyscrapers and
air-conditioned malls. After decades of abandonment, downtown has seen a huge
influx of new residents, creating one of the most appealing city centers in
America.
For many, a trip to Memphis is a musical pilgrimage. Graceland,
the family home and final resting place of Elvis Aaron Presley, is a cathedral
to kitsch, but also a place of tremendous emotion. Guitar fans tour the Gibson
factory and walk in the footsteps of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and B.B. King
on Beale Street, the self-styled Home of the Blues.
Memphis is a year-round destination: winters are pleasantly mild
and summers are exotically hot and humid, while the Mississippi River keeps on
roll, roll, rolling along - perfect for fishing trips and riverboat tours.
Befitting Memphis' musical heritage, energetic music festivals run
throughout the year, alongside such eclectic events as the world's largest pork
barbecue. Memphis in May is the top ticket on the cultural calendar, and you
can enjoy fresh-from-the-fields produce at the Memphis Farmers Market from
spring through fall.
If you only have time for one sight in Memphis, make it the
National Civil Rights Museum in the old Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther
King was assassinated in 1968, and contemplate how far race relations, and the
city itself, have come in the decades since desegregation.
Tours
& Excursions
Tourist Information Centers
Tennessee Welcome Centre
·
119 North Riverside Drive
Memphis
United States
Memphis
United States
·
(901) 543 6757.
·
Daily 0700-2230.
Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau
·
47 Union Avenue
Memphis
United States
Memphis
United States
·
(901) 543 5300.
·
Hours of Operation:
Daily 0900-1700 (Oct-Mar); 0900-1800 (Apr-Sep).
Excursions
Alex Haley House Museum
·
Tennessee's first state-owned African-American historic site, the
childhood home of Alex Haley is located in the town of Henning, approximately
167km (104 miles) from Memphis. The museum, contains memorabilia of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots (1976). Haley's burial site is in the
garden. Located in Henning, Tennessee, the museum is accessible by car via
Highway 51 north, or by arranging a special tour with one of the local tour
operators. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday 1000 -1700 and on Sunday 1300 -
1700 year round.
·
(731) 738 2240.
Tupelo
·
Down in Mississippi, approximately 160km (100 miles) southeast of
Memphis, is Tupelo, a place of pilgrimage for Elvis Presley fans. Elvis was
born here in 1935. The icon also lived in the town until his early teens. His
home, the Elvis Presley Birthplace (tel: (662) 841 1245), presents a striking
contrast to the excesses of Graceland. Other sights associated with the singer
include Tupelo Hardware, the shop where Elvis' mother bought him his first
guitar. Tupelo is approximately a two-hour drive from Memphis.
·
Telephone:
1 800 533 0611 or (662) 841 6521.
Chucalissa Museum
·
Located on the campus of the University of Memphis, Chucalissa
Museum, is an atmospheric reconstruction of a 15th-century Native American
village, built on the site of an ancient settlement. The museum features a
Shaman's house and exhibits recovered from archaeological digs, such as a water
bottle with a rattlesnake motif, cooking pots and dishes. The museum is closed
on Mondays. It is best reached via I-55, south of Memphis to exit 7, then right
onto Mitchell Road.
·
(901) 785 3160.
Tours
Horse-drawn carriage tours
·
Downtown horse-drawn carriage tours parade the streets nightly,
only minutes from every Downtown hotspot and about an hour from Midtown Memphis
attractions such as the Memphis Zoo, Brooks Museum and Overton Square. Carriage
Tours of Memphis also run on a shortened daytime schedule.
·
(901) 527 7542 or 1 888 267 9100.
Walking tours
·
Memphis Explorations offers customized tours, including a 'Downtown
Elvis-style' walking tour every Saturday, from April to October, for groups
over two, by reservation. The Elvis tour lasts three hours and includes more
than 20 Elvis sites, including his teenage home at Lauderdale Courts. Tours
depart from the Elvis statue on Beale Street, at 1000. Contact the Memphis CVB
for other self-guided walking tours.
·
(901) 289 7401 ; (901) 543 5300.
Bus tours
·
Blues City Tours operates a variety of daily bus tours of Memphis.
The three-hour 'Memphis City Tour' takes in all the major sights, including
Downtown, Beale Street, the Lorraine Hotel, Graceland, The Peabody Duck March
and the Pyramid Arena. Free hotel pick-up is arranged. Coach USA offers a
variety of tours, including a 'Memphis City Tour' and an 'Elvis Platinum Tour'.
Pick-up is available from all Memphis hotels. Both tours last three hours.
·
(901) 522 9229 ; (866) 500 0839.
Boat tours
·
A trip on the Mississippi is one of the most relaxing tours
available. Memphis Queen Line operates sightseeing cruises in traditional
paddle-wheel boats. Tours operate from 1 March to 9 November, departing from 45
South Riverside Drive on the river.
·
1 800 221 6197 or (901) 527 5694.
REFERENCE
SITES:
I come from this really small town near Nashville, Tennessee,
where everything was la-di-da and normal.
Miley Cyrus
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